What is a house painter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
introduction image
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a house painter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.13 an hour? That's $39,784 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 4,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreHouse PainterUS Average
Salary
3.1

Avg. Salary $39,784

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
5.4

Growth Rate 1%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
8.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.89%

Asian 2.19%

Black or African American 8.22%

Hispanic or Latino 27.65%

Unknown 4.67%

White 56.38%

Gender

female 16.44%

male 83.56%

Age - 42
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42
Stress Level
5.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
7.7

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
6.5

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

House Painter career paths

Key steps to become a house painter

  1. Explore house painter education requirements

    Most common house painter degrees

    Bachelor's

    39.6 %

    High School Diploma

    34.5 %

    Associate

    14.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific house painter skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Ladders21.76%
    Caulking14.96%
    Coats10.86%
    Exterior Surfaces9.72%
    Drywall Repair5.92%
  3. Complete relevant house painter training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New house painters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a house painter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real house painter resumes.
  4. Research house painter duties and responsibilities

    • Manage painting crews in both commercial and industrial environments from swing stage to high boom work.
    • Operate equipment such as sanders, pressure cleaners and respirators.
    • Ready job site by setting up ladders and scaffolding, cover portions of the home not being paint.
    • Work on all painting duties; scraping, caulking, priming, painting and also, minor carpentry work.
  5. Prepare your house painter resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your house painter resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a house painter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable House Painter Resume templates

    Build a professional House Painter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your House Painter resume.
    House Painter Resume
    House Painter Resume
    House Painter Resume
    House Painter Resume
    House Painter Resume
    House Painter Resume
    House Painter Resume
    House Painter Resume
    House Painter Resume
  6. Apply for house painter jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a house painter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First House Painter Job

Zippi

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Average house painter salary

The average House Painter salary in the United States is $39,784 per year or $19 per hour. House painter salaries range between $26,000 and $59,000 per year.

Average House Painter Salary
$39,784 Yearly
$19.13 hourly

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How do house painters rate their job?

5/5

Based On 2 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

House Painter reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023
Pros

When you start a job that looks terrible and when you get done the customers look of satisfaction

Cons

Clean up lol


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2022
Pros

The finished product! My work reflects my attention to detail and quality craftsmanship!

Cons

Not being able to work ! Whether it be weather related or delays of any kind!


profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022
Pros

I like the experience to become smartly skilled as a painter to develop concepts in my industry.

Cons

I don't like when some customers don't understand our overheads and they used to say "it's to expensive"


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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