§ 03 Trade wages
Painters in Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
Painters in the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metro earned a median of $22.11 an hour in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), 7% lower than the national median of $23.75. The middle half earned $17.96 to $23.43. About 130 people work in this occupation here. That ranks 165 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, Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
25th pct$17.96per hour
Median$22.11per hour
75th pct$23.43per hour
10th pct$17.48
90th pct$29.60
Mean$22.16
Workers130
Your multiplier: ×2.0Median wage × multiplier: $44/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 · Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN · mean RSE 2.1%Employee wages from the BLS employer survey. Not what a contractor bills.