Painters in the Fort Smith area earn a median of $39,480 a year, 17% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #331 of 359 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Tulsa and Joplin, but less in Fayetteville.
It's one of 3 Arkansas metros with published pay for this trade; see painters across Arkansas.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for painters here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the bottom 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (4.1%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+3.1% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 588 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $61,483 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $57/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Fort Smith scorecard for painters Our calculation
Grades compare Fort Smith with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($47,640).
Pay over time
The median pay for painters in the Fort Smith area went from $29,630 in 2020 to $39,480 in 2025, up 33.2%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +6.3% — a real raise. Some years are missing because BLS redrew or didn't publish this metro.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among painters in Fort Smith.
What the pay is really worth in Fort Smith Our calculation
Prices in the Fort Smith area run 14% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $45,967 would in a typical place, ranking #293 of 355 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What painters do
Paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. May remove old paint to prepare surface prior to painting. May mix colors or oils to obtain desired color or consistency.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Cover surfaces with dropcloths or masking tape and paper to protect surfaces during painting.
- Read work orders or receive instructions from supervisors or homeowners to determine work requirements.
- Apply paint, stain, varnish, enamel, or other finishes to equipment, buildings, bridges, or other structures, using brushes, spray guns, or rollers.
- Fill cracks, holes, or joints with caulk, putty, plaster, or other fillers, using caulking guns or putty knives.
- Smooth surfaces, using sandpaper, scrapers, brushes, steel wool, or sanding machines.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, painter jobs are projected to grow 3.0% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 24,900 openings a year. About 31% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often painters deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Arkansas Official source
The main state licensing office in Arkansas is the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing. Home of the Contractors Licensing Board; some trades are licensed by other state agencies. It can point you to the right license for painters.
Official Arkansas licensing site ↗
Requirements for painters vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, painters have 124 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.4× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying AR metros for painters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little RockARKANSAS · AR | $44,660 | $49,975 | 250 |
| Fort SmithARKANSAS · AR | $39,480 | $45,967 | 50 |
| FayettevilleARKANSAS · AR | $39,080 | $42,779 | 330 |
See every metro in Arkansas.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Fort Smith area's unemployment rate was 4.1% in 2025 (all workers, not just painters), equal to the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Fort Smith area is 21 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 9% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 78% drive alone, 0% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Fort Smith area's population grew 3.1% from 2020 to 2025 (227,210 → 234,140), ranking #167 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +7,985) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Fort Smith
The Fort Smith area has about 102,705 homes. 43% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 11% were built in 2010 or later. 66% of households own their home, and the median home value is $207,000.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Fort Smith are roughly flat from 2021 to 2025 (662 → 663).
In 2025 the Fort Smith area approved permits for 663 new homes (245 single-family), or 2.9 per 1,000 residents, ranking #229 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 588 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $61,483 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Fort Smith compares among the best cities to start a painter business.
They compete with 44 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 275 workers in total). 66% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Fort Smith Government data
In an average year, Fort Smith has 78 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 11 at 100°F or more, 63 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 66 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 3 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 92°F and winter nights 32°F. That matters for painters: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Ft Smith Rgnl Airport, AR station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $39,480 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get painter pricing & estimate templates →Compare Fort Smith with another city →
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ToolCheck an offer in Fort SmithSee where it falls among local painters, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolFort Smith budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Fort Smith metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Fort Smith against every other metro for painters. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.