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Painter Salary in Winston-Salem, NC

U.S. median $48,660/yr ($23.40/hr)

Painter pay in Winston-Salem, North Carolina moves with local construction demand, union presence, and cost of living, so the national median is only a starting point. Below is what the live local job market is paying painters right now.

Checking live local pay...

National benchmarks

Median$48,660/yr ($23.40/hr)
Hourly range$17.63 to $36.80/hr
Bottom 10%under $36,680/yr (about $17.63/hr)
Top 10%over $76,550/yr (about $36.80/hr)

Local pay in Winston-Salem moves with cost of living, union presence, and demand. The live figure above reflects what Winston-Salem employers are posting right now.

Pay by experience

Apprentice / EntryFirst-year and helper painters cluster near the BLS bottom 10 percent of $36,680. In a union apprenticeship you typically start around 50 to 55 percent of journeyman scale and get a raise every six months as you log hours and classroom time.$33,000 to $42,000/yr ($16 to $20/hr)
Journeyman / MidA painter who can run a job start to finish sits right around the national median of $48,660. Open-shop journeymen land in the low-to-mid $20s per hour, while union journeymen in most markets clear $29 to $35 an hour on base scale before benefits.$45,000 to $58,000/yr ($22 to $28/hr)
Experienced / MasterPainters with a specialty (spray, industrial coatings, high-end finishes) or a high-cost or union market reach the top 10 percent, which BLS puts at over $76,550. IUPAT journeyman scale in expensive metros runs into the low-to-mid $40s per hour before fringe benefits.$62,000 to $80,000+/yr ($30 to $38+/hr)
Foreman / ContractorCrew foremen and superintendents earn a scale premium plus steady overtime. Painting contractors who own the business and carry their own crews can clear six figures in profit in a strong market, though income swings with jobs booked and season.$75,000 to $110,000+/yr

Painter jobs in Winston-Salem

See Painter jobs hiring in Winston-Salem with pay shown upfront.

Painter pay in nearby cities

Charlotte, NCRaleigh, NCGreensboro, NCDurham, NC

Painter pay in Winston-Salem: FAQs

How much do painters make?

Painters, construction and maintenance earned a median of $48,660 a year, about $23.40 an hour, as of May 2024 according to the BLS. The lowest 10 percent made under $36,680 and the top 10 percent made over $76,550. Union membership, industrial work, and high-cost states all push pay toward the top of that range.

How much do painters make an hour?

The median painter wage is $23.40 an hour as of May 2024. Entry-level and helper painters often start around $16 to $20 an hour, experienced painters run into the low $30s, and union journeymen in strong markets can hit the low-to-mid $40s per hour before benefits.

Do painters make good money?

They can. The typical painter earns a solid middle-class wage of around $48,660 with no college required, and the work is steady with about 28,100 openings a year. The painters who make good money go union, pick up spray and industrial coating skills, and chase commercial and prevailing-wage jobs rather than only residential repaint.

What are the highest-paying painting jobs?

The best pay comes from union journeyman work, industrial and infrastructure coatings (bridges, tanks, structural steel) that reward SSPC or NACE certifications, and prevailing-wage public projects. By location, New York, Hawaii, and Illinois pay the most, and metros like New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area average over $62,000 a year.

Can you make $100k a year as a painter?

Yes, though it is not the norm. The top 10 percent of employed painters make over $76,550, and crossing $100,000 usually takes a foreman or superintendent role with heavy overtime, high-scale union industrial work in an expensive metro, or owning a painting business with your own crew and customers.