§ 03 Trade wages
Painters in Richmond, VA
Painters in the Richmond, VA metro earned a median of $22.92 an hour in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), about the same as the national median of $23.75. The middle half earned $18.94 to $23.56. About 1,010 people work in this occupation here. That ranks 123 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, Richmond, VA
25th pct$18.94per hour
Median$22.92per hour
75th pct$23.56per hour
10th pct$17.69
90th pct$28.50
Mean$22.99
Workers1,010
Your multiplier: ×2.0Median wage × multiplier: $46/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 · Richmond, VA · mean RSE 2.3%Employee wages from the BLS employer survey. Not what a contractor bills.