§ 03 Trade wages
Painters in Trenton-Princeton, NJ
Painters in the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro earned a median of $28.66 an hour in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), 21% higher than the national median of $23.75. The middle half earned $24.30 to $39.87. About 150 people work in this occupation here. That ranks 27 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, Trenton-Princeton, NJ
25th pct$24.30per hour
Median$28.66per hour
75th pct$39.87per hour
10th pct$20.85
90th pct$45.95
Mean$30.99
Workers150
Your multiplier: ×2.0Median wage × multiplier: $57/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 · Trenton-Princeton, NJ · mean RSE 2.2%Employee wages from the BLS employer survey. Not what a contractor bills.