Painters in the Salinas area earn a median of $60,860 a year, 28% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #24 of 359 metros for painters nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in San Jose and Santa Cruz, but less in Merced.
It's one of 25 California metros with published pay for this trade; see painter pay in California.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for painters here is in the top 20% of U.S. metros, and above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (7.9%) and the population is shrinking (-1.5% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 402 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $55,206 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $76/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Salinas scorecard for painters Our calculation
Grades compare Salinas 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 Salinas area went from $61,150 in 2020 to $60,860 in 2025, down 0.5%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -20.6% — a real pay cut.
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 Salinas.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker.
What the pay is really worth in Salinas Our calculation
Prices in the Salinas area run 9% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $55,813 would in a typical place, ranking #79 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.
Want the full picture? Build a cost-of-living budget for Salinas from this pay, local rent and prices.
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 California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for painters.
Official California 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 CA metros for painters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| HanfordCALIFORNIA · CA | $63,800 | $62,788 | 40 |
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $63,600 | $55,011 | 5,310 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $62,790 | $58,255 | 730 |
| Santa CruzCALIFORNIA · CA | $62,400 | $56,781 | 230 |
| VallejoCALIFORNIA · CA | $62,370 | $57,495 | 410 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $61,970 | $56,121 | 2,410 |
| NapaCALIFORNIA · CA | $61,400 | $54,552 | 270 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $60,860 | $55,813 | 520 |
| SacramentoCALIFORNIA · CA | $59,510 | $55,789 | 2,410 |
| San Luis ObispoCALIFORNIA · CA | $59,120 | $54,440 | 400 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Salinas area's unemployment rate was 7.9% in 2025 (all workers, not just painters), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 8.4% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Salinas area is 26 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 14% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 75% drive alone, 1% take transit and 8% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Salinas area's population shrank 1.5% from 2020 to 2025 (440,493 → 433,729), ranking #355 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -19,591).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Salinas
The Salinas area has about 147,144 homes. 59% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 8% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 53% of households own their home, and the median home value is $808,600.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Salinas are down 12% from 2021 to 2025 (882 → 775).
In 2025 the Salinas area approved permits for 775 new homes (663 single-family), or 1.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #310 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 402 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $55,206 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Salinas compares among the best cities to start a painter business.
They compete with 241 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 1,303 workers in total). 70% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Licensed contractors
The Salinas area has 237 active C-33 Painting contractor licenses, about 5.4 per 10,000 residents (#8 of 25 California metros, where #1 is the most crowded). That's the competition you'd face bidding your own jobs.
California Contractors State License Board, License Master file, October 2026. Counted by the county in each license's address.
Working outdoors in Salinas Government data
In an average year, Salinas has 6 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 6 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 30 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 71°F and winter nights 42°F. That matters for painters: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Salinas Municipal Airport, CA 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 $60,860 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. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. 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 Salinas with another city →
Keep exploring
Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for paintersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in SalinasSee where it falls among local painters, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolSalinas budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Salinas 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 Salinas against every other metro for painters. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.