Paperhangers Salary: $67,364 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 1,520 paperhangers nationally earn a mean of $67,364. Projections imply about 7.3% annual growth; much hiring sits in professional, scientific, and technical services.
Key Statistics
Paperhangers: what the data shows
Common questions about paperhangers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a paperhangers?
Paperhangers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 47-2142.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 1,520 workers.
What does a paperhangers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a paperhangers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $48,260 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $67,364 — 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 | $43,821 |
| 25th percentile | $49,679 |
| Median (50th) | $59,015 |
| 75th percentile | $78,224 |
| 90th percentile | $110,238 |
What education do you need?
For Paperhangers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Coordination, Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Building and Construction, Mathematics, Mechanical. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is paperhangers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 7.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 41.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 101.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 1,520.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do paperhangerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 1,520 | 20.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 1,500 | 20.5% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 900 | 12.3% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 900 | 12.3% |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services | 850 | 11.6% |
| Construction | 470 | 6.4% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Paperhangers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Paperhangers workforce.
Employment Over Time
1,520 Workforce in 2023
The Paperhangers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Paperhangers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$67,364 Average Wage
In 2023, Paperhangers earned an average of $67,364.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Paperhangers.
Salary distribution for Paperhangers.
Employment Growth Projections
7.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,816 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 41.9%
2,579 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 101.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 7.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Paperhangers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Paperhangers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Paperhangers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Paperhangers.
Wage Trends by Industry
9.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 9.2% growth (Current: $67,364)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Paperhangers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Paperhangers.
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:
- NY: 250 employees, $60,640 avg wage
- FL: 110 employees, $43,050 avg wage
- WI: 80 employees, $42,400 avg wage
- OH: 70 employees, $45,910 avg wage
- NJ: 60 employees, $69,890 avg wage
- MI: 50 employees, $47,210 avg wage
- OK: 50 employees, $50,380 avg wage
- PA: 30 employees, $53,870 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Paperhangers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 200 employees, $63,800 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Paperhangers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Paperhangers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Paperhangers in 2023 was 1,520 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Paperhangers.
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 Paperhangers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Paperhangers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Paperhangers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Paperhangers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Paperhangers workers.
Education level distribution for Paperhangers.
Skills
Paperhangers need many skills, but most especially Coordination, Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Time Management.
Required skills for Paperhangers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Paperhangers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Paperhangers include Customer and Personal Service, Building and Construction, Mathematics, Mechanical, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Paperhangers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Paperhangers include Near Vision, Manual Dexterity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Multilimb Coordination, Extent Flexibility.
Required abilities for Paperhangers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Paperhangers.
Daily Activities
Paperhangers spend their time on activities such as Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Paperhangers.
About
Paperhangers
The average yearly wage for Paperhangers was $67,364 in 2023.
SOC Code
47-2142 - Paperhangers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Paperhangers reports an average salary of $67,364.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 1,520 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 7.3%, 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.