# Painters, Construction and Maintenance

> Paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. May remove old paint to prepare surface prior to painting. May mix colors or oils to obtain desired color or consistency.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/painters-construction-and-maintenance
- SOC code: 47-2141.00
- Career family: Construction and extraction
- Median annual pay: $49,400 (10th percentile $37,440, 90th percentile $78,810)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.0%
- Openings a year: 24,900
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCA)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 8 |
| Artistic (A) | 25 |
| Social (S) | 4 |
| Enterprising (E) | 0 |
| Conventional (C) | 42 |

## What you'd do

- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 88/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 84/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 83/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 79/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 77/100)
- Developing Objectives and Strategies (importance 77/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 76/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 74/100)
- Getting Information (importance 74/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 73/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Coordination, Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation, Speaking

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, Building and Construction, Administration and Management, Public Safety and Security, Chemistry, Transportation, Education and Training, Production and Processing, Mathematics, English Language

## Also called

Architectural Coating Finisher, Bitumastic Applier, Bridge Painter, Brush Painter, Building Painter, Building Trades Painter, Calciminer, Caulker, Colored Liquid Plastic Applier, Commercial Painter

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4604) (CIP 4604, 319 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Utah Valley University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/utah-valley-university-3103) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $82,443 | $97,793 | $11,042 |
| [The University of Texas at San Antonio](https://www.collegesref.com/college/the-university-of-texas-at-san-antonio-2767) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $74,627 | $90,691 | $17,750 |
| [Tuskegee University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/tuskegee-university-2832) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $74,054 | $87,107 | not reported |
| [Pennsylvania College of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/pennsylvania-college-of-technology-2096) | Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | $69,819 | $74,310 | $27,000 |

## Related careers

- [Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/painting-coating-and-decorating-workers): $41,600 median pay
- [Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/helpers-painters-paperhangers-plasterers-and-stucco-masons): $40,470 median pay
- [Plasterers and Stucco Masons](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/plasterers-and-stucco-masons): $57,660 median pay
- [Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/coating-painting-and-spraying-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders): $48,250 median pay
- [Furniture Finishers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/furniture-finishers): $44,540 median pay
- [Roofers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/roofers): $55,440 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.