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Commercial Construction
Turner Construction, Skanska, Gilbane Building Company
Painters, Construction and Maintenance
Painters in construction and maintenance prepare surfaces, protect surrounding areas, and apply finishes on buildings, equipment, and other structures. What sets the job apart is that good work depends as much on prep, timing, and clean edges as it does on putting paint on a wall. The tradeoff is simple: the work is easy to enter, but it is physical, detail-heavy, and often done in conditions where speed can hurt quality.
Also known as PainterMaintenance PainterResidential PainterCommercial PainterPainter and Decorator
Median Salary
$48,660
Mean $53,710
U.S. Workforce
~224K
28.1K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+3.8%
342.2K to 355.2K
Entry Education
No formal educational credential
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Painters, Construction and Maintenance sits in the Trades category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~224K workers, with a median annual pay of $48,660 and roughly 28.1K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 342.2 K in 2024 to 355.2K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with No formal educational credential, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Painter Helper and can progress toward Painting Supervisor. High-value skills usually include Paint Sprayers, Rollers & Brushes, Surface Prep Tools, Sanding Machines & Pressure Washers, and Color Matching, Tinting & Coatings Mixing, paired with soft skills such as Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Time Management.
Core Responsibilities
- Set up ladders or scaffolding so the work area can be reached safely.
- Patch cracks, holes, and seams before any paint goes on.
- Cover floors, windows, furniture, and fixtures so they do not get stained.
- Mix paint and tint it to the right color and thickness for the job.
Keep exploring: more Trades careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Set up ladders or scaffolding so the work area can be reached safely.
02 Patch cracks, holes, and seams before any paint goes on.
03 Cover floors, windows, furniture, and fixtures so they do not get stained.
04 Mix paint and tint it to the right color and thickness for the job.
05 Sand, scrape, or clean rough surfaces so the finish will stick and look smooth.
06 Apply paint or other coatings with brushes, rollers, or spray equipment, including decorative finishes when needed.
Industries That Hire
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Residential Painting Services
CertaPro Painters, Five Star Painting, College Pro Painters
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Facility Management
CBRE, ABM Industries, Sodexo
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Automotive Collision Repair
Caliber Collision, Maaco, Gerber Collision & Glass
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Industrial Manufacturing and Coatings
Boeing, GE Aerospace, Ford Motor Company
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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You can get started without a formal degree, and BLS says the typical entry point is no formal educational credential with moderate on-the-job training.
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There are plenty of jobs to fill: the occupation is projected to have 28.1K annual openings, mostly from workers leaving the field or changing jobs.
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Pay is solid for a trade, with a median annual wage of $48,660 and a mean of $53,710.
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The work is varied, since you may paint houses, offices, bridges, equipment, or other structures in the same career.
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Skills like surface prep, color matching, estimating, and finish quality transfer well across residential, commercial, and maintenance work.
Challenges
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The occupation is only projected to grow 3.8% from 2024 to 2034, so this is more of a steady replacement market than a fast-growing field.
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The job is physically demanding: it involves ladders, scaffolding, overhead work, repetitive motion, and long periods on your feet.
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Exposure to dust, fumes, wet coatings, and outdoor weather is part of the job, which can be hard on your body over time.
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The pay ceiling can be modest unless you move into supervision, estimating, or specialty coatings, so many workers stay near the middle of the wage range.
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A lot of the work is hidden labor, like sanding, patching, masking, and cleanup, so the day can feel repetitive and rushed if a crew is trying to finish quickly.
Career Progression
Painter Helper
0-2 years
$30K-$39K
Learns site safety, surface prep, masking, cleanup, and basic brush-and-roller work while assisting a more experienced painter.
Painter
2-5 years
$42K-$54K
Works more independently, handles prep and finish work from start to finish, and matches the occupation's median pay range.
Lead Painter THIS ROLE
5-9 years
$55K-$68K
Takes on harder surfaces, specialty finishes, material estimates, and day-to-day coordination on small crews.
Painting Supervisor
9+ years
$69K-$84K
Runs crews, sets schedules, checks quality, and handles customer or contractor communication instead of doing every task personally.
Education Paths
No formal educational credential
BLS lists this as the typical entry point for the occupation, so many workers start without a degree.
Moderate-term on-the-job training
This is the usual training path for the job, and it is how most new painters learn the basic prep, coating, and safety skills needed on site.
Apprenticeship or trade certificate
A short apprenticeship or painting certificate can help you build job-ready skills faster and may be useful for commercial or specialty coating work.
Post-Doctoral Training
O*NET shows 1.85% at this level, but it is not a realistic requirement for this occupation and is best read as a data outlier.
Key Skills
Technical
Paint Sprayers, Rollers & Brushes 60%
Surface Prep Tools, Sanding Machines & Pressure Washers 59%
Color Matching, Tinting & Coatings Mixing 59%
Ladders, Scaffolding & Lift Safety 58%
Drop Cloths, Masking Tape & Surface Protection 58%
Material Estimating & Square-Footage Takeoffs 55%
Soft Skills
Active ListeningCritical ThinkingTime ManagementCoordinationMonitoringSocial Perceptiveness Job Outlook and Trends
+3.8%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
28.1K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 342.2K to 355.2 K over the next decade, representing 3.8% growth. Around 28.1 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Rare. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.