§ 03 Trade wages
Painters in Columbus, OH
Painters in the Columbus, OH metro earned a median of $24.91 an hour in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), 5% higher than the national median of $23.75. The middle half earned $22.52 to $31.45. About 980 people work in this occupation here. That ranks 68 of 225 metros with a reliable estimate for this trade. These are employee wages, not what a contractor bills you per hour.
BLS OEWS May 2025 · SOC 47-2141
Painters, Columbus, OH
25th pct$22.52per hour
Median$24.91per hour
75th pct$31.45per hour
10th pct$18.40
90th pct$37.07
Mean$27.39
Workers980
Your multiplier: ×2.0Median wage × multiplier: $50/hr
OEWS reports what employers pay these workers per hour. A contractor’s bill also covers the business: insurance, licensing, vehicles, tools, office staff, warranty callbacks, unbilled travel time and profit. The wage is a floor for understanding a quote, never a price. You set the multiplier; we publish no typical markup because we have no citable source for one.What else is in a bill for this trade
- Prep time (scraping, patching, priming) often exceeds painting time
- EPA lead-safe certification and containment for pre-1978 homes
- Paint and supplies, sometimes billed separately
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Columbus, OH · mean RSE 2.8%Employee wages from the BLS employer survey. Not what a contractor bills.