How much do commercial painters make in 2026?
Commercial painters are counted in the BLS construction and maintenance painters series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 47-2141 national median as $49,400 a year ($23.75 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $37,440 and the top 10% at $78,810. Commercial work sits at and above that midpoint, because the series also contains residential repainting, which is highly competitive, often self-employed and priced against a low local market. Commercial painting differs in scope and in how it is priced: large surface areas on schedule-driven projects, spray application, drywall level-five finishes, intumescent and fire-resistive coatings on structural steel, epoxy and urethane systems in institutional and healthcare settings, and work sequenced tightly against other trades under a general contractor's programme. That environment rewards production rate and finish consistency rather than sales ability, and it is more likely to be unionised in metropolitan markets, where agreements set the rate and add benefit contributions no wage series counts. It is worth distinguishing this trade from industrial coating work on tanks, bridges and process plant, which is counted in a different BLS series and paid on a different basis. Employment is projected to grow 3.8% through 2034 with roughly 28,100 openings a year. → Full commercial painter career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $49,400 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Commercial Painters earn a national median $49,400/yr ($23.75/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2141); the P10 to P90 range is $37,440 to $78,810.
- Commercial painting sits at and above the $49,400 median, because the series also contains residential repainting priced against a highly competitive local market.
- Spray application, level-five drywall finishes, intumescent fire-resistive coatings and institutional epoxy systems are the scope that separates commercial from residential work.
- Field industrial coating on tanks, bridges and process plant is a different BLS series entirely and should not be compared directly with this band.
US Commercial Painter Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do commercial painters earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-2141; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2141, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a commercial painter earn at each career stage?
Painting pay follows application capability, coating systems knowledge and crew leadership. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2141.
By State
Which states pay commercial painters the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. In painting the union or open-shop character of the local commercial market moves rates more than the state wage index does.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($56,810), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay commercial painters the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Metro premiums track commercial construction volume and union density, both of which concentrate in a limited number of markets.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a commercial painter’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does commercial painter pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Commercial Painters sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify commercial painter wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a commercial painter actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Commercial Painter Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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