Skilled Wages

Painter salary in Kansas

Median $21.88 an hour for 1,570 painters, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$21.88/hrMedian hourly wageKansas, May data
$45,510/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$16.24 – $28.1310th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,570Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Painter pay in Kansas: the full range

Wage percentiles, KansasMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40/hrKansas: 10th $16.24 · 25th $17.88 · median $21.88 · 75th $23.73 · 90th $28.13Kansas$21.88$16.24$28.13United States: 10th $18.00 · 25th $21.46 · median $23.75 · 75th $29.65 · 90th $37.89United States$23.75
Hourly wage percentiles for painters: Kansas vs United States, May 2025.

Kansas ranks 40th of 51 states for median painter pay, and 33rd once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $24.28). 1,570 painters work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.7× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$16.24 – $17.88$33,780 – $37,180roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$17.88 – $23.73$37,180 – $49,350the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$23.73 – $28.13$49,350 – $58,510the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Painter pay by metro in Kansas

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrSt. Joseph: $24.63St. Joseph$24.63Kansas City: $24.07Kansas City$24.07Topeka: $22.45Topeka$22.45Joplin: $21.90Joplin$21.90Manhattan: $21.79Manhattan$21.79Wichita: $21.75Wichita$21.75Lawrence: $18.84Lawrence$18.84
Median hourly wage for painters by metro area in Kansas, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
St. Joseph$18.30$24.63$28.51$40.114013% above
Kansas City$17.98$24.07$26.02$36.531,33010% above
Topeka$17.06$22.45$25.28$31.061703% above
Joplin$17.50$21.90$25.55$35.9560about the same as
Manhattan$14.60$21.79$24.16$26.78110about the same as
Wichita$14.73$21.75$24.47$26.624001% below
Lawrence$15.22$18.84$20.89$26.799014% below

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

Painter wages in Kansas over time

Kansas, 1999-2025KansasUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25200020052010201520202025$23.75United States$21.88Kansas
Median hourly wage for painters, Kansas vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearKansas $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$11.75$22.71$12.863,200
2000$11.80$22.06$13.102,620
2001$12.86$23.38$13.662,290
2002$13.47$24.11$13.982,440
2003$13.77$24.09$14.122,360
2004$14.06$23.96$14.552,200
2005$13.95$23.00$14.812,140
2006$13.82$22.07$15.002,530
2007$14.63$22.72$15.422,850
2008$14.50$21.68$15.852,740
2009$14.76$22.15$16.212,150
2010$15.15$22.37$16.481,680
2011$15.92$22.79$17.041,590
2012$16.29$22.84$16.921,610
2013$14.19$19.61$17.011,810
2014$14.22$19.34$17.291,810
2015$15.81$21.47$17.591,820
2016$17.37$23.30$18.061,880
2017$17.32$22.75$18.252,020
2018$16.64$21.33$18.722,110
2019$17.11$21.55$19.372,200
2020$17.79$22.13$20.252,000
2021$20.67$24.56$21.921,460
2022$21.39$23.53$22.161,650
2023$21.68$22.91$22.941,530
2024$21.58$22.15$23.401,680
2025$21.88$21.88$23.751,570

In today's dollars, the median painter wage in Kansas changed by +1.9% over the last ten years of data and by +1.5% since 2019.

Are there more painter jobs in Kansas?

1.1Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.8× the US share, 36th of 51 states

BLS counted 1,570 painters in Kansas in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 4%. 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 Kansas

+3.6%Projected growth in Kansas2024–2034, state agency
210Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
2,580Jobs in 20242,670 projected for 2034
+3.0%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Kansas's labor market agency projects the number of painters in the state to change by +3.6% between 2024 and 2034, from 2,580 to 2,670, with about 210 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +3.0% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 1,570 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for painters in Kansas

On federally funded construction in Kansas, contractors must pay painters at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 105 of the 105 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $56.15 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $21.88.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, KSAllen: $56.15 (union)Anderson: $56.15 (union)Atchison: $56.15 (union)Barber: $56.15 (union)Barton: $56.15 (union)Bourbon: $56.15 (union)Brown: $56.15 (union)Butler: $56.15 (union)Chase: $56.15 (union)Chautauqua: $56.15 (union)Cherokee: $56.15 (union)Cheyenne: $56.15 (union)Clark: $56.15 (union)Clay: $56.15 (union)Cloud: $56.15 (union)Coffey: $56.15 (union)Comanche: $56.15 (union)Cowley: $56.15 (union)Crawford: $56.15 (union)Decatur: $56.15 (union)Dickinson: $56.15 (union)Doniphan: $56.15 (union)Douglas: $56.15 (union)Edwards: $56.15 (union)Elk: $56.15 (union)Ellis: $56.15 (union)Ellsworth: $56.15 (union)Finney: $56.15 (union)Ford: $56.15 (union)Franklin: $56.15 (union)Geary: $56.15 (union)Gove: $56.15 (union)Graham: $56.15 (union)Grant: $56.15 (union)Gray: $56.15 (union)Greeley: $56.15 (union)Greenwood: $56.15 (union)Hamilton: $56.15 (union)Harper: $56.15 (union)Harvey: $56.15 (union)Haskell: $56.15 (union)Hodgeman: $56.15 (union)Jackson: $56.15 (union)Jefferson: $56.15 (union)Jewell: $56.15 (union)Johnson: $56.15 (union)Kearny: $56.15 (union)Kingman: $56.15 (union)Kiowa: $56.15 (union)Labette: $56.15 (union)Lane: $56.15 (union)Leavenworth: $56.15 (union)Lincoln: $56.15 (union)Linn: $56.15 (union)Logan: $56.15 (union)Lyon: $56.15 (union)McPherson: $56.15 (union)Marion: $56.15 (union)Marshall: $56.15 (union)Meade: $56.15 (union)Miami: $56.15 (union)Mitchell: $56.15 (union)Montgomery: $56.15 (union)Morris: $56.15 (union)Morton: $56.15 (union)Nemaha: $56.15 (union)Neosho: $56.15 (union)Ness: $56.15 (union)Norton: $56.15 (union)Osage: $56.15 (union)Osborne: $56.15 (union)Ottawa: $56.15 (union)Pawnee: $56.15 (union)Phillips: $56.15 (union)Pottawatomie: $56.15 (union)Pratt: $56.15 (union)Rawlins: $56.15 (union)Reno: $56.15 (union)Republic: $56.15 (union)Rice: $56.15 (union)Riley: $56.15 (union)Rooks: $56.15 (union)Rush: $56.15 (union)Russell: $56.15 (union)Saline: $56.15 (union)Scott: $56.15 (union)Sedgwick: $56.15 (union)Seward: $56.15 (union)Shawnee: $56.15 (union)Sheridan: $56.15 (union)Sherman: $56.15 (union)Smith: $56.15 (union)Stafford: $56.15 (union)Stanton: $56.15 (union)Stevens: $56.15 (union)Sumner: $56.15 (union)Thomas: $56.15 (union)Trego: $56.15 (union)Wabaunsee: $56.15 (union)Wallace: $56.15 (union)Washington: $56.15 (union)Wichita: $56.15 (union)Wilson: $56.15 (union)Woodson: $56.15 (union)Wyandotte: $56.15 (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)$0$20$40$60/hrDouglas (Lawrence): market median $18.84, prevailing (union) $56.15, gap +$37.31Douglas (Lawrence)+$37.31Butler (Wichita): market median $21.75, prevailing (union) $56.15, gap +$34.40Butler (Wichita)+$34.40Geary (Manhattan): market median $21.79, prevailing (union) $56.15, gap +$34.36Geary (Manhattan)+$34.36Cherokee (Joplin): market median $21.90, prevailing (union) $56.15, gap +$34.25Cherokee (Joplin)+$34.25Jackson (Topeka): market median $22.45, prevailing (union) $56.15, gap +$33.70Jackson (Topeka)+$33.70Johnson (Kansas City): market median $24.07, prevailing (union) $56.15, gap +$32.08Johnson (Kansas City)+$32.08Doniphan (St. Joseph): market median $24.63, prevailing (union) $56.15, gap +$31.52Doniphan (St. Joseph)+$31.52
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for painters, metro counties in Kansas.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AllenUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
AndersonUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
AtchisonUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
BarberUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
BartonUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
BourbonUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
BrownUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
ButlerUnion PAIN2012-008 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260046
ChaseUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260003
ChautauquaUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
CherokeeUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
CheyenneUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
ClarkUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
ClayUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044
CloudUnion PAIN2012-007 2025-04-01$36.18$19.97$56.15KS20260044

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

Is construction work growing in Kansas?

78.5kConstruction jobsKansas, 2026-09
+5.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k100k1990199520002005201020152020202578kSep 2026
Construction employment in Kansas (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Painter pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Kansas

More on Kansas

Questions this page answers

How much do painters make in Kansas?

The median painter in Kansas earned $21.88 an hour ($45,510 a year) in May 2025, 8% below the national median of $23.75. The middle half earn $17.88–$23.73; the top 10% earn more than $28.13.

Where does Kansas rank for painter pay?

Kansas ranks 40th of 51 states for painter pay, with a median of $21.88 an hour, and 33rd after adjusting for Kansas's cost of living (BEA price parity 90.1, US = 100).

What is the union painter rate in Kansas?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for painters in 105 counties, with a typical package of $56.15 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many painters work in Kansas?

BLS counted 1,570 painters in Kansas in May 2025, 1.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.75; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is painter work growing in Kansas?

Kansas's labor market agency projects +3.6% growth for painters between 2024 and 2034, from 2,580 to 2,670 jobs.

How many painter openings a year are there in Kansas?

Kansas projects about 210 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, Kansas 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: Kansas labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.