§ 03 Trade wages
Painters in Topeka, KS
Painters in the Topeka, KS metro earned a median of $22.45 an hour in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), 5% lower than the national median of $23.75. The middle half earned $17.23 to $24.30. About 170 people work in this occupation here. That ranks 148 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, Topeka, KS
25th pct$17.23per hour
Median$22.45per hour
75th pct$24.30per hour
10th pct$17.06
90th pct$31.06
Mean$22.59
Workers170
Your multiplier: ×2.0Median wage × multiplier: $45/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 · Topeka, KS · mean RSE 4.4%Employee wages from the BLS employer survey. Not what a contractor bills.