BLS OEWS May 2025 · SOC 47-2141
What painting actually costs, by metro
Every painting company in America quotes on request. We publish the number instead, worked out from the wages the federal government already reports for painters in your metro area.
- 361 metro areas
- 201,860 painters
- Federal wage data
- No quote form
Mean wage
$24.46/hr
What a US painter earns, averaged across every metro area
Metro spread
2.9×
Ponce to Kahului-Wailuku, for the same trade
Workforce
201,860
Painters employed across 361 metro areas
Labour share
63%
Of a typical interior bill. The rest is paint.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 47-2141 · method
The thing nobody tells you
You are not paying for paint
Roughly 63% of a typical interior painting bill is labour. Materials are about 37%. A gallon of paint costs the same in McAllen as it does in Manhattan, so almost the entire difference between a cheap quote and an expensive one is the local price of an hour of skilled work.
This is why "get three quotes" is weak advice on its own. Three painters in the same metro are buying labour at roughly the same price. If one quote is 40% below the others, the difference is usually coats, prep, or whether the crew is insured, not a better deal on paint.
It is also why national cost guides are close to useless. A single "$2,000 to $6,000" range spans six metros and tells you nothing about yours.
What you are actually buying
A finish, not a coat of paint
The gap between a cheap quote and an expensive one is almost never the paint. It is how many coats were allowed for, how much filling and sanding happened before any of them went on, and whether the crew carries insurance. Those are the three questions that explain most price differences, and all three are worth asking before you sign anything.
The spread
The same job, 2.9× apart
Painter wages by metro, highest and lowest on the mainland, with what a 2,000 sq ft interior works out at in each.
| Metro area | Mean wage | Painters | 2,000 sq ft interior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $36.62 | 180 | $2,800–$4,250 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | $35.33 | 160 | $2,750–$4,100 |
| Rockford, IL | $35.02 | 130 | $2,750–$4,100 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $34.00 | 5,480 | $2,650–$4,000 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $33.92 | 1,390 | $2,650–$4,000 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $33.91 | 5,310 | $2,650–$4,000 |
| · · · | |||
| El Paso, TX | $18.67 | 250 | $1,800–$2,750 |
| Laredo, TX | $18.11 | 50 | $1,800–$2,700 |
| Morgantown, WV | $17.01 | 60 | $1,750–$2,600 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | $16.18 | 280 | $1,700–$2,550 |
Puerto Rico metros sit below every mainland figure and are excluded from this table to keep the comparison fair. They are included in the calculator.
By job
What each kind of work costs
Each figure below is the national mean. Every one of these pages breaks the same job down by metro.
Interior painting
Walls, ceilings and trim through a whole home.
Typical range $2,150 to $3,200Exterior painting
Siding, soffits and trim, including prep and ladders.
Typical range $1,700 to $2,500Kitchen cabinets
Priced per door and drawer front, not per square foot.
Typical range $2,600 to $3,900Painter hourly rate
What painters earn, and what a contractor bills, in every metro.
National mean $24.46/hrBy place
Painting cost in the 50 largest metros
Ranked by how many painters actually work there, which is a better guide to market depth than population. The bar shows each metro against the highest and lowest wage in this group.
Common questions
Straight answers
How much does it cost to paint a 2,000 square foot house interior?
At the national mean painter wage of $24.46 an hour, a 2,000 square foot interior works out at roughly $2,150 to $3,200 for labour and materials. Your metro can move that by well over half, which is why the calculator asks where you are.
Where does this cost data come from?
The wage figures are the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release for May 2025, occupation code 47-2141, Painters, Construction and Maintenance. We apply a published multiplier for payroll burden, overhead and profit, and state every constant on the methodology page.
Why is painting so much more expensive in some cities?
Labour. Paint costs about the same everywhere, but painter wages range from $12.48 an hour in Ponce to $36.62 in Kahului-Wailuku. Labour is about 63 percent of a typical interior bill.
Is this a quote?
No. Nobody has seen your walls. It is a modelled range that tells you whether a quote you have been given is normal for your area, and it deliberately excludes repairs, wallpaper removal, lead-safe work and scaffolding.
Do you do the painting?
No. We are not a painting contractor and we do not perform work. This site publishes cost information.
Know the number before you call
Walk into the conversation with a figure built from your metro’s own wage data, and a clear idea of what is labour and what is paint.
Run the calculator