Skilled Wages

Painter salary in South Carolina

Median $19.64 an hour for 2,080 painters, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$19.64/hrMedian hourly wageSouth Carolina, May data
$40,840/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$13.10 – $27.6510th to 90th percentilehourly range
2,080Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Painter pay in South Carolina: the full range

Wage percentiles, South CarolinaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40/hrSouth Carolina: 10th $13.10 · 25th $17.31 · median $19.64 · 75th $23.34 · 90th $27.65South Carolina$19.64$13.10$27.65United States: 10th $18.00 · 25th $21.46 · median $23.75 · 75th $29.65 · 90th $37.89United States$23.75
Hourly wage percentiles for painters: South Carolina vs United States, May 2025.

South Carolina ranks 50th of 51 states for median painter pay, and 50th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $20.96). 2,080 painters work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.1× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$13.10 – $17.31$27,240 – $36,000roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$17.31 – $23.34$36,000 – $48,550the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$23.34 – $27.65$48,550 – $57,520the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Painter pay by metro in South Carolina

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrCharleston: $22.84Charleston$22.84Columbia: $22.47Columbia$22.47Charlotte: $21.59Charlotte$21.59Augusta: $19.75Augusta$19.75Spartanburg: $19.28Spartanburg$19.28Greenville: $18.59Greenville$18.59Hilton Head: $18.54Hilton Head$18.54Florence: $18.46Florence$18.46Sumter: $18.46Sumter$18.46Myrtle Beach: $17.33Myrtle Beach$17.33
Median hourly wage for painters by metro area in South Carolina, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Charleston$17.18$22.84$22.61$33.0041016% above
Columbia$16.74$22.47$23.98$27.7722014% above
Charlotte$16.70$21.59$22.19$27.861,37010% above
Augusta$15.38$19.75$21.49$26.241501% above
Spartanburg$16.99$19.28$21.16$27.121202% below
Greenville$13.94$18.59$19.92$27.054105% below
Hilton Head$9.14$18.54$18.92$27.041706% below
Florence$15.15$18.46$21.27$23.97806% below
Sumter$14.50$18.46$20.98$25.45906% below
Myrtle Beach$8.42$17.33$18.51$23.5128012% below

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

Painter wages in South Carolina over time

South Carolina, 1999-2025South CarolinaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$5$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$23.75United States$19.64South Carolina
Median hourly wage for painters, South Carolina vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearSouth Carolina $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$10.35$20.00$12.864,940
2000$10.75$20.10$13.104,770
2001$11.58$21.05$13.664,090
2002$11.84$21.19$13.983,870
2003$12.39$21.68$14.123,700
2004$12.73$21.70$14.553,520
2005$13.05$21.51$14.813,400
2006$13.45$21.48$15.003,550
2007$14.07$21.85$15.423,800
2008$14.30$21.38$15.853,760
2009$14.06$21.10$16.213,190
2010$13.79$20.36$16.482,650
2011$13.75$19.68$17.042,290
2012$13.86$19.43$16.922,270
2013$14.14$19.54$17.012,180
2014$14.18$19.28$17.292,330
2015$14.40$19.56$17.592,200
2016$14.87$19.95$18.062,540
2017$15.90$20.88$18.252,420
2018$15.97$20.48$18.722,240
2019$16.86$21.23$19.372,300
2020$17.20$21.40$20.251,970
2021$18.03$21.42$21.921,820
2022$18.23$20.05$22.162,200
2023$19.84$20.96$22.941,880
2024$20.65$21.19$23.402,060
2025$19.64$19.64$23.752,080

In today's dollars, the median painter wage in South Carolina changed by +0.4% over the last ten years of data and by -7.5% since 2019.

Are there more painter jobs in South Carolina?

0.9Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.6× the US share, 46th of 51 states

BLS counted 2,080 painters in South Carolina 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 South Carolina

+4.9%Projected growth in South Carolina2024–2034, state agency
290Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
3,460Jobs in 20243,630 projected for 2034
+3.0%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

South Carolina's labor market agency projects the number of painters in the state to change by +4.9% between 2024 and 2034, from 3,460 to 3,630, with about 290 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +3.0% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 2,080 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for painters in South Carolina

On federally funded construction in South Carolina, contractors must pay painters at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 0 of the 46 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package — an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $13.50). 46 of the 46 counties still use a survey rate dated 2011 or earlier (for example Abbeville County at $14.75). The market median for the state is $19.64.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, SCAbbeville: $14.75 (survey)Aiken: $12.00 (survey)Allendale: $13.50 (survey)Anderson: $12.36 (survey)Bamberg: $13.50 (survey)Barnwell: $13.96 (survey)Beaufort: $13.50 (survey)Berkeley: $12.74 (survey)Calhoun: $12.24 (survey)Charleston: $12.74 (survey)Cherokee: $14.75 (survey)Chester: $14.75 (survey)Chesterfield: $14.75 (survey)Clarendon: $14.75 (survey)Colleton: $13.50 (survey)Darlington: $12.00 (survey)Dillon: $14.75 (survey)Dorchester: $12.74 (survey)Edgefield: $12.00 (survey)Fairfield: $12.24 (survey)Florence: $12.00 (survey)Georgetown: $13.50 (survey)Greenville: $12.74 (survey)Greenwood: $14.75 (survey)Hampton: $13.50 (survey)Horry: $12.36 (survey)Jasper: $13.50 (survey)Kershaw: $12.24 (survey)Lancaster: $14.75 (survey)Laurens: $12.74 (survey)Lee: $14.75 (survey)Lexington: $12.24 (survey)McCormick: $14.75 (survey)Marion: $14.75 (survey)Marlboro: $14.75 (survey)Newberry: $13.50 (survey)Oconee: $14.75 (survey)Orangeburg: $13.50 (survey)Pickens: $12.74 (survey)Richland: $12.24 (survey)Saluda: $12.24 (survey)Spartanburg: $12.36 (survey)Sumter: $12.00 (survey)Union: $14.75 (survey)Williamsburg: $13.50 (survey)York: $12.36 (survey)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$12.24$12.74$13.50survey rate
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 (survey)$10$15$20$25/hrUnion (Spartanburg): market median $19.28, prevailing (survey) $14.75, gap −$4.53Union (Spartanburg)−$4.53Horry (Myrtle Beach): market median $17.33, prevailing (survey) $12.36, gap −$4.97Horry (Myrtle Beach)−$4.97Beaufort (Hilton Head): market median $18.54, prevailing (survey) $13.50, gap −$5.04Beaufort (Hilton Head)−$5.04Greenville (Greenville): market median $18.59, prevailing (survey) $12.74, gap −$5.85Greenville (Greenville)−$5.85Darlington (Florence): market median $18.46, prevailing (survey) $12.00, gap −$6.46Darlington (Florence)−$6.46Sumter (Sumter): market median $18.46, prevailing (survey) $12.00, gap −$6.46Sumter (Sumter)−$6.46Chester (Charlotte): market median $21.59, prevailing (survey) $14.75, gap −$6.84Chester (Charlotte)−$6.84Aiken (Augusta): market median $19.75, prevailing (survey) $12.00, gap −$7.75Aiken (Augusta)−$7.75Berkeley (Charleston): market median $22.84, prevailing (survey) $12.74, gap −$10.10Berkeley (Charleston)−$10.10Calhoun (Columbia): market median $22.47, prevailing (survey) $12.24, gap −$10.23Calhoun (Columbia)−$10.23
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for painters, metro counties in South Carolina.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AbbevilleSurvey SUSC2011-013 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260017
CherokeeSurvey SUSC2011-013 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260017
ChesterSurvey SUSC2011-005 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260009
ChesterfieldSurvey SUSC2011-015 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260019
ClarendonSurvey SUSC2011-006 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260010
DillonSurvey SUSC2011-015 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260019
GreenwoodSurvey SUSC2011-008 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260012
LancasterSurvey SUSC2011-010 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260014
LeeSurvey SUSC2011-015 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260019
McCormickSurvey SUSC2011-013 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260017
MarionSurvey SUSC2011-015 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260019
MarlboroSurvey SUSC2011-015 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260019
OconeeSurvey SUSC2011-013 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260017
UnionSurvey SUSC2011-013 2011-08-31$13.55$1.20$14.75SC20260017
BarnwellSurvey SUSC2011-003 2011-08-31$13.23$0.73$13.96SC20260007

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

Is construction work growing in South Carolina?

130.0kConstruction jobsSouth Carolina, 2026-09
+4.2%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202660k80k100k120k140k19901995200020052010201520202025130kSep 2026
Construction employment in South Carolina (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Painter pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in South Carolina

More on South Carolina

Questions this page answers

How much do painters make in South Carolina?

The median painter in South Carolina earned $19.64 an hour ($40,840 a year) in May 2025, 17% below the national median of $23.75. The middle half earn $17.31–$23.34; the top 10% earn more than $27.65.

Where does South Carolina rank for painter pay?

South Carolina ranks 50th of 51 states for painter pay, with a median of $19.64 an hour, and 50th after adjusting for South Carolina's cost of living (BEA price parity 93.7, US = 100).

What is the union painter rate in South Carolina?

Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a painter classification for most South Carolina counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.

How many painters work in South Carolina?

BLS counted 2,080 painters in South Carolina in May 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.62; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is painter work growing in South Carolina?

South Carolina's labor market agency projects +4.9% growth for painters between 2024 and 2034, from 3,460 to 3,630 jobs.

How many painter openings a year are there in South Carolina?

South Carolina projects about 290 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, South Carolina 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: South Carolina labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.