Painters in the Knoxville area earn a median of $40,420 a year, 15% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #321 of 359 metros for painter pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Asheville and Chattanooga, but less in Morristown.
It's one of 10 Tennessee metros with published pay for this trade; see painters across Tennessee.
Painter pay in Knoxville at a glance
- Painters in the Knoxville, TN metro earn a median $40,420 a year ($19.44 an hour), #321 of 359 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $34,700 and $59,130.
- After local prices, that median buys what $43,665 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,121 a month, 33% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among painters in Knoxville.
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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 lower than in most metros (3.2%) and the population is growing faster than most (+6.8% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 2,041 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $82,735 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $57/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Knoxville scorecard for painters Our calculation
Grades compare Knoxville 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 Knoxville area went from $36,020 in 2020 to $40,420 in 2025, up 12.2%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -10.5% — 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
What the pay is really worth in Knoxville Our calculation
Prices in the Knoxville area run 7% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $43,665 would in a typical place, ranking #332 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 Knoxville 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 Tennessee Official source
The main state licensing office in Tennessee is the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. It can point you to the right license for painters.
Official Tennessee 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 TN metros for painters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChattanoogaTENNESSEE · TN | $47,470 | $51,900 | 230 |
| MemphisTENNESSEE · TN | $44,620 | $48,406 | 590 |
| NashvilleTENNESSEE · TN | $44,330 | $46,015 | 880 |
| JacksonTENNESSEE · TN | $42,840 | $50,092 | 60 |
| ClarksvilleTENNESSEE · TN | $42,470 | $46,698 | 80 |
| KnoxvilleTENNESSEE · TN | $40,420 | $43,665 | 400 |
| KingsportTENNESSEE · TN | $39,750 | $45,982 | 120 |
| Johnson CityTENNESSEE · TN | $39,390 | $44,798 | 60 |
| MorristownTENNESSEE · TN | $39,310 | $45,517 | 40 |
| ClevelandTENNESSEE · TN | $37,350 | $42,405 | 80 |
See every metro in Tennessee.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Knoxville area's unemployment rate was 3.2% in 2025 (all workers, not just painters), below 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 Knoxville area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 11% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 76% drive alone, 0% take transit and 13% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Knoxville area's population grew 6.8% from 2020 to 2025 (906,075 → 968,137), ranking #68 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +72,683) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Knoxville
The Knoxville area has about 432,053 homes. 42% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 16% were built in 2010 or later. 71% of households own their home, and the median home value is $351,400.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Knoxville are up 31% from 2021 to 2025 (5,990 → 7,855).
In 2025 the Knoxville area approved permits for 7,855 new homes (4,969 single-family), or 8.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking #50 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 2,041 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $82,735 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Knoxville compares among the best cities to start a painter business.
They compete with 255 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 2,309 workers in total). 57% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Knoxville Government data
In an average year, Knoxville has 36 days at 90°F or hotter (about typical; typical metro 33), 67 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 86 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 5 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 87°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, Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport, TN 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 $40,420 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 Knoxville 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 KnoxvilleSee where it falls among local painters, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolKnoxville budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Knoxville 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 Knoxville against every other metro for painters. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.