47-2141 - BLS OEWS 2025
Painters wages in California
The BLS reported a $28.38 median hourly wage for painters in California in 2025. This page is generated only because that exact state-and-trade cell exists in the official OEWS data.
Important: These are worker wages, not contractor billing rates - a contractor's quote adds overhead, insurance, equipment, and margin.
Median hourly wage
$28.38
BLS OEWS 2025
10th-90th percentile
$20.26-$43.75
Hourly worker wage range.
Employment
38,430
State employment estimate.
Median-wage rank
#9
of 51 jurisdictions with this trade.
What is unique in this BLS cell
State premium
California's median is +$4.61 per hour above the median state record for painters ($23.77).
Labor-market size
This state ranks #1 by BLS employment among generated painters records, with 38,430 workers reported.
Trend
Median hourly pay moved from $23.92 in 2019 to $28.38 in 2025, a +19% change.
2019-2025 median wage trend
| Year | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $23.92 |
| 2020 | $24.50 |
| 2021 | $23.20 |
| 2022 | $23.96 |
| 2023 | $27.69 |
| 2024 | $27.62 |
| 2025 | $28.38 |
Same trade, large BLS labor markets
Source and limitation
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS), OEWS 2019-2025. This page uses only the published BLS row for Painters in California. It does not estimate missing cells, interpolate suppressed values, or convert worker wages into contractor quotes.