How much does a painter make in Alabama?
In Alabama, painters in construction and maintenance earned an average of $21.50 an hour in May 2025, and the median was $21.12 an hour, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
$21.50
$21.12
$26.64
$5.14 less an hour
$44,720
By the hour, the week and the year in Alabama
At 40 hours a week, the average of $21.50 an hour comes to $860.00 a week. Over the 2,080-hour year the BLS uses for its annual figures, it comes to $44,720 a year, and the median of $21.12 to $43,930 a year.
In Alabama, the average is $0.38 above the median (1.8%): a smaller group of higher wages pulls the average up, and half of painters in construction and maintenance earn $21.12 an hour or less.
How does Alabama compare?
The average in Alabama is $5.14 below the national average of $26.64 (19.3% less), about $10,691 less a year at 2,080 hours.
By average wage, Alabama ranks 48 of 51 states and DC with data for this trade (1 pays the most). The national median is $23.75 an hour.
Alabama and its Census division, East South Central
By average wage, Alabama ranks 3 of the 4 states of the division with data for this trade: the highest is Kentucky, $24.72, and the lowest Tennessee, $21.44.
| State | Average per hour | Median per hour | Against Alabama |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | $24.72 | $23.13 | +$3.22 |
| Mississippi | $22.33 | $21.54 | +$0.83 |
| Alabama | $21.50 | $21.12 | |
| Tennessee | $21.44 | $20.78 | -$0.06 |
This trade and the others in Alabama
Of the 5 trades this site prices, painters in construction and maintenance rank 3 of the 5 by average wage in Alabama. Among them, the average runs from $13.40 (Cleaning) to $23.03 (Drywall).
| Trade | Average per hour | Median per hour | Against painting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drywall | $23.03 | $23.08 | +$1.53 |
| Concrete | $21.92 | $21.50 | +$0.42 |
| Painting | $21.50 | $21.12 | |
| Landscaping | $17.36 | $17.13 | -$4.14 |
| Cleaning | $13.40 | $13.21 | -$8.10 |
Against the minimum wage in Alabama
In Alabama most employers pay the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour. The median of painters in construction and maintenance, $21.12, is $13.87 above it, 2.9 times the minimum. Over 2,080 hours the minimum comes to $15,080 a year.
From wage to rate
This is what an employer pays an employee, not what a contractor bills. Your rate also has to cover your overhead (vehicle, insurance, tools), your profit, and the hours you cannot bill.
If you pay a helper the median wage in Alabama, $21.12 an hour, the 8 hours of the starting job of the painting calculator cost $168.96 in wages. With its $80.00 of materials, 10% overhead and 15% profit, the quote comes to $314.94; at the national median, $23.75, the same job comes to $341.55. A wage is only the floor: your own rate also pays your taxes, your unbilled hours and your business.