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The last year has seen unprecedented activity in the residential real estate market, with a growing number of buyers competing for a limited number of homes and sending prices upward. The scarcity of existing homes has created new opportunities for builders and construction professionals, but the industry has been struggling to keep up with demand: housing starts have consistently exceeded completions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like many other sectors, construction has struggled with two key challenges: increasing costs of materials due to supply issues and a shortage of labor. One of the many areas where these challenges have become apparent is with paint and painters.
Construction materials have seen steep increases in price over the last year. Many manufacturers were operating at reduced capacity during the pandemic and have been slow to catch up with demand overall. Struggles with shipping and logistics bottlenecks have also made it more difficult to secure key materials, which has led to price increases.
The inflation-adjusted cost of paint held relatively steady for most of the last decade before experiencing a gradual increase within the last few years. But at the start of 2021, prices turned sharply upward and have shown little sign of slowing down. Increases in material costs like paint are leading more construction companies to lose jobs from cost-conscious customers and cutting into profit margins.
Labor shortages in the construction industry predate the pandemic, but the tight labor market of the last two years has worsened the lack of qualified construction workers. A recent report from the National Association of Home Builders estimates that the number of open jobs in the construction industry has totaled between 300,000 and 400,000 in recent months. But beyond the current need for workers, NHAB estimates the industry must hire 740,000 new workers per year for the next three years—more than 2 million in total—to meet projected construction demand.
One of the strengths of construction in the labor market is that construction occupations tend to pay more than other jobs requiring similar levels of education. But wages vary within the industry, with supervisors and skilled trades like electricians and plumbers receiving the highest compensation. To address the current shortages and attract workers, however, many companies are raising wages or offering other benefits, particularly for those at the lower end of the wage scale. This could benefit lower-paying construction roles like painters, who earn a median of $42,130 annually.
While pay for painters may lag behind other jobs in the industry, there are some locations where painters are very well-compensated. Most notably, Midwestern states like Missouri ($60,789), Illinois ($59,425), and Minnesota ($56,306) offer wages well above the overall median wage for the occupation nationwide, after adjusting for cost of living. Many of the metros with the best pay for painters are also found in these and other Midwestern states.
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. To determine the best-paying locations for painters, researchers at Porch calculated the median annual wage for painters, adjusted for cost-of-living differences. In the event of a tie, the location with the higher unadjusted median annual wage for painters was ranked higher.
Here are the best-paying metropolitan areas for painters in the U.S.
The Best-Paying Large Metros for Painters
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15. Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $45,681
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $40,930
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $48,560
- Cost of living (compared to average): -10.4%
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
14. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $46,956
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $48,130
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $60,300
- Cost of living (compared to average): +2.5%
Photo Credit: f11photo / Shutterstock
13. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $47,492
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $45,260
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $55,980
- Cost of living (compared to average): -4.7%
Photo Credit: f11photo / Shutterstock
12. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $47,494
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $63,880
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $71,420
- Cost of living (compared to average): +34.5%
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
11. Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $48,485
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $56,000
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $64,290
- Cost of living (compared to average): +15.5%
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
10. Pittsburgh, PA
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $49,697
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $45,920
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $53,410
- Cost of living (compared to average): -7.6%
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9. Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $49,804
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $45,820
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $46,190
- Cost of living (compared to average): -8.0%
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
8. Oklahoma City, OK
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $50,067
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $44,960
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $44,450
- Cost of living (compared to average): -10.2%
Photo Credit: f11photo / Shutterstock
7. Kansas City, MO-KS
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $50,700
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $47,050
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $53,510
- Cost of living (compared to average): -7.2%
Photo Credit: Agnieszka Gaul / Shutterstock
6. Columbus, OH
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $50,939
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $46,660
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $50,800
- Cost of living (compared to average): -8.4%
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
5. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $55,063
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $52,090
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $60,930
- Cost of living (compared to average): -5.4%
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4. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $56,472
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $58,110
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $66,830
- Cost of living (compared to average): +2.9%
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3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $56,819
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $58,410
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $79,110
- Cost of living (compared to average): +2.8%
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2. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $63,640
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $60,140
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $54,170
- Cost of living (compared to average): -5.5%
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
1. St. Louis, MO-IL
- Median annual wage for painters (adjusted): $75,771
- Median annual wage for painters (actual): $68,270
- Median annual wage for all construction workers (actual): $67,400
- Cost of living (compared to average): -9.9%
Detailed Findings & Methodology
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities dataset and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. To determine the best-paying locations for painters, researchers calculated the median annual wage for painters, adjusted for cost-of-living differences. In locations with high living costs, wages were adjusted down to reflect lower purchasing power. Wages were adjusted up in less expensive locations to reflect greater purchasing power. In the event of a tie, the location with the higher unadjusted median annual wage for painters was ranked higher. To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 residents were included. Additionally, metros were grouped into cohorts based on population size: small (100,000–349,999), midsize (350,000–999,999), and large (1,000,000 or more).
