Skilled Wages

Painter salary in Arkansas

Median $19.28 an hour for 890 painters, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$19.28/hrMedian hourly wageArkansas, May data
$40,090/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$14.97 – $26.2610th to 90th percentilehourly range
890Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Painter pay in Arkansas: the full range

Wage percentiles, ArkansasMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40/hrArkansas: 10th $14.97 · 25th $17.76 · median $19.28 · 75th $22.85 · 90th $26.26Arkansas$19.28$14.97$26.26United States: 10th $18.00 · 25th $21.46 · median $23.75 · 75th $29.65 · 90th $37.89United States$23.75
Hourly wage percentiles for painters: Arkansas vs United States, May 2025.

Arkansas ranks 51st of 51 states for median painter pay, and 48th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $22.19). 890 painters work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.8× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$14.97 – $17.76$31,150 – $36,940roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$17.76 – $22.85$36,940 – $47,520the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$22.85 – $26.26$47,520 – $54,610the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Painter pay by metro in Arkansas

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrTexarkana: $22.74Texarkana$22.74Little Rock: $21.47Little Rock$21.47Memphis: $21.45Memphis$21.45Fort Smith: $18.98Fort Smith$18.98Fayetteville: $18.79Fayetteville$18.79
Median hourly wage for painters by metro area in Arkansas, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Texarkana$15.97$22.74$27.07$30.7813018% above
Little Rock$14.09$21.47$24.02$26.2625011% above
Memphis$17.61$21.45$23.26$30.4159011% above
Fort Smith$16.05$18.98$22.10$24.80502% below
Fayetteville$15.43$18.79$20.56$27.393303% below

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Painter wages in Arkansas over time

Arkansas, 1999-2025ArkansasUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$5$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$23.75United States$19.28Arkansas
Median hourly wage for painters, Arkansas vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearArkansas $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$11.35$21.93$12.861,660
2000$11.06$20.68$13.101,460
2001$11.45$20.81$13.661,350
2002$11.76$21.05$13.981,420
2003$11.76$20.58$14.121,300
2004$12.04$20.52$14.551,080
2005$12.11$19.96$14.811,070
2006$12.87$20.55$15.001,260
2007$13.74$21.33$15.421,350
2008$14.36$21.47$15.851,460
2009$14.48$21.73$16.211,210
2010$14.80$21.85$16.481,120
2011$15.47$22.14$17.041,040
2012$14.47$20.29$16.921,130
2013$14.42$19.93$17.011,030
2014$14.95$20.33$17.291,060
2015$15.51$21.07$17.591,090
2016$15.91$21.34$18.061,340
2017$16.29$21.40$18.251,280
2018$16.38$21.00$18.721,140
2019$17.36$21.86$19.371,200
2020$17.67$21.98$20.251,080
2021$17.78$21.12$21.92750
2022$18.25$20.08$22.16750
2023$18.34$19.38$22.94780
2024$18.47$18.96$23.40910
2025$19.28$19.28$23.75890

In today's dollars, the median painter wage in Arkansas changed by -8.5% over the last ten years of data and by -11.8% since 2019.

Are there more painter jobs in Arkansas?

0.7Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.5× the US share, 50th of 51 states

BLS counted 890 painters in Arkansas in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 8%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.

Outlook for painters in Arkansas

+7.7%Projected growth in Arkansas2024–2034, state agency
120Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
1,370Jobs in 20241,470 projected for 2034
+3.0%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Arkansas's labor market agency projects the number of painters in the state to change by +7.7% between 2024 and 2034, from 1,370 to 1,470, with about 120 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +3.0% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 890 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: Arkansas labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Union scale and prevailing wage for painters in Arkansas

On federally funded construction in Arkansas, contractors must pay painters at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 75 of the 75 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $26.67 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $19.28.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, ARArkansas: $26.67 (union)Ashley: $26.67 (union)Baxter: $26.67 (union)Benton: $26.67 (union)Boone: $26.67 (union)Bradley: $26.67 (union)Calhoun: $26.67 (union)Carroll: $26.67 (union)Chicot: $26.67 (union)Clark: $26.67 (union)Clay: $26.67 (union)Cleburne: $26.67 (union)Cleveland: $26.67 (union)Columbia: $26.67 (union)Conway: $26.67 (union)Craighead: $26.67 (union)Crawford: $26.67 (union)Crittenden: $26.67 (union)Cross: $26.67 (union)Dallas: $26.67 (union)Desha: $26.67 (union)Drew: $26.67 (union)Faulkner: $26.67 (union)Franklin: $26.67 (union)Fulton: $26.67 (union)Garland: $26.67 (union)Grant: $26.67 (union)Greene: $26.67 (union)Hempstead: $26.67 (union)Hot Spring: $26.67 (union)Howard: $26.67 (union)Independence: $26.67 (union)Izard: $26.67 (union)Jackson: $26.67 (union)Jefferson: $26.67 (union)Johnson: $26.67 (union)Lafayette: $26.67 (union)Lawrence: $26.67 (union)Lee: $26.67 (union)Lincoln: $26.67 (union)Little River: $26.67 (union)Logan: $26.67 (union)Lonoke: $26.67 (union)Madison: $26.67 (union)Marion: $26.67 (union)Miller: $26.67 (union)Mississippi: $26.67 (union)Monroe: $26.67 (union)Montgomery: $26.67 (union)Nevada: $26.67 (union)Newton: $26.67 (union)Ouachita: $26.67 (union)Perry: $26.67 (union)Phillips: $26.67 (union)Pike: $26.67 (union)Poinsett: $26.67 (union)Polk: $26.67 (union)Pope: $26.67 (union)Prairie: $26.67 (union)Pulaski: $26.67 (union)Randolph: $26.67 (union)St. Francis: $26.67 (union)Saline: $26.67 (union)Scott: $26.67 (union)Searcy: $26.67 (union)Sebastian: $26.67 (union)Sevier: $26.67 (union)Sharp: $26.67 (union)Stone: $26.67 (union)Union: $26.67 (union)Van Buren: $26.67 (union)Washington: $26.67 (union)White: $26.67 (union)Woodruff: $26.67 (union)Yell: $26.67 (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.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$17.50$20$22.50$25$27.50/hrBenton (Fayetteville): market median $18.79, prevailing (union) $26.67, gap +$7.88Benton (Fayetteville)+$7.88Crawford (Fort Smith): market median $18.98, prevailing (union) $26.67, gap +$7.69Crawford (Fort Smith)+$7.69Craighead (Arkansas): market median $19.28, prevailing (union) $26.67, gap +$7.39Craighead (Arkansas)+$7.39Crittenden (Memphis): market median $21.45, prevailing (union) $26.67, gap +$5.22Crittenden (Memphis)+$5.22Faulkner (Little Rock): market median $21.47, prevailing (union) $26.67, gap +$5.20Faulkner (Little Rock)+$5.20Little River (Texarkana): market median $22.74, prevailing (union) $26.67, gap +$3.93Little River (Texarkana)+$3.93
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for painters, metro counties in Arkansas.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
ArkansasUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260018
AshleyUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260018
BaxterUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260019
BentonUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260023
BooneUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260019
BradleyUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260018
CalhounUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260020
CarrollUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260019
ChicotUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260018
ClarkUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260020
ClayUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260021
CleburneUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260022
ClevelandUnion PAIN0424-009 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260036
ColumbiaUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260020
ConwayUnion PAIN0424-008 2021-07-01$16.25$10.42$26.67AR20260019

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Arkansas prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Arkansas?

68.0kConstruction jobsArkansas, 2026-09
+1.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k1990199520002005201020152020202568kSep 2026
Construction employment in Arkansas (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Painter pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Arkansas

More on Arkansas

Questions this page answers

How much do painters make in Arkansas?

The median painter in Arkansas earned $19.28 an hour ($40,090 a year) in May 2025, 19% below the national median of $23.75. The middle half earn $17.76–$22.85; the top 10% earn more than $26.26.

Where does Arkansas rank for painter pay?

Arkansas ranks 51st of 51 states for painter pay, with a median of $19.28 an hour, and 48th after adjusting for Arkansas's cost of living (BEA price parity 86.9, US = 100).

What is the union painter rate in Arkansas?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for painters in 75 counties, with a typical package of $26.67 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many painters work in Arkansas?

BLS counted 890 painters in Arkansas in May 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.47; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is painter work growing in Arkansas?

Arkansas's labor market agency projects +7.7% growth for painters between 2024 and 2034, from 1,370 to 1,470 jobs.

How many painter openings a year are there in Arkansas?

Arkansas projects about 120 openings a year for painters over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 24,900 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Arkansas and metro areas, SOC 47-2141. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Arkansas labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.