Painters in the Amherst Town area earn a median of $55,040 a year, 16% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #74 of 359 metros for painter salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Hartford and Waterbury, but less in Springfield.
It's one of 6 Massachusetts metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide painter pay.
Painter pay in Amherst Town at a glance
- Painters in the Amherst Town, MA metro earn a median $55,040 a year ($26.46 an hour), #74 of 359 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $39,640 and $70,050.
- After local prices, that median buys what $54,907 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,593 a month, 35% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among painters in Amherst Town.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for painters here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and also above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (4.2%) and the population is growing faster than most (+10.4% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 289 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $51,017 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $70/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Amherst Town scorecard for painters Our calculation
Grades compare Amherst Town 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).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Amherst Town Our calculation
Prices in Amherst Town run 0% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $54,907 would in a typical place, ranking #88 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 Amherst Town budget on this pay 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 Massachusetts Official source
The main state licensing office in Massachusetts is the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections. It can point you to the right license for painters.
Official Massachusetts 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 MA metros for painters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| BostonMASSACHUSETTS · MA | $57,820 | $53,406 | 3,220 |
| Amherst TownMASSACHUSETTS · MA | $55,040 | $54,907 | 60 |
| WorcesterMASSACHUSETTS · MA | $54,240 | $52,905 | 300 |
| Barnstable TownMASSACHUSETTS · MA | $50,670 | $51,520 | 250 |
| PittsfieldMASSACHUSETTS · MA | $50,350 | $52,941 | 90 |
| SpringfieldMASSACHUSETTS · MA | $49,640 | $51,675 | 180 |
See every metro in Massachusetts.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Amherst Town area's unemployment rate was 4.2% in 2025 (all workers, not just painters), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.8% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Amherst Town area is 23 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 10% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 63% drive alone, 3% take transit and 17% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Amherst Town area's population grew 10.4% from 2020 to 2025 (148,597 → 164,065), ranking #32 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +19,679) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Amherst Town
The Amherst Town area has about 67,378 homes. 64% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 6% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 66% of households own their home, and the median home value is $413,400.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Amherst Town are down 8% from 2024 to 2025 (318 → 291).
In 2025 the Amherst Town area approved permits for 291 new homes (93 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 289 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $51,017 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Amherst Town compares among the best cities to start a painter business.
They compete with 44 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 224 workers in total). 61% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Amherst Town Government data
In an average year, Amherst Town has 18 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 144 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 78 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 82°F and winter nights 18°F. That matters for painters: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Westfield Barnes Muni Airport, MA 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 $55,040 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 Amherst Town with another city →
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ToolBest cities for paintersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in Amherst TownSee where it falls among local painters, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolAmherst Town budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Amherst Town 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 Amherst Town against every other metro for painters. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.