How much do painters make in Ohio in 2026?

The median painter salary in Ohio is $49,450 per year, which works out to about $23.77 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the midpoint — half of Ohio's painters earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or picking up work through a new employer, expect to land closer to the 25th percentile: $44,040 annually, or roughly $21.17 per hour. Experienced painters working steadily for established contractors push into the 75th percentile at $61,790 per year, about $29.71 per hour.

Those three numbers — $44,040, $49,450, and $61,790 — tell you where the floor, the middle, and the ceiling sit for most Ohio painters. The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is nearly $17,750 per year. That's not a small number. It reflects real differences in experience, specialization, employer size, and the type of work you're doing.

Residential painting and commercial painting pull different wages. Painters who work on commercial construction sites — office buildings, hospitals, schools — tend to work for larger contractors with steadier hours and stronger benefits. Residential work can be more seasonal and less predictable, though skilled residential painters running their own crews can do well when work is steady. Industrial painting, including work on bridges, tanks, and manufacturing facilities, often pays at or above the 75th percentile because the work is physically demanding, requires more protective equipment, and sometimes involves hazardous materials certifications.

Ohio's geography matters more than people expect. The Columbus metro area has seen significant commercial construction activity, which keeps demand for commercial painters solid. Cleveland and Cincinnati both have dense concentrations of commercial and industrial work. Painters in smaller cities and rural areas may find fewer large commercial projects, which can push earnings closer to the median or below. If you're willing to drive to where the bigger jobs are, your annual earnings can look a lot more like the 75th percentile even if you live in a smaller market.

Overtime is a real factor for painters, especially during peak construction season in the spring and summer. A painter earning the median hourly rate of $23.77 who logs 200 hours of overtime in a year at time-and-a-half ($35.66/hr) adds roughly $7,130 to their take-home before taxes. That's not guaranteed money, but it's realistic for painters attached to active commercial crews during busy seasons.

Specialization raises pay. Painters who add skills like spray application for industrial coatings, lead abatement certification, or decorative faux finishing can command rates above the median. Lead abatement in particular requires state-specific Ohio EPA certification, and contractors pay more for certified workers because the liability exposure of non-certified work is significant.

Ohio does not require a statewide painting license for most residential or commercial work, but individual municipalities — including Columbus and Cleveland — may have their own requirements. Always check local permit and licensing rules before bidding work independently. Contractors hiring for larger commercial jobs will often require OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 cards, and holding those credentials costs little but can open doors to better-paying jobs.

Some workers may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

The figures on this page come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. BLS surveys employers, so the data reflects reported wages. It does not fully capture cash payments, side work, or the earnings of painters who run their own businesses and report income differently. Self-employed painters working steady commercial accounts can earn well above the figures shown here, but the income is less predictable and comes without employer-paid benefits.