SALARY DATA — SOC 51-9123
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
51-0000 Production Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers is 1.93× — the national median is $41,600 but top decile earns $60,820. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 7,940.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $31,470 | -24% | ~$15 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $37,030 | -11% | ~$18 |
| Median — 50th pct | $41,600 | — | $20.00/hr |
| Mean — average | $45,210 | +9% | $21.73/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $50,360 | +21% | ~$24 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $60,820 | +46% | ~$29 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers in 35 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 320 | $36,540 | $31,300 | $50,490 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 190 | $32,930 | $24,190 | $55,050 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 180 | $33,830 | $30,830 | $64,090 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 180 | $72,610 | $43,670 | $81,170 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 140 | $30,710 | $23,400 | $51,280 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 130 | $37,440 | $29,760 | $57,070 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 120 | $37,170 | $27,460 | $61,750 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 100 | $42,110 | $32,210 | $57,000 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 100 | $40,120 | $36,550 | $74,240 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 90 | $46,630 | $36,650 | $63,050 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 28 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 339900 | 980 | $45,560 |
| Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 327000 | 500 | $46,660 |
| Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing | 311800 | 450 | $35,680 |
| Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 332800 | 350 | $40,200 |
| Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 3370A1 | 330 | $42,520 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: Los Angeles ranks #20 of 30 on the paycheck and #25 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $72,610 | 112.6 | $64,506 | — |
| Las Vegas | $60,190 | 98.7 | $60,955 | — |
| Denver | $57,360 | 99.4 | $57,725 | +1 |
| Boston | $57,000 | 103.6 | $54,998 | +1 |
| Kansas City | $50,160 | 93.4 | $53,701 | +2 |
| Seattle | $59,170 | 111.1 | $53,243 | -3 |
| Washington | $53,290 | 102.3 | $52,103 | -1 |
| Atlanta | $48,850 | 96.7 | $50,511 | +2 |
| St. Louis | $49,440 | 98.6 | $50,161 | — |
| Sacramento | $49,750 | 100.3 | $49,617 | -2 |
Top 10 of 30 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Louisville/Jefferson County gains 4 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers to move from 8,200 to 8,300 over 2025–2035 — +1.3% , with about 700 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: no formal educational credential.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers?
- The median annual salary for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers is $41,600, and the mean is $45,210 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers?
- Most Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers earn between $31,470 and $60,820 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 1.93× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 1.93 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ranks #20 by nominal pay but #25 of 30 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers employment to grow 1.3% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 700 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 7,940 workers in Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Production Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders $41,590
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers $41,640
- Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders $41,330
- Food Batchmakers $42,290
- Print Binding and Finishing Workers $42,290
- Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators $40,610
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand $42,660
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood $42,770
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers (SOC 51-9123): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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