Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Median $48,250
Occupation · SOC 51-9123
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers: pay and where the jobs are
What painting, coating, and decorating workers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$41,600 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $45,210
- Median hourly wage
- $20.00
- Mean hourly wage
- $21.73
- Employment
- 7,940
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9123.
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See where your pay falls among painting, coating, and decorating workers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do painting, coating, and decorating workers make?
The median annual wage for painting, coating, and decorating workers was $41,600 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $31,470 and the highest-paid 10% more than $60,820. As an hourly rate, the median is $20.00. About 7,940 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($61,210), Nevada ($60,190) and Colorado ($54,070). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Nevada.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for painting, coating, and decorating workers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31,470 | $15.13 | $2,623 | $2,289 |
| 25th percentile | $37,030 | $17.80 | $3,086 | $2,661 |
| Median | $41,600 | $20.00 | $3,467 | $2,967 |
| 75th percentile | $50,360 | $24.21 | $4,197 | $3,554 |
| 90th percentile | $60,820 | $29.24 | $5,068 | $4,254 |
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers: pay by state
37 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$50,553 take-home in national prices
2
$47,203 take-home in national prices
3
$43,934 take-home in national prices
Where a median painting, coating, and decorating worker paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 90 | $61,210 | $45,560 | $96,600 | $50,513 | $47,203 |
| Nevada | Not published | $60,190 | $47,270 | $70,280 | $50,543 | $50,553 |
| Colorado | 170 | $54,070 | $39,750 | $64,530 | $43,717 | $42,422 |
| Massachusetts | 210 | $54,070 | $42,220 | $59,210 | $42,893 | $40,558 |
| New Jersey | 90 | $52,160 | $42,270 | $71,880 | $42,347 | $38,920 |
| Connecticut | 50 | $50,720 | $36,240 | $59,820 | $40,640 | $39,224 |
| Ohio | 230 | $49,080 | $32,350 | $58,140 | $40,710 | $43,880 |
| Missouri | 140 | $48,560 | $39,120 | $56,420 | $39,853 | $43,883 |
| New York | 460 | $48,510 | $37,630 | $81,170 | $38,894 | $36,040 |
| Wisconsin | 230 | $48,330 | $41,270 | $51,520 | $39,519 | $41,999 |
| Maryland | 50 | $47,320 | $34,340 | $62,680 | $38,320 | $36,509 |
| Virginia | 290 | $47,090 | $36,640 | $62,640 | $38,123 | $37,707 |
| Iowa | 100 | $46,670 | $35,040 | $61,170 | $38,558 | $43,934 |
| Georgia | 60 | $46,310 | $31,210 | $65,400 | $37,828 | $39,284 |
| Idaho | Not published | $45,050 | $36,960 | $47,080 | $37,098 | $38,849 |
| South Carolina | 140 | $43,820 | $26,120 | $53,800 | $36,795 | $39,249 |
| Minnesota | 150 | $43,630 | $32,210 | $58,400 | $35,529 | $36,026 |
| North Carolina | 170 | $42,960 | $36,100 | $59,910 | $35,493 | $37,628 |
| Kentucky | 200 | $42,220 | $34,640 | $60,050 | $34,744 | $38,536 |
| Illinois | 180 | $41,960 | $31,200 | $59,500 | $33,963 | $33,977 |
| Pennsylvania | 180 | $41,660 | $32,400 | $55,220 | $34,346 | $35,200 |
| California | Not published | $41,600 | $38,270 | $57,090 | $34,418 | $31,086 |
| Indiana | 490 | $41,350 | $27,160 | $58,140 | $34,214 | $36,660 |
| Arkansas | 50 | $40,310 | $30,860 | $52,670 | $33,565 | $38,609 |
| Kansas | 90 | $39,470 | $30,140 | $53,960 | $32,491 | $36,074 |
| Michigan | 140 | $38,500 | $28,880 | $49,550 | $31,729 | $32,977 |
| Utah | 70 | $38,430 | $28,560 | $59,590 | $32,052 | $32,420 |
| Louisiana | 50 | $38,320 | $23,310 | $62,400 | $32,207 | $36,513 |
| Florida | 720 | $37,440 | $31,250 | $55,590 | $32,263 | $31,198 |
| Wyoming | 60 | $37,090 | $25,000 | $39,250 | $31,982 | $34,504 |
| Arizona | 50 | $37,030 | $34,410 | $46,830 | $31,402 | $31,190 |
| Oklahoma | 100 | $36,780 | $33,240 | $50,080 | $30,623 | $34,861 |
| Tennessee | 200 | $35,540 | $31,470 | $53,220 | $30,736 | $33,456 |
| Montana | 40 | $34,790 | $30,360 | $65,260 | $29,255 | $30,911 |
| Mississippi | 70 | $33,330 | $29,530 | $50,740 | $28,359 | $32,615 |
| Texas | 550 | $32,430 | $23,400 | $52,800 | $28,238 | $29,094 |
| South Dakota | 40 | $31,550 | $30,200 | $42,950 | $27,530 | $31,078 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9123. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.