§ 03 Trade wages
Painters in Portland-South Portland, ME
Painters in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro earned a median of $30.35 an hour in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), 28% higher than the national median of $23.75. The middle half earned $26.05 to $31.01. About 1,550 people work in this occupation here. That ranks 10 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, Portland-South Portland, ME
25th pct$26.05per hour
Median$30.35per hour
75th pct$31.01per hour
10th pct$23.77
90th pct$36.31
Mean$29.98
Workers1,550
Your multiplier: ×2.0Median wage × multiplier: $61/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 · Portland-South Portland, ME · mean RSE 1.1%Employee wages from the BLS employer survey. Not what a contractor bills.