§ 03 Trade wages
Painters in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
Painters in the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro earned a median of $19.11 an hour in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), 20% lower than the national median of $23.75. The middle half earned $17.93 to $25.83. About 120 people work in this occupation here. That ranks 215 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, Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
25th pct$17.93per hour
Median$19.11per hour
75th pct$25.83per hour
10th pct$15.49
90th pct$27.43
Mean$21.02
Workers120
Your multiplier: ×2.0Median wage × multiplier: $38/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 · Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA · mean RSE 2.4%Employee wages from the BLS employer survey. Not what a contractor bills.