§ 03 Trade wages
Painters in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
Painters in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro earned a median of $26.44 an hour in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), 11% higher than the national median of $23.75. The middle half earned $21.43 to $29.67. About 110 people work in this occupation here. That ranks 52 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, Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
25th pct$21.43per hour
Median$26.44per hour
75th pct$29.67per hour
10th pct$18.20
90th pct$34.58
Mean$25.84
Workers110
Your multiplier: ×2.0Median wage × multiplier: $53/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 · Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA · mean RSE 3.4%Employee wages from the BLS employer survey. Not what a contractor bills.