Average Hourly Wage of Painters, By State

Photo by Kaboompics

This is the 7th installment of Construction Junkie's weekly analysis of the hourly wages of each individual construction profession by state.  The three previous professions we examined were plumbers, brick and block masons, and electricians.  You can also see the full list of all past and future professions by clicking here.

Painters are typically one of the last subcontractors on any construction site, who do their best to beautify the drywall with the colors of the architect's or interior designer's choosing. Some painters are also responsible for mudding drywall, patching holes, sanding, and caulking.

Let's take a look at how an average painter's hourly wage compares in each state...

All data below comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s most recent reports from May 2016. Data for the state of Alaska was unavailable for this work category, unfortunately.

Graph of Average Hourly Wage of a Painter, by State

click for larger image

Rankings of Average Hourly Wage of a Painter, by State

51. South Dakota  --  $14.26/hour

50. South Carolina--$15.19/hour

49. Idaho  --  $15.49/hour

48. Florida  --  $15.53/hour

47. North Carolina  --  $15.70/hour

46. New Mexico  --  $15.85/hour

45. Tennessee  --  $15.94/hour

44. Mississippi  --  $16.00/hour

43. Arkansas  --  $16.48/hour

42. Nebraska  --  $16.58/hour

41. Alabama  --  $16.79/hour

40. Texas  --  $16.85/hour

39. Vermont  --  $16.94/hour

38. Georgia  --  $17.03/hour

37. Montana  --  $17.31/hour

36. Oregon  --  $17.33/hour

35. Kentucky  --  $17.34/hour

34. Utah  --  $17.49/hour

33. Arizona  --  $17.52/hour

32. Iowa  --  $17.81/hour

31. Kansas  --  $18.16/hour

30. Oklahoma  --  $18.17/hour

29. Wyoming  --  $18.23/hour

28. Louisiana  --  $18.35/hour

27. New Hampshire  --  $18.52/hour

26. Colorado  --  $18.56/hour

25. Maryland  --  $18.78/hour

24. Virginia  --  $19.00/hour

23. Rhode Island  --  $19.25/hour

22. Delaware  --  $19.30/hour

21. Maine  --  $19.51/hour

20. Michigan  --  $19.75/hour

19. Ohio  --  $19.77/hour

18. North Dakota  --  $19.97/hour

17. Pennsylvania  --  $20.15/hour

16. West Virginia  --  $20.33/hour

15. Connecticut  --  $20.38/hour

14. Wisconsin  --  $20.51/hour

13. Indiana  --  $20.54/hour

12. Washington  --  $20.61/hour

11. Minnesota  --  $21.30/hour

10. Nevada  --  $21.39/hour

9. New Jersey  --  $21.90/hour

8. California  --  $22.88/hour

7. Massachusetts  --  $23.55/hour

6. District of Columbia  --  $24.07/hour

5. Missouri  --  $24.22/hour

4. New York  --  $24.53/hour

3. Hawaii  --  $26.00/hour

2. Illinois  --  $26.78/hour

1. Alaska  --  $27.30/hour

Graph of Average Hourly Wage of a Painter - Adjusted for Cost of Living, by State

Cost of living in each state also has a large impact on the amount of money construction trades actually bring home, so the graph below shows each state's adjusted hourly wage based upon the cost of living index for that state.  All cost of living index data comes from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center and was last updated for the second quarter of 2017.  The cost of living index was based upon grocery, housing, utilities, transportation, health, and miscellaneous costs for each state.

Again, data for the state of Alaska was unavailable for this work category. 

click for larger image

Rankings of Average Hourly Wage of a Painter - Adjusted for Cost of Living, by State

51. Hawaii  --  $8.74/hour

50. District of Columbia--$11.22/hour

49. Oregon  --  $11.84/hour

48. California  --  $12.45/hour

47. Maryland  --  $13.71/hour

46. South Dakota  --  $14.32/hour

45. Rhode Island  --  $14.96/hour

44. South Carolina  --  $15.40/hour

43. Florida  --  $15.76/hour

42. New Hampshire  --  $16.30/hour

41. Massachusetts  --  $16.37/hour

40. Vermont  --  $16.45/hour

39. North Carolina  --  $16.55/hour

38. New York  --  $16.78/hour

37. New Mexico  --  $16.79/hour

36. Idaho  --  $16.84/hour

35. New Jersey  --  $16.97/hour

34. Connecticut  --  $17.02/hour

33. Montana  --  $17.19/hour

32. Maine  --  $17.23/hour

31. Tennessee  --  $17.63/hour

30. Nebraska  --  $17.94/hour

29. Colorado  --  $18.02/hour

28. Arizona  --  $18.13/hour

27. Utah  --  $18.31/hour

26. Mississippi  --  $18.32/hour

25. Alabama  --  $18.35/hour

24. Texas  --  $18.43/hour

23. Kentucky  --  $18.50/hour

22. Arkansas  --  $18.56/hour

21. Virginia  --  $18.58/hour

20. Georgia  --  $18.63/hour

19. Wyoming  --  $18.87/hour

18. Delaware  --  $18.88/hour

17. Washington  --  $18.96/hour

16. Alaska  --  $19.00/hour

15. Iowa  --  $19.25/hour

14. Louisiana  --  $19.34/hour

13. Pennsylvania  --  $19.83/hour

12. Oklahoma  --  $20.02/hour

11. Kansas  --  $20.03/hour

10. North Dakota  --  $20.19/hour

9. Nevada  --  $20.23/hour

8. Wisconsin  --  $21.04/hour

7. West Virginia  --  $21.16/hour

6. Ohio  --  $21.29/hour

5. Minnesota  --  $21.34/hour

4. Michigan  --  $21.67/hour

3. Indiana  --  $22.43/hour

2. Missouri  --  $26.67/hour

1. Illinois  --  $27.53/hour