Painters in the Yakima area earn a median of $46,680 a year, 2% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #219 of 359 metros for painter salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Kennewick and Seattle.
It's one of 11 Washington metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide painter pay.
Painter pay in Yakima at a glance
- Painters in the Yakima, WA metro earn a median $46,680 a year ($22.44 an hour), #219 of 359 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $38,790 and $61,500.
- After local prices, that median buys what $48,857 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,004 a month, 26% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among painters in Yakima.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for painters here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and also below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (5.9%) and the population is growing slowly (+1.0% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 160 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $47,350 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $63/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Yakima scorecard for painters Our calculation
Grades compare Yakima 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 Yakima area went from $52,250 in 2020 to $46,680 in 2025, down 10.7%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -28.7% — 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 Yakima Our calculation
Prices in the Yakima area run 4% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $48,857 would in a typical place, ranking #220 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 Yakima 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 Washington Official source
The main state licensing office in Washington is the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. It can point you to the right license for painters.
Official Washington 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 WA metros for painters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| BremertonWASHINGTON · WA | $65,080 | $61,625 | 810 |
| SeattleWASHINGTON · WA | $60,440 | $54,385 | 5,140 |
| OlympiaWASHINGTON · WA | $60,410 | $58,271 | 230 |
| KennewickWASHINGTON · WA | $58,990 | $58,943 | 520 |
| BellinghamWASHINGTON · WA | $58,810 | $56,913 | 280 |
| LongviewWASHINGTON · WA | $58,500 | $59,972 | 40 |
| Mount VernonWASHINGTON · WA | $57,990 | $56,607 | 150 |
| SpokaneWASHINGTON · WA | $57,050 | $56,853 | 700 |
| Walla WallaWASHINGTON · WA | $51,460 | $52,234 | 80 |
| WenatcheeWASHINGTON · WA | $50,630 | $48,751 | 210 |
See every metro in Washington.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Yakima area's unemployment rate was 5.9% in 2025 (all workers, not just painters), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.6% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Yakima area is 22 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 9% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 81% drive alone, 0% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Yakima area's population grew 1.0% from 2020 to 2025 (256,716 → 259,185), ranking #254 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -2,108).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Yakima
The Yakima area has about 94,119 homes. 54% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 12% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 60% of households own their home, and the median home value is $349,900.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Yakima are down 35% from 2021 to 2025 (1,103 → 713).
In 2025 the Yakima area approved permits for 713 new homes (602 single-family), or 2.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #234 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 160 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $47,350 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Yakima compares among the best cities to start a painter business.
They compete with 114 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 669 workers in total). 72% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Licensed contractors
The Yakima area has 46 active painting contractor licenses, about 1.8 per 10,000 residents (#10 of 11 Washington metros, where #1 is the most crowded). That's the competition you'd face bidding your own jobs.
Washington Department of Labor & Industries, contractor license data, October 2026. Counted by the county in each license's address.
Working outdoors in Yakima Government data
In an average year, Yakima has 40 days at 90°F or hotter (about typical; typical metro 33), including 6 at 100°F or more, 147 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 26 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 20 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 86°F and winter nights 24°F. That matters for painters: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Yakima Air Terminal, WA 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 $46,680 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 Yakima 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 YakimaSee where it falls among local painters, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolYakima budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Yakima 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 Yakima against every other metro for painters. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.