How much do painters make in Washington in 2026?

Painters in Washington state earn a median wage of $59,650 per year, which works out to $28.68 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the midpoint — half of painters in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working smaller residential jobs, you're more likely sitting in the lower range. If you've got years on the brush, spray rig experience, or you're running a crew, you're likely pushing toward the top.

The bottom quarter of Washington painters — the 25th percentile — earns $48,940 a year, or about $23.53 an hour. This is where you'll find newer painters, helpers who've recently moved into a full painter role, or workers in lower-cost parts of the state where residential repaint work dominates and competition keeps rates down. That's still a livable wage in many parts of Washington, but it doesn't leave a lot of room, especially if you're in the Puget Sound area where housing costs are high.

The 75th percentile lands at $65,140 per year, or $31.32 per hour. Getting here typically means you've got real breadth of skill — commercial and industrial coatings, surface prep on concrete and steel, working heights, confined spaces, or specialty finishes that most painters can't handle. Painters who can read specs, follow coating manufacturer requirements precisely, and move between commercial and residential work tend to command this range.

The spread between the 25th and 75th percentile is $16,200 a year. That's not a small gap. It represents roughly what separates a painter who shows up, rolls walls, and cleans brushes from one who bids jobs, applies epoxy floor coatings, or manages a painting crew on a multi-unit build. Skill depth, specialty work, and reliability all move you up that range faster than time alone.

Washington's geography matters here. The Seattle metro — King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties — has consistently higher construction activity and cost-of-living adjustments that tend to pull wages above the state median. Eastern Washington cities like Spokane and the Tri-Cities area generally run closer to or below the median. A painter working commercial repaint contracts in Seattle will likely out-earn a residential painter doing exterior work in Yakima, even at the same experience level.

Overtime is a real income factor for painters in Washington. Commercial jobs — particularly new construction, tenant improvement buildouts, and industrial maintenance — often run extended hours to meet project deadlines. A painter at the median wage picking up 10 hours of overtime per week over a busy season can add $8,000–$10,000 to their annual take-home, depending on the pay rate and overtime structure.

Specialty coatings certification also pays. Painters trained in SSPC (Society for Protective Coatings) standards, lead abatement, or industrial coating application for bridges, tanks, and pipelines sit in a separate market from general painters. While no union scale is available for this trade in Washington, painters who hold specialty certifications and work industrial maintenance contracts frequently negotiate rates above the 75th percentile.

Apprentices typically start well below the 25th percentile figure — entry wages for apprentice painters in Washington often run $17–$20 per hour, stepping up through a structured program over 2–4 years. The BLS numbers above reflect employed painters across all experience levels and do not isolate apprentice wages, so new entrants should expect to sit below the $23.53/hr floor during the early stages of their career.

No union scale data is available for painters in Washington at this time. In states and metro areas where union contracts exist, they typically set a wage floor and benefits structure that can significantly affect total compensation. Washington painters working non-union commercial jobs should pay close attention to benefits packages — health insurance, retirement contributions, and paid time off can add meaningful value beyond the hourly rate.

All figures on this page come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. These are employer-reported figures covering painters, construction and maintenance workers across Washington state.