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Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers

Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 51-9123.00United States

Paint, coat, or decorate articles, such as furniture, glass, plateware, pottery, jewelry, toys, books, or leather.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$40,320

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+5.2%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

80.2% of the workforce

Employment
8.91K jobs

Growing to 9.38K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

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Build the skills

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 painting, coating, and decorating workers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Apply coatings, such as paint, ink, or lacquer, to protect or decorate workpiece surfaces, using spray guns, pens, or brushes.
  • Examine finished surfaces of workpieces to verify conformance to specifications and retouch any defective areas.
  • Clean and maintain tools and equipment, using solvents, brushes, and rags.
  • Read job orders and inspect workpieces to determine work procedures and materials required.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$28,875
25th percentile
$34,702
50th percentile
$40,320
75th percentile
$50,634
90th percentile
$66,078

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $40,320 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+5.2%average or slower
20258,914 jobs
2035 projected9,381 jobs

467 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
80.2%
Some college
17%
Certificate
2.8%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Painting
  • Lifting Ability
  • Polishing
  • Hand Tools
  • Abrasive Blasting
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Spray Painting
  • Power Tool Operation
  • Safety Procedures
  • Metal Coating
  • Powder Coating
  • Refinishing
  • Workflow Management
  • Machinery
  • Development Environment
  • Forklift Truck
  • Safety Standards
  • Construction
  • Oil and Gas
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
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.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Quality Control Analysis
Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Painters2,070 postings
  2. 02Industrial Painters2,002 postings
  3. 03Automotive Painters1,314 postings
  4. 04Aircraft Painters852 postings
  5. 05Painters Helpers843 postings
  6. 06Auto Body Painters521 postings
  7. 07Spray Painters476 postings
  8. 08Powder Coat Painters456 postings
  9. 09Powder Coaters435 postings
  10. 10Painters/Blasters310 postings
  11. 11Painters/Sandblasters252 postings
  12. 12Body Shop Painters232 postings
  13. 13Production Painters117 postings
  14. 14Sprayers110 postings
  15. 15Aerospace Painters105 postings
  16. 16Industrial Spray Painters102 postings
  17. 17Painters/Finishers77 postings
  18. 18Manufacturing Interns52 postings
  19. 19Lead Painters38 postings
  20. 20Sign Painters38 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Aerotek660 postings
  2. 02Carvana595 postings
  3. 03Caliber Holdings585 postings
  4. 04Caliber508 postings
  5. 05Caliber Collision127 postings
  6. 06Hsgi104 postings
  7. 07Express Employment Professionals93 postings
  8. 08ManpowerGroup79 postings
  9. 09Aviation Personnel71 postings
  10. 10Gal Aerostaff LTD.63 postings
  11. 11Austin Industrial62 postings
  12. 12CarMax62 postings
  13. 13PDS Tech62 postings
  14. 14Gulfstream Aerospace59 postings
  15. 15Spherion Staffing59 postings
  16. 16Boeing53 postings
  17. 17REV Group50 postings
  18. 18GPAC41 postings
  19. 19International Marine And Industrial Applicators, Llc (Imia)40 postings
  20. 20Staffmark36 postings

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