Skilled Wages

Painter salary in Alaska

Median $29.32 an hour for 440 painters, construction and maintenance, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$29.32/hrMedian hourly wageAlaska, May data
$60,980/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$21.09 – $41.0810th to 90th percentilehourly range
440Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Painter pay in Alaska: the full range

Wage percentiles, AlaskaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrAlaska: 10th $21.09 · 25th $26.30 · median $29.32 · 75th $35.85 · 90th $41.08Alaska$29.32$21.09$41.08United States: 10th $18.00 · 25th $21.46 · median $23.75 · 75th $29.65 · 90th $37.89United States$23.75
Hourly wage percentiles for painters, construction and maintenance: Alaska vs United States, May 2025.

Alaska ranks 3rd of 51 states for median painter pay, and 7th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $28.63). 440 painters, construction and maintenance work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$21.09 – $26.30$43,880 – $54,710roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$26.30 – $35.85$54,710 – $74,570the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$35.85 – $41.08$74,570 – $85,440the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Painter pay by metro in Alaska

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrFairbanks: $29.53Fairbanks$29.53Anchorage: $29.02Anchorage$29.02
Median hourly wage for painters, construction and maintenance by metro area in Alaska, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Fairbanks$21.44$29.53$42.18501% above
Anchorage$21.09$29.02$39.013301% below

Painter wages in Alaska over time

Alaska, 1999-2025AlaskaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$29.32Alaska$23.75United States
Median hourly wage for painters, construction and maintenance, Alaska vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearAlaska $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$15.56$30.07$12.86280
2000$16.50$30.85$13.10410
2001$18.80$34.18$13.66460
2002$20.31$36.35$13.98500
2003$20.34$35.59$14.12570
2004$21.80$37.15$14.55530
2005$22.89$37.73$14.81510
2006$19.78$31.59$15.00520
2007$17.94$27.86$15.42460
2008$19.59$29.29$15.85460
2009$21.62$32.44$16.21500
2010$22.30$32.92$16.48430
2011$23.05$32.99$17.04430
2012$22.57$31.65$16.92430
2013$22.73$31.41$17.01550
2014$22.83$31.05$17.29440
2015$26.28$35.70$17.59520
2016$27.19$36.47$18.06380
2017$28.03$36.81$18.25470
2018$26.76$34.31$18.72370
2019$27.59$34.74$19.37410
2020$28.35$35.27$20.25350
2021$23.49$27.91$21.92450
2022$27.70$30.47$22.16390
2023$33.28$35.16$22.94360
2024$31.54$32.37$23.40400
2025$29.32$29.32$23.75440

In today's dollars, the median painter wage in Alaska changed by -17.9% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for painters in Alaska

On federally funded construction in Alaska, contractors must pay painters at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 30 of the 30 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $67.49 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $29.32.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, AKAleutians East: $67.49 (union)Aleutians West: $67.49 (union)Anchorage: $67.49 (union)Bethel: $67.49 (union)Bristol Bay: $67.49 (union)Chugach: $67.49 (union)Copper River: $67.49 (union)Denali: $67.49 (union)Dillingham: $67.49 (union)Fairbanks North Star: $67.49 (union)Haines: $67.49 (union)Hoonah-Angoon: $67.49 (union)Juneau: $67.49 (union)Kenai Peninsula: $67.49 (union)Ketchikan Gateway: $67.49 (union)Kodiak Island: $67.49 (union)Kusilvak: $67.49 (union)Lake and Peninsula: $67.49 (union)Matanuska-Susitna: $67.49 (union)Nome: $67.49 (union)North Slope: $67.49 (union)Northwest Arctic: $67.49 (union)Petersburg: $67.49 (union)Prince of Wales-Hyder: $67.49 (union)Sitka: $67.49 (union)Skagway: $67.49 (union)Southeast Fairbanks: $67.49 (union)Wrangell: $67.49 (union)Yakutat: $67.49 (union)Yukon-Koyukuk: $67.49 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for painters by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
Aleutians EastUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
Aleutians WestUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
AnchorageUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
BethelUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
Bristol BayUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
ChugachUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
Copper RiverUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
DenaliUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
DillinghamUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
Fairbanks North StarUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
HainesUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
Hoonah-AngoonUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
JuneauUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
Kenai PeninsulaUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001
Ketchikan GatewayUnion PAIN1959-002 2025-07-01$37.29$30.20$67.49AK20260001

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Alaska prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Alaska?

20.9kConstruction jobsAlaska, 2026-08
-1.9%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20265k10k15k20k25k30k1990199520002005201020152020202521kAug 2026
Construction employment in Alaska (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Painter pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Alaska

Questions this page answers

How much do painters make in Alaska?

The median painter in Alaska earned $29.32 an hour ($60,980 a year) in May 2025, 23% above the national median of $23.75. The middle half earn $26.30–$35.85; the top 10% earn more than $41.08.

Where does Alaska rank for painter pay?

Alaska ranks 3rd of 51 states for painter pay, with a median of $29.32 an hour, and 7th after adjusting for Alaska's cost of living (BEA price parity 102.4, US = 100).

What is the union painter rate in Alaska?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for painters in 30 counties, with a typical package of $67.49 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many painters work in Alaska?

BLS counted 440 painters, construction and maintenance in Alaska in May 2025, 1.4 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.94; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Alaska and metro areas, SOC 47-2141.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.