Painters in the New Orleans area earn a median of $45,980 a year, 3% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #243 of 359 metros for painter pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Houma and Gulfport, but less in Slidell.
It's one of 9 Louisiana metros with published pay for this trade; see painters across Louisiana.
Painter pay in New Orleans at a glance
- Painters in the New Orleans, LA metro earn a median $45,980 a year ($22.11 an hour), #243 of 359 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $34,790 and $59,470.
- After local prices, that median buys what $49,656 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,222 a month, 32% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among painters in New Orleans.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for painters here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.4%) and the population is shrinking (-3.4% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 2,304 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $50,020 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $62/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
New Orleans scorecard for painters Our calculation
Grades compare New Orleans 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 New Orleans area went from $36,710 in 2020 to $45,980 in 2025, up 25.3%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -0.1% — roughly keeping pace.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in New Orleans Our calculation
Prices in New Orleans run 7% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $49,656 would in a typical place, ranking #209 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 monthly budget for New Orleans 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 Louisiana Official source
The main state licensing office in Louisiana is the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. It can point you to the right license for painters.
Official Louisiana 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 LA metros for painters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baton RougeLOUISIANA · LA | $49,130 | $54,120 | 1,110 |
| HoumaLOUISIANA · LA | $47,690 | $56,038 | 350 |
| Lake CharlesLOUISIANA · LA | $46,810 | $54,524 | 530 |
| New OrleansLOUISIANA · LA | $45,980 | $49,656 | 700 |
| SlidellLOUISIANA · LA | $43,990 | $47,441 | 100 |
| AlexandriaLOUISIANA · LA | $43,510 | $50,778 | 60 |
| LafayetteLOUISIANA · LA | $43,470 | $49,846 | 290 |
| ShreveportLOUISIANA · LA | $42,670 | $50,339 | 270 |
| MonroeLOUISIANA · LA | $37,990 | $45,444 | 110 |
See every metro in Louisiana.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The New Orleans area's unemployment rate was 4.4% in 2025 (all workers, not just painters), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.9% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the New Orleans area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 13% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 72% drive alone, 2% take transit and 9% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The New Orleans area's population shrank 3.4% from 2020 to 2025 (1,005,404 → 970,849), ranking #377 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -40,113).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in New Orleans
The New Orleans area has about 467,937 homes. 63% 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. 62% of households own their home, and the median home value is $267,900.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in New Orleans are down 68% from 2021 to 2025 (5,282 → 1,694).
In 2025 the New Orleans area approved permits for 1,694 new homes (922 single-family), or 1.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #318 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 2,304 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $50,020 a year in revenue before expenses. See how New Orleans compares among the best cities to start a painter business.
They compete with 198 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 1,349 workers in total). 61% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in New Orleans Government data
In an average year, New Orleans has 64 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), 11 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 82 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 89°F and winter nights 45°F. That matters for painters: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, New Orleans Alvin Callender Fl, LA 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 $45,980 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 New Orleans 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 New OrleansSee where it falls among local painters, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolNew Orleans budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the New Orleans 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 New Orleans against every other metro for painters. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.