Statewide pay Government data
Painters in Kansas earn a statewide median of $45,510 a year, 4% below the typical U.S. metro, ranking #40 of 50 states and DC. About 1,570 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Kansas
See all states on the painters nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes painter pay for 4 Kansas metros. The highest-paying is Topeka at $46,700, followed by Manhattan and Wichita.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| TopekaKANSAS · KS | $46,700 | $52,578 | 170 |
| ManhattanKANSAS · KS | $45,330 | $50,276 | 110 |
| WichitaKANSAS · KS | $45,240 | $50,862 | 400 |
| LawrenceKANSAS · KS | $39,190 | $43,427 | 90 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Kansas's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
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.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,900 openings a year. Typical training: moderate-term on-the-job training.
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.
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 Kansas Official source
Kansas licenses most trades at the city or county level. Check with the building or licensing office where you plan to work.
Requirements for painters vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 6.2% of wage and salary workers in Kansas were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#32 of 51 states and D.C.), and 9.0% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only painters.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Kansas
All trades in Kansas.