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Career

Painters, Construction and Maintenance

Typical education: High school diplomaModerate pressure

What they 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.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $49,400 Median per year · $23.75/hr Most earn $37,440–$78,810

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Cut stencils and brush or spray lettering or decorations on surfaces.
  • Fill cracks, holes, or joints with caulk, putty, plaster, or other fillers, using caulking guns or putty knives.
  • Polish final coats to specified finishes.
  • Remove fixtures such as pictures, door knobs, lamps, or electric switch covers prior to painting.
  • Calculate amounts of required materials and estimate costs, based on surface measurements or work orders.
  • Erect scaffolding or swing gates, or set up ladders, to work above ground level.

Job outlook

United States
3% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 24,900 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Painting and wall covering contractors42.3%
  • Self-employed (their own business)31.3%
  • Residential building construction5.0%
  • Nonresidential building construction2.1%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Painting is an entry-level trade. You usually don't need more than a high school diploma, and most painters build their skills on the job over about 1 to 2 years.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finishing high school gives you the basic schooling most painting employers ask for, and it's a good time to start learning hands-on skills.

  2. Painter Helper

    6 months to 1 year

    As a helper, you prep surfaces, sand, tape edges, move equipment, and learn how paint behaves before you're trusted to paint on your own.

  3. Painter, Construction and Maintenance

    1 to 2 years of total experience

    You paint walls, buildings, and other surfaces with brushes, rollers, and spray guns, and you prepare surfaces and mix colors on your own.

Where it can lead

  1. Lead Painter

    2 to 4 years of experience first

    You run a painting job on site, direct helpers, check quality, and keep the work on schedule, which means building strong skills in planning and communication.

  2. Painting Contractor

    5 or more years of experience first

    You run your own painting business, which involves bidding on jobs, estimating materials and labor, hiring crews, and managing customers.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take shop, drafting, or art classesShop classes teach you to work with tools and materials, and art classes help you understand color, which is central to painting.
  • Pick up yard work or handyman jobsHelping neighbors with fences, decks, or touch-up painting builds real experience and a little income.
  • Join a skills or trade club if your school has oneClubs like SkillsUSA, if your school offers them, let you practice trade skills and meet people who work in construction.
  • Practice basic measuring and mathFiguring out how much area a wall covers and how much paint you need is a skill painters use every day.
  • Volunteer on community painting projectsHelping paint a school, park, or community center under adult supervision shows you what real projects involve.

In college

  • Consider a construction or trades certificateA short certificate at a community college can teach you construction basics, safety, and surface preparation, and it can help you get a first job.
  • Work part time for a painting company or contractorA part-time job on a crew gives you paid experience and a reference, and it helps you learn the business side from the inside.
  • Learn about lead-safe work practicesMany painting jobs, especially in older buildings, require lead-safe training, so knowing this makes you more hireable.
  • Take courses in math, business basics, or customer serviceEstimating jobs and talking with clients are useful if you later want to lead a crew or start your own business.
  • Try a summer apprenticeship or internshipA summer spent with a painting or remodeling crew gives you hands-on experience that many employers value more than classroom time.

Tips for getting started

  • Take any helper or entry job you can find. Most of the skill in painting is in surface prep, and you learn that by doing it alongside experienced painters.
  • Keep a simple photo album of your work. Employers and customers often judge painters by their finished jobs.
  • Get comfortable with ladders, scaffolding, and safety gear early. Safe habits matter a lot on job sites and employers notice them.

Related jobs that often lead here

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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