Painters, Construction and Maintenance
Architecture and ConstructionO*NET 47-2141.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $44,770
- Projected change
- +1.4%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 389.37K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
65% of the workforce
Growing to 394.85K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What painters, construction and maintenance do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Cover surfaces with dropcloths or masking tape and paper to protect surfaces during painting.
- Read work orders or receive instructions from supervisors or homeowners to determine work requirements.
- Apply paint, stain, varnish, enamel, or other finishes to equipment, buildings, bridges, or other structures, using brushes, spray guns, or rollers.
- Fill cracks, holes, or joints with caulk, putty, plaster, or other fillers, using caulking guns or putty knives.
- Smooth surfaces, using sandpaper, scrapers, brushes, steel wool, or sanding machines.
- Erect scaffolding or swing gates, or set up ladders, to work above ground level.
- Wash and treat surfaces with oil, turpentine, mildew remover, or other preparations, and sand rough spots to ensure that finishes will adhere properly.
- Apply primers or sealers to prepare new surfaces, such as bare wood or metal, for finish coats.
- Calculate amounts of required materials and estimate costs, based on surface measurements or work orders.
- Remove old finishes by stripping, sanding, wire brushing, burning, or using water or abrasive blasting.
- Remove fixtures such as pictures, door knobs, lamps, or electric switch covers prior to painting.
- Use special finishing techniques such as sponging, ragging, layering, or faux finishing.
- Waterproof buildings, using waterproofers or caulking.
- Select and purchase tools or finishes for surfaces to be covered, considering durability, ease of handling, methods of application, and customers' wishes.
- Mix and match colors of paint, stain, or varnish with oil or thinning and drying additives to obtain desired colors and consistencies.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $27,773
- 25th percentile
- $36,138
- 50th percentile
- $44,770
- 75th percentile
- $61,470
- 90th percentile
- $94,961
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $44,770 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+1.4%average or slower
2025389,370 jobs
2035 projected394,849 jobs
5,479 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 65%
- Certificate
- 33.1%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 1.9%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Painters7,399 postings
- 02Commercial Painters944 postings
- 03Experienced Auditors938 postings
- 04Painters Helpers662 postings
- 05Residential Painters602 postings
- 06Subcontractors497 postings
- 07Exterior Painters438 postings
- 08Lead Painters290 postings
- 09Journeyman Painters246 postings
- 10Maintenance Painters235 postings
- 11Interior Painters209 postings
- 12Painters Apprentice202 postings
- 13Painters/Handymen202 postings
- 14Laborers/Painters201 postings
- 15Skilled Cooks190 postings
- 16Powder Coat Painters187 postings
- 17House Painters183 postings
- 18Handymen172 postings
- 19Painting Foremen148 postings
- 20Drywall Installers130 postings
Top employers
- 01Aerotek357 postings
- 02Tradesmen International78 postings
- 03Marriott International53 postings
- 04Fresh Coat Painters40 postings
- 05Orange33 postings
- 06Sodexo32 postings
- 07Hilton29 postings
- 08Labor Finders29 postings
- 09Omni Hotels & Resorts27 postings
- 10Brown & Root Industrial Services25 postings
- 11FirstService Residential25 postings
- 12Ultra Painting25 postings
- 13ManpowerGroup24 postings
- 14Express Employment Professionals23 postings
- 15PayPal23 postings
- 16Cedar Point22 postings
- 17Medxcel21 postings
- 18Brown & Root19 postings
- 19Aramark18 postings
- 20Stewart Painting18 postings
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