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People have been painting since the dawn of stick figures and ash. Because this practice increases the visual appeal and overall “finished” look of objects and buildings, it’s unlikely that people will ever stop doing it. These days, construction and maintenance practically run around the clock, creating an ongoing need for professionals who can paint everything from houses and windowsills to parking spots and freeway guidelines.

Historic cities such as Chicago and New York generate particularly strong demand for painting due to their continuous renovation of aging buildings. Meanwhile, cities like Miami and Houston experience paint degradation due to hot climates, a characteristic that ultimately generates even more demand for paint upkeep.

Top U.S. Painting Careers and Responsibilities

When it comes to career paths, painting splits into two major branches. These include Fine Art careers and Commercial and Industrial painting. While the former doles out paint strokes purely for aesthetic purposes, the latter field tackles commercial applications for painting, making it far more popular as a career choice.

Commercial and Industrial Painting Careers

The path with the most marketable appeal, Commercial and Industrial painting, focuses on applying paint to building components, machinery, structures, or products. Professionals in this category often specialize in a particular niche. As a result, they may only paint building interiors, industrial machinery, outdoor structures, or vehicles. Depending on their specialty, these professionals may work indoors and outdoors (or just one of the two). They may apply paint (or other coatings such as wood stain) using a variety of methods, including paint brushes, rollers, sponges, painting machines, and airbrushes.

Here is a brief overview of the most common roles in this sector.

Job Title	Main Responsibilities
Construction and Maintenance Painter	For various clients, these workers paint a range of surfaces, including buildings, structures, and machines.
Commercial Painter	These painters paint buildings and other surfaces for business clients (rather than residential customers).
Industrial Painter	Specializing in clean, durable finishes, these painters create and maintain paint jobs for industrial equipment, machines, structures, and buildings.
Lead Painter / Painting Supervisor	This management role entails supervising all painting processes for a construction or manufacturing project.

Each year, this sector is growing at a slow and steady rate, meaning plenty of new jobs for aspiring painters. Growth is most concentrated in the Construction and Maintenance niche, for which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (the BLS) projects a growth of 4% each decade.

Fine Art Careers

A niche largely separate from the commercial and industrial painting scene, Fine Art painters create aesthetic images for people to enjoy. Paint is one of the most popular mediums that Fine Artists use to generate art. In addition to painting on small surfaces like canvas and paper, Fine Artists may produce large murals for indoor or outdoor spaces. These professionals often earn money by selling their paintings and gaining sponsorship from galleries. Perhaps even a little more optimistic than commercial statistics, job openings for Fine Artists and Illustrators are anticipated to increase by 4% in the coming decade (the BLS).

Painting Salaries Across the United States

Painting salaries vary depending on the specific role, region of operation, and the experience of the Painter. Because companies are willing to pay more for highly-skilled labor, new workers should expect to earn a lower income (around $39,000 annually) at the start of their careers. After gathering experience and adding new skills to their toolsets, they can double this wage. Following this logic, senior roles such as Lead Painter typically earn notably higher sums. Likewise, roles like Industrial Painter, which require a specialized skill set like knowledge of how to operate a painting machine, also tend to earn higher incomes.

Because different locations have unique economies and clientele, salaries also fluctuate based on regional demand, union presence, and living costs. For example, Seattle and San Francisco make up for their high subsistence costs by paying unionized Painters 34% more than America’s average. Similarly, Painters working in expensive Los Angeles earn around 18% above average. In contrast, Houston Painters benefit from low living costs while also earning slightly (7%) less than average. In Denver, where a massive construction industry creates a greater demand for Painters, wages also rise to around 14% above average.

View a detailed map of salary variations across ten popular cities for Painters below.

City	Construction and Maintenance Painter	Industrial Painter	Commercial Painter	Fine Artist
New York City	$72,000-99,000 Indeed.com	$62,000-78,000 Glassdoor.com	$42,000-62,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$38,000-86,000 ZipRecruiter.com
Los Angeles	$72,000-105,000 Indeed.com	$39,000-57,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$59,000-78,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$82,000-112,000 Glassdoor.com
Chicago	$68,000-100,000 Indeed.com	$37,000-55,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$39,000-58,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$35,000-$81,000 ZipRecruiter.com
Houston	$56,000-84,000 Indeed.com	$35,000-51,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$36,000-54,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$34,000-76,000 ZipRecruiter.com
Atlanta	$62,000-92,000 Indeed.com	$39,000-47,000 Indeed.com	$37,000-54,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$35,000-78,000 ZipRecruiter.com
Denver	$72,000-$98,000 Indeed.com	$52,000-64,000 Indeed.com	$39,000-59,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$42,000-90,000 ZipRecruiter.com
Miami	$64,000-91,000 Indeed.com	$47,000-59,000 Indeed.com	$36,000-54,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$60,000-80,000 Glassdoor.com
Seattle	$83,000-114,000 Indeed.com	$41,000-61,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$42,000-62,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$79,000 ZipRecruiter.com
Austin	$61,000-90,000 Indeed.com	$35,000-52,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$35,000-52,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$40,000-86,000 ZipRecruiter.com
San Francisco	$88,000-105,000 Indeed.com	$61,000-68,000 Salary.com	$35,000-66,000 ZipRecruiter.com	$49,000-103,000 ZipRecruiter.com

City

Construction and Maintenance Painter

Industrial Painter

Commercial Painter

Fine Artist

New York City

$72,000-99,000

Indeed.com

$62,000-78,000

Glassdoor.com

$42,000-62,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$38,000-86,000

ZipRecruiter.com

Los Angeles

$72,000-105,000

Indeed.com

$39,000-57,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$59,000-78,000 ZipRecruiter.com

$82,000-112,000

Glassdoor.com

Chicago

$68,000-100,000

Indeed.com

$37,000-55,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$39,000-58,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$35,000-$81,000

ZipRecruiter.com

Houston

$56,000-84,000

Indeed.com

$35,000-51,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$36,000-54,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$34,000-76,000

ZipRecruiter.com

Atlanta

$62,000-92,000

Indeed.com

$39,000-47,000

Indeed.com

$37,000-54,000 ZipRecruiter.com

$35,000-78,000

ZipRecruiter.com

Denver

$72,000-$98,000

Indeed.com

$52,000-64,000

Indeed.com

$39,000-59,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$42,000-90,000

ZipRecruiter.com

Miami

$64,000-91,000

Indeed.com

$47,000-59,000

Indeed.com

$36,000-54,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$60,000-80,000

Glassdoor.com

Seattle

$83,000-114,000

Indeed.com

$41,000-61,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$42,000-62,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$79,000

ZipRecruiter.com

Austin

$61,000-90,000

Indeed.com

$35,000-52,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$35,000-52,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$40,000-86,000

ZipRecruiter.com

San Francisco

$88,000-105,000

Indeed.com

$61,000-68,000

Salary.com

$35,000-66,000

ZipRecruiter.com

$49,000-103,000

ZipRecruiter.com

Industries and Companies Hiring Painters

Painters often work in different industries depending on whether they’ve chosen to specialize in commercial, industrial, or fine art painting.

Commercial and Industrial Employers

Though a small number of Painters operate as self-employed contractors, most work directly for local companies. Because the range of applications for paint is broad, the companies and industries hiring Painters are equally diverse. Common employers include:

Building Finishing Contractors that provide painting and drywall finishing services. A top niche for Painters, this industry employs more than 150,000 painters (the BLS).
Construction and Facility Maintenance Firms frequently need Painters to add and upkeep the final touches on construction projects.
Remodelers often use a new coat of paint to change the energy in a room.
Property Management Companies that maintain apartments and other real estate.
Industrial Firms that have machinery and infrastructure in need of painting.
Large Organizations in need of facility maintenance or construction (these may include government agencies, school systems, and city housing authorities).

Fine Art Employers

In contrast to commercial and industrial workers, Fine Artists are split down the middle when it comes to traditional versus self-employment (with 55% self-employed according to the BLS). However, they remain relatively similar to their commercial and industrial brethren in terms of job outlook.

Fine Artists often get their income from multiple sources, getting as creative in how they sell their art as they do in how they create it. Popular employment options for Fine Artists include:

Selling completed paintings and prints at live events, ecommerce venues, and galleries.
Creating custom paintings for clients (which can include wealthy collectors, publishing companies, and businesses of any type).
Loaning paintings to galleries and media organizations in exchange for sponsorship.
Selling the copyrights for their paintings.
Teaching students how to paint.

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Learn More About Painting Courses

Top U.S. Painting Careers and Responsibilities

Commercial and Industrial Painting Careers

Fine Art Careers

Painting Salaries Across the United States

Industries and Companies Hiring Painters

Commercial and Industrial Employers

Fine Art Employers

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