State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Painter, Construction and Maintenance Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Painters, Construction and Maintenance is $49,400 a year ($23.75/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 3.8% through 2034, with about 28,100 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
SOC 47-2141Construction and ExtractionLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $49,400
- Projected growth
- +3.8%
- Openings a year
- 28,100
- Typical education
- No formal credential
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Building Trades Painter, Commercial Painter, Facilities Painter, Highway Painter, House Painter, Industrial Painter.
How much do Painters, Construction and Maintenance make?
10th percentile$37,440
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$44,640
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$49,400
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$61,660
Upper quartile
90th percentile$78,810
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $49,400 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $23.75/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $55,420 |
| People employed | 225,190 |
Versus all US occupations
At $49,400, Painters, Construction and Maintenance earn 3% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $1,580 a year.
Versus construction and extraction occupations
Inside the Construction and Extraction group, where the middle occupation pays $57,430, this is 14% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $78,810 or more while the bottom 10% earn $37,440, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 27% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Hawaii posts the highest raw median ($68,220), but once local prices are taken into account Missouri leads at $63,325 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Painters, Construction and Maintenance the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $68,220 | $62,046 | 1,900 |
| Illinois | $61,260 | $61,286 | 6,820 |
| Alaska | $60,980 | $59,575 | 440 |
| Washington | $59,650 | $55,741 | 9,510 |
| New York | $59,570 | $55,198 | 13,040 |
| District of Columbia | $59,520 | $54,158 | 500 |
| Maine | $59,270 | $61,072 | 2,120 |
| New Jersey | $59,250 | $54,455 | 4,110 |
| California | $59,020 | $53,306 | 38,430 |
| Delaware | $58,530 | $58,643 | 480 |
Is Painter, Construction and Maintenance a growing career?
Painters, Construction and Maintenance3.8%
All US occupations3.1%
+3.8% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Painters, Construction and Maintenance to change 3.8% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 13,000 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 28,100 openings are projected each year, 8.2% of the 342,200 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
The expected increase in new construction will continue to create a need for painters. Investors who sell or lease properties also will require painters’ services. However, many homeowners choose to do painting themselves rather than hire workers for it, which will temper employment growth for painters.
How to become a Painter, Construction and Maintenance
Painters typically learn their trade on the job. No formal education is typically required to enter the occupation.
| Typical entry-level education | No formal educational credential |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as painters, construction and maintenance.
- High School Diploma48.7%
- Post-Secondary Certificate33.1%
- Less than a High School Diploma16.3%
- Post-Doctoral Training1.9%
What does a Painter, Construction and Maintenance do?
Paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. May remove old paint to prepare surface prior to painting. May mix colors or oils to obtain desired color or consistency.
Painters apply paint, stain, and coatings to walls and ceilings, buildings, large machinery and equipment, and bridges and other structures.
Day-to-day tasks
- Cover surfaces with dropcloths or masking tape and paper to protect surfaces during painting.
- Smooth surfaces, using sandpaper, scrapers, brushes, steel wool, or sanding machines.
- Erect scaffolding or swing gates, or set up ladders, to work above ground level.
- Apply primers or sealers to prepare new surfaces, such as bare wood or metal, for finish coats.
- Fill cracks, holes, or joints with caulk, putty, plaster, or other fillers, using caulking guns or putty knives.
- Remove fixtures such as pictures, door knobs, lamps, or electric switch covers prior to painting.
- Read work orders or receive instructions from supervisors or homeowners to determine work requirements.
- Remove old finishes by stripping, sanding, wire brushing, burning, or using water or abrasive blasting.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where painters, construction and maintenance work
| Painting and wall covering contractors | 41% |
|---|---|
| Self-employed workers | 34% |
| Residential building construction | 4% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 2% |
| Nonresidential building construction | 2% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.0/5
- Critical Thinking3.0/5
- Monitoring2.9/5
- Reading Comprehension2.8/5
- Speaking2.4/5
- Writing2.0/5
- Mathematics2.0/5
- Active Learning2.0/5
Transferable skills
- Time Management3.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.9/5
- Coordination2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.8/5
- Service Orientation2.4/5
- Persuasion2.0/5
- Instructing2.0/5
- Operations Monitoring2.0/5
Tools and software
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
- Customer relationship management CRM software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Project management software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Painter, Construction and Maintenance?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary7.0
Investigative1.5
Artistic2.5
Social1.3
Enterprising1.0
Conventionalprimary3.5
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Painter, Construction and Maintenance: frequently asked questions
How much do Painters, Construction and Maintenance make?
Painters, Construction and Maintenance earn a median of $49,400 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 3% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $23.75/hr. The middle half earn between $44,640 and $61,660. The top 10% earn $78,810 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Painter, Construction and Maintenance?
No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Painters, Construction and Maintenance, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as little or no preparation. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 48.7% hold high school diploma.
Is Painter, Construction and Maintenance a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.8% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 28,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Painter, Construction and Maintenance do?
Painters apply paint, stain, and coatings to walls and ceilings, buildings, large machinery and equipment, and bridges and other structures. A core O*NET task: cover surfaces with dropcloths or masking tape and paper to protect surfaces during painting. Employers most often ask for Office suite software, Operating system software, Spreadsheet software.
Which states pay Painters, Construction and Maintenance the most?
The highest state medians for Painters, Construction and Maintenance are Hawaii ($68,220), Illinois ($61,260), Alaska ($60,980) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Missouri moves to the top at $63,325.
What personality type suits a Painter, Construction and Maintenance?
O*NET scores Painters, Construction and Maintenance highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.