Skilled Wages

Painter salary in Tennessee

Median $20.78 an hour for 3,040 painters, construction and maintenance, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$20.78/hrMedian hourly wageTennessee, May data
$43,230/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$16.88 – $29.3410th to 90th percentilehourly range
3,040Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Painter pay in Tennessee: the full range

Wage percentiles, TennesseeMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40/hrTennessee: 10th $16.88 · 25th $17.96 · median $20.78 · 75th $23.03 · 90th $29.34Tennessee$20.78$16.88$29.34United 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: Tennessee vs United States, May 2025.

Tennessee ranks 48th of 51 states for median painter pay, and 41st once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $22.61). 3,040 painters, construction and maintenance work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$16.88 – $17.96$35,110 – $37,350roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$17.96 – $23.03$37,350 – $47,900the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$23.03 – $29.34$47,900 – $61,030the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Painter pay by metro in Tennessee

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrChattanooga: $22.82Chattanooga$22.82Memphis: $21.45Memphis$21.45Nashville: $21.31Nashville$21.31Jackson: $20.59Jackson$20.59Clarksville: $20.42Clarksville$20.42Knoxville: $19.44Knoxville$19.44Kingsport: $19.11Kingsport$19.11Johnson City: $18.94Johnson City$18.94Morristown: $18.90Morristown$18.90Cleveland: $17.96Cleveland$17.96
Median hourly wage for painters, construction and maintenance by metro area in Tennessee, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Chattanooga$17.34$22.82$30.1323010% above
Memphis$17.61$21.45$30.415903% above
Nashville$17.84$21.31$29.878803% above
Jackson$16.13$20.59$29.50601% below
Clarksville$14.04$20.42$28.62802% below
Knoxville$16.68$19.44$28.434006% below
Kingsport$15.49$19.11$27.431208% below
Johnson City$16.39$18.94$28.67609% below
Morristown$16.05$18.90$26.61409% below
Cleveland$16.01$17.96$26.938014% below

Painter wages in Tennessee over time

Tennessee, 1999-2025TennesseeUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25200020052010201520202025$23.75United States$20.78Tennessee
Median hourly wage for painters, construction and maintenance, Tennessee vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearTennessee $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$12.31$23.79$12.865,000
2000$12.69$23.73$13.104,360
2001$13.02$23.67$13.664,150
2002$13.15$23.53$13.984,170
2003$13.13$22.97$14.124,090
2004$12.72$21.68$14.554,290
2005$12.31$20.29$14.814,790
2006$13.10$20.92$15.004,060
2007$13.95$21.66$15.423,180
2008$14.45$21.61$15.853,120
2009$14.41$21.62$16.212,580
2010$14.40$21.26$16.482,600
2011$15.10$21.61$17.042,560
2012$15.29$21.44$16.922,490
2013$15.36$21.23$17.012,520
2014$14.86$20.21$17.292,720
2015$14.76$20.05$17.592,990
2016$15.08$20.23$18.063,010
2017$16.37$21.50$18.252,630
2018$16.38$21.00$18.723,230
2019$17.35$21.85$19.373,220
2020$17.72$22.04$20.253,260
2021$17.71$21.04$21.923,010
2022$18.33$20.16$22.163,580
2023$18.79$19.85$22.943,270
2024$19.57$20.08$23.403,630
2025$20.78$20.78$23.753,040

In today's dollars, the median painter wage in Tennessee changed by +3.6% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for painters in Tennessee

On federally funded construction in Tennessee, contractors must pay painters at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 0 of the 95 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package — an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $14.07). The market median for the state is $20.78.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, TNAnderson: $29.46 (survey)Bedford: $14.07 (survey)Benton: $14.07 (survey)Bledsoe: $14.07 (survey)Blount: $29.46 (survey)Bradley: $15.48 (survey)Campbell: $29.46 (survey)Cannon: $14.30 (survey)Carroll: $14.07 (survey)Carter: $29.46 (survey)Cheatham: $14.30 (survey)Chester: $17.00 (survey)Claiborne: $14.07 (survey)Clay: $14.07 (survey)Cocke: $14.07 (survey)Coffee: $14.07 (survey)Crockett: $17.00 (survey)Cumberland: $14.07 (survey)Davidson: $14.30 (survey)Decatur: $14.07 (survey)DeKalb: $14.07 (survey)Dickson: $14.30 (survey)Dyer: $14.07 (survey)Fayette: $17.00 (survey)Fentress: $14.07 (survey)Franklin: $14.07 (survey)Gibson: $14.07 (survey)Giles: $14.07 (survey)Grainger: $29.46 (survey)Greene: $14.07 (survey)Grundy: $14.07 (survey)Hamblen: $29.46 (survey)Hamilton: $15.48 (survey)Hancock: $14.07 (survey)Hardeman: $14.07 (survey)Hardin: $14.07 (survey)Hawkins: $29.46 (survey)Haywood: $14.07 (survey)Henderson: $14.07 (survey)Henry: $14.07 (survey)Hickman: $14.30 (survey)Houston: $14.07 (survey)Humphreys: $14.07 (survey)Jackson: $14.07 (survey)Jefferson: $29.46 (survey)Johnson: $14.07 (survey)Knox: $29.46 (survey)Lake: $14.07 (survey)Lauderdale: $14.07 (survey)Lawrence: $14.07 (survey)Lewis: $14.07 (survey)Lincoln: $14.07 (survey)Loudon: $29.46 (survey)McMinn: $14.07 (survey)McNairy: $14.07 (survey)Macon: $14.30 (survey)Madison: $17.00 (survey)Marion: $15.48 (survey)Marshall: $14.07 (survey)Maury: $14.30 (survey)Meigs: $14.07 (survey)Monroe: $14.07 (survey)Montgomery: $14.61 (survey)Moore: $14.07 (survey)Morgan: $29.46 (survey)Obion: $14.07 (survey)Overton: $14.07 (survey)Perry: $14.07 (survey)Pickett: $14.07 (survey)Polk: $15.48 (survey)Putnam: $14.07 (survey)Rhea: $14.07 (survey)Roane: $29.46 (survey)Robertson: $14.30 (survey)Rutherford: $14.30 (survey)Scott: $14.07 (survey)Sequatchie: $15.48 (survey)Sevier: $14.07 (survey)Shelby: $17.00 (survey)Smith: $14.30 (survey)Stewart: $14.07 (survey)Sullivan: $29.46 (survey)Sumner: $14.30 (survey)Tipton: $17.00 (survey)Trousdale: $14.30 (survey)Unicoi: $29.46 (survey)Union: $29.46 (survey)Van Buren: $14.07 (survey)Warren: $14.07 (survey)Washington: $29.46 (survey)Wayne: $14.07 (survey)Weakley: $14.07 (survey)White: $14.07 (survey)Williamson: $14.30 (survey)Wilson: $14.30 (survey)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$14.30$17.00survey 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$30$35/hrHamblen (Morristown): market median $18.90, prevailing (survey) $29.46, gap +$10.56Hamblen (Morristown)+$10.56Carter (Johnson City): market median $18.94, prevailing (survey) $29.46, gap +$10.52Carter (Johnson City)+$10.52Hawkins (Kingsport): market median $19.11, prevailing (survey) $29.46, gap +$10.35Hawkins (Kingsport)+$10.35Anderson (Knoxville): market median $19.44, prevailing (survey) $29.46, gap +$10.02Anderson (Knoxville)+$10.02Bradley (Cleveland): market median $17.96, prevailing (survey) $15.48, gap −$2.48Bradley (Cleveland)−$2.48Chester (Jackson): market median $20.59, prevailing (survey) $17.00, gap −$3.59Chester (Jackson)−$3.59Fayette (Memphis): market median $21.45, prevailing (survey) $17.00, gap −$4.45Fayette (Memphis)−$4.45Montgomery (Clarksville): market median $20.42, prevailing (survey) $14.61, gap −$5.81Montgomery (Clarksville)−$5.81Cannon (Nashville): market median $21.31, prevailing (survey) $14.30, gap −$7.01Cannon (Nashville)−$7.01Hamilton (Chattanooga): market median $22.82, prevailing (survey) $15.48, gap −$7.34Hamilton (Chattanooga)−$7.34
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for painters, metro counties in Tennessee.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AndersonSurvey SUTN2017-029 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260176
BlountSurvey SUTN2017-030 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260177
CampbellSurvey SUTN2017-048 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260195
CarterSurvey SUTN2017-050 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260197
GraingerSurvey SUTN2017-048 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260195
HamblenSurvey SUTN2017-032 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260179
HawkinsSurvey SUTN2017-054 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260201
JeffersonSurvey SUTN2017-034 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260181
KnoxSurvey SUTN2017-035 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260182
LoudonSurvey SUTN2017-055 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260202
MorganSurvey SUTN2017-055 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260202
RoaneSurvey SUTN2017-039 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260186
SullivanSurvey SUTN2017-054 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260201
UnicoiSurvey SUTN2017-050 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260197
UnionSurvey SUTN2017-043 2021-04-16$19.31$10.15$29.46TN20260190

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

Is construction work growing in Tennessee?

168.5kConstruction jobsTennessee, 2026-08
-0.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202650k100k150k200k19901995200020052010201520202025168kAug 2026
Construction employment in Tennessee (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Painter pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Tennessee

Questions this page answers

How much do painters make in Tennessee?

The median painter in Tennessee earned $20.78 an hour ($43,230 a year) in May 2025, 13% below the national median of $23.75. The middle half earn $17.96–$23.03; the top 10% earn more than $29.34.

Where does Tennessee rank for painter pay?

Tennessee ranks 48th of 51 states for painter pay, with a median of $20.78 an hour, and 41st after adjusting for Tennessee's cost of living (BEA price parity 91.9, US = 100).

What is the union painter rate in Tennessee?

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

How many painters work in Tennessee?

BLS counted 3,040 painters, construction and maintenance in Tennessee in May 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.64; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Tennessee 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.