Pay by state · 54 areas
Painter, Construction and Maintenance Salary by State (2026)
Painters, Construction and Maintenance earn the most in Hawaii at $68,220 a year and the least in Arkansas at $40,090 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $49,400. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $68,220Hawaii
- National median
- $49,400BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $40,090Arkansas
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for painters, construction and maintenance
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Missouri comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Hawaii$68,220
- 2Illinois$61,260
- 3Alaska$60,980
- 4Washington$59,650
- 5New York$59,570
Lowest median pay
- 1Arkansas$40,090
- 2South Carolina$40,840
- 3Rhode Island$41,590
- 4Tennessee$43,230
- 5Alabama$43,930
All states
Painter, Construction and Maintenance salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of painters, construction and maintenance OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIHawaii | $68,220 | $59,480 | $85,280 | 1,900 | $62,046 |
| 2 | ILIllinois | $61,260 | $47,990 | $93,220 | 6,820 | $61,286 |
| 3 | AKAlaska | $60,980 | $54,710 | $74,570 | 440 | $59,575 |
| 4 | WAWashington | $59,650 | $48,940 | $65,140 | 9,510 | $55,741 |
| 5 | NYNew York | $59,570 | $48,820 | $79,320 | 13,040 | $55,198 |
| 6 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $59,520 | $47,360 | $69,390 | 500 | $54,158 |
| 7 | MEMaine | $59,270 | $50,170 | $63,120 | 2,120 | $61,072 |
| 8 | NJNew Jersey | $59,250 | $45,490 | $72,380 | 4,110 | $54,455 |
| 9 | CACalifornia | $59,020 | $47,520 | $73,040 | 38,430 | $53,306 |
| 10 | DEDelaware | $58,530 | $50,680 | $61,700 | 480 | $58,643 |
| 11 | CTConnecticut | $58,480 | $47,630 | $76,420 | 2,230 | $56,442 |
| 12 | MTMontana | $58,290 | $47,390 | $61,810 | 920 | $61,588 |
| 13 | MAMassachusetts | $57,510 | $46,830 | $70,050 | 4,430 | $54,379 |
| 14 | MOMissouri | $57,510 | $46,350 | $68,510 | 3,980 | $63,325 |
| 15 | MNMinnesota | $57,270 | $43,600 | $69,340 | 3,810 | $58,071 |
| 16 | NVNevada | $56,390 | $46,950 | $63,390 | 4,120 | $56,402 |
| 17 | NDNorth Dakota | $54,870 | $47,320 | $60,650 | 420 | $61,680 |
| 18 | VTVermont | $53,120 | $48,710 | $60,260 | 550 | $54,227 |
| 19 | COColorado | $52,970 | $47,210 | $59,650 | 3,480 | $51,401 |
| 20 | PAPennsylvania | $52,120 | $47,600 | $61,000 | 5,980 | $53,417 |
| 21 | MIMichigan | $50,650 | $45,300 | $62,950 | 4,920 | $52,641 |
| 22 | INIndiana | $50,260 | $43,180 | $62,450 | 3,510 | $53,853 |
| 23 | WIWisconsin | $50,090 | $46,640 | $60,100 | 3,350 | $53,233 |
| 24 | IAIowa | $49,710 | $43,050 | $61,450 | 1,770 | $56,642 |
| 25 | NHNew Hampshire | $49,670 | $46,580 | $57,880 | 910 | $47,684 |
| 26 | OHOhio | $49,450 | $44,040 | $61,790 | 5,600 | $53,302 |
| 27 | MDMaryland | $49,120 | $46,520 | $59,290 | 3,750 | $46,799 |
| 28 | OROregon | $48,900 | $45,950 | $61,580 | 5,410 | $47,310 |
| 29 | GAGeorgia | $48,340 | $42,130 | $57,670 | 2,760 | $50,201 |
| 30 | AZArizona | $48,250 | $45,370 | $58,560 | 5,210 | $47,926 |
| 31 | SDSouth Dakota | $48,160 | $41,430 | $51,440 | 670 | $54,365 |
| 32 | KYKentucky | $48,110 | $40,210 | $59,740 | 1,390 | $53,361 |
| 33 | FLFlorida | $47,530 | $39,940 | $50,130 | 22,450 | $45,961 |
| 34 | VAVirginia | $47,470 | $39,300 | $56,220 | 5,930 | $46,952 |
| 35 | NENebraska | $47,280 | $37,840 | $51,220 | 1,590 | $52,473 |
| 36 | WYWyoming | $47,220 | $38,380 | $55,240 | 480 | $50,943 |
| 37 | LALouisiana | $46,410 | $38,970 | $50,460 | 4,090 | $52,615 |
| 38 | NMNew Mexico | $46,240 | $40,530 | $50,320 | 1,010 | $50,145 |
| 39 | UTUtah | $46,050 | $38,100 | $53,840 | 3,510 | $46,579 |
| 40 | KSKansas | $45,510 | $37,180 | $49,350 | 1,570 | $50,528 |
| 41 | TXTexas | $45,460 | $39,070 | $49,390 | 18,330 | $46,838 |
| 42 | OKOklahoma | $44,900 | $36,680 | $51,640 | 1,880 | $51,114 |
| 43 | IDIdaho | $44,880 | $36,880 | $47,890 | 2,040 | $46,998 |
| 44 | MSMississippi | $44,800 | $36,920 | $53,340 | 1,060 | $51,522 |
| 45 | WVWest Virginia | $44,230 | $32,760 | $54,310 | 720 | $49,421 |
| 46 | NCNorth Carolina | $44,110 | $37,090 | $49,150 | 5,220 | $46,763 |
| 47 | ALAlabama | $43,930 | $37,440 | $50,410 | 1,570 | $49,458 |
| 48 | TNTennessee | $43,230 | $37,350 | $47,900 | 3,040 | $47,056 |
| 49 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $42,520 | $31,660 | $47,440 | 40 | N/A |
| 50 | RIRhode Island | $41,590 | $37,230 | $56,060 | 1,160 | $40,663 |
| 51 | SCSouth Carolina | $40,840 | $36,000 | $48,550 | 2,080 | $43,563 |
| 52 | ARArkansas | $40,090 | $36,940 | $47,520 | 890 | $46,114 |
| 53 | GUGuam | $32,960 | $31,720 | $36,820 | 330 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $24,070 | $23,020 | $31,020 | 600 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For painters, construction and maintenance, that changes the ranking: Hawaii leads on raw pay at $68,220, while Missouri leads once prices are taken into account at $63,325.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Painter, Construction and Maintenance pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays painters, construction and maintenance the most?
Hawaii reports the highest median wage for painters, construction and maintenance at $68,220 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Illinois ($61,260) and Alaska ($60,980).
Which state pays painters, construction and maintenance the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Arkansas reports the lowest median for painters, construction and maintenance at $40,090 a year, $28,130 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $42,520, Guam reports $32,960 and Puerto Rico reports $24,070.
Is the highest-paying state the best for painters, construction and maintenance after cost of living?
Not on this data. Hawaii pays the most on paper ($68,220) but ranks 2nd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($62,046). Missouri leads after that adjustment at $63,325, from a raw median of $57,510. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.