§ 03 Trade wages
Painters in Winston-Salem, NC
Painters in the Winston-Salem, NC metro earned a median of $18.24 an hour in May 2025 (BLS OEWS), 23% lower than the national median of $23.75. The middle half earned $14.72 to $23.63. About 350 people work in this occupation here. That ranks 222 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, Winston-Salem, NC
25th pct$14.72per hour
Median$18.24per hour
75th pct$23.63per hour
10th pct$13.33
90th pct$26.91
Mean$19.62
Workers350
Your multiplier: ×2.0Median wage × multiplier: $36/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 · Winston-Salem, NC · mean RSE 3.7%Employee wages from the BLS employer survey. Not what a contractor bills.