Painters, Construction and Maintenance

Median salary

$49,400

Average salary

$55,420

Employment

225,190

Projected growth

3.8% growth

Annual openings

28,100

Typical entry education

No formal educational credential

What Painters, Construction and Maintenance Do

Paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. May remove old paint to prepare surface prior to painting. May mix colors or oils to obtain desired color or consistency.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 33.8%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.2/5
Building and Constructionimportance 3.0/5
Administration and Managementimportance 2.9/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.8/5
Chemistryimportance 2.7/5
Transportationimportance 2.6/5
Education and Trainingimportance 2.6/5
Production and Processingimportance 2.6/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Spend Time Standing4.9/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
Telephone Conversations4.8/5
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.6/5
Time Pressure4.6/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Cutters and Trimmers, Hand94% skill match
Paperhangers92% skill match
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers92% skill match
Log Graders and Scalers92% skill match
Stockers and Order Fillers91% skill match
Correctional Officers and Jailers91% skill match
First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers90% skill match
Cooks, Restaurant90% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5
Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.8/5
Service Orientationimportance 2.4/5
Persuasionimportance 2.0/5
Instructingimportance 2.0/5
Operations Monitoringimportance 2.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Act!
Corel Paint Shop Pro
Corel Painter
Evergreen Technology Eagle Bid Estimating
Evergreen Technology Total Faux
Insight Direct ServiceCEO
On Center Quick Bid
Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Attention to Detail
Cautiousness
Perseverance
Achievement Orientation
Stress Tolerance
Integrity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
ArtisticLow
InvestigativeLow
SocialLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where painters, construction and maintenance make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).