Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers Salary: $40,860 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 8,470 painting, coating, and decorating workers work nationally, and $40,860 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 33% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 4.6% annual decline.
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers: what the data shows
Common questions about painting, coating, and decorating workers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a painting, coating, and decorating workers?
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 51-9123.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 8,470 workers.
What does a painting, coating, and decorating workers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a painting, coating, and decorating workers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $40,860 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $51,473 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,761 |
| 25th percentile | $38,884 |
| Median (50th) | $45,574 |
| 75th percentile | $56,644 |
| 90th percentile | $81,626 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Monitoring, Coordination, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Production and Processing, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is painting, coating, and decorating workers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 4.6% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -21.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -37.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 8,470.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do painting, coating, and decorating workerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 8,470 | 21.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 8,230 | 20.7% |
| Manufacturing | 5,740 | 14.4% |
| Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 1,150 | 2.9% |
| Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 1,130 | 2.8% |
| Food Manufacturing | 1,090 | 2.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 159,500 | $47,590 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers workforce.
Employment Over Time
8,470 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers shrank from 7,240 in 2009 to 3,380 in 2025 (53.3%).
Historical employment for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$40,860 Median pay (BLS national)
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers earn $40,860 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Salary distribution for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Employment Growth Projections
-4.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
2,664 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -21.2%
2,099 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -37.9%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-17.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 1,110 employees, $30,350 avg wage
- CA: 930 employees, $50,170 avg wage
- FL: 920 employees, $39,880 avg wage
- NY: 510 employees, $63,040 avg wage
- IN: 390 employees, $45,810 avg wage
- TN: 380 employees, $34,510 avg wage
- PA: 360 employees, $44,940 avg wage
- MI: 270 employees, $37,260 avg wage
- VA: 260 employees, $46,570 avg wage
- MA: 250 employees, $50,580 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 440 employees, $67,350 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 430 employees, $50,600 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 330 employees, $30,890 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 320 employees, $31,000 avg wage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 210 employees, $39,330 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 180 employees, $38,020 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 140 employees, $49,120 avg wage
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL: 140 employees, $39,200 avg wage
- San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX: 110 employees, N/A avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 110 employees, $38,380 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers is about 8,470 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers workers.
Education level distribution for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Skills
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Coordination, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers include Production and Processing, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Design.
Knowledge areas required for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers include Near Vision, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Visual Color Discrimination, Manual Dexterity, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
Daily Activities
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers spend their time on activities such as Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings.
Most important work activities for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers.
About
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers earn $40,860 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
51-9123 - Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers reports an average salary of $51,473.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 8,470 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -4.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.