SalaryExplorer

SOC 47-2141 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Painters, Construction and Maintenance — Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI · 10 metro areas compared

$48,870 /year
$23.50per hour
770jobs in area
−1.1%vs US median

The median wage here is $48,870 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $49,400.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $49,40010TH$34,77025TH$45,530MEDIAN$48,87075TH$58,75090TH$72,320

How pay has moved

$51,930$34,8902019202020212022202320242025$48,870
$38,320 in 2019 to $48,870 in 2025, +27.5% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+3.8%
Openings per year
28,100
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

33.8% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage here is $48,870 a year, within a few percent of the national median of $49,400. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $45,530 and $58,750. The lowest tenth earn under $34,770, while the highest tenth earn more than $72,320.

The area has 770 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 1.3 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Bay City records the highest median at $64,200. Of the 572 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 353rd.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$34,770−29.6%
25th$45,530−7.8%
Median (50th)$48,870−1.1%
75th$58,750+18.9%
90th$72,320+46.4%
Mean$53,030+7.3%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Michigan

Median annual wage for Painters, Construction and Maintenance, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Bay City$64,20060
2Saginaw$63,360130
3Flint$61,230260
4Ann Arbor$59,210160
5Detroit$56,3301,920
6Lansing$53,400230
7Traverse City$52,000180
8Kalamazoo$49,310170
9Niles$47,40050
10Muskegon$46,66090

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Grand Rapids run 4.5% below the national average, so the median of $48,870 goes as far as $51,173 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 3.6% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$48,870as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$51,173US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $48,870 a year, 1.1% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $34,770 to $72,320 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 770 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Bay City, at $64,200.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Painters, Construction and Maintenance in Grand Rapids, MI?

The median annual wage is $48,870, or $23.50 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $49,400, so pay in Grand Rapids, MI is 1.1% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Grand Rapids, MI earns more than $72,320 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $34,770 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Bay City, at $64,200 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 770 jobs in this occupation in Grand Rapids, MI. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.