SOC 47-2141 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Painters, Construction and Maintenance — San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA · 10 metro areas compared
The median wage for Painters, Construction and Maintenance in San Luis Obispo, CA is $59,120 per year, 19.7% above the national median of $49,400.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
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 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA.
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 for Painters, Construction and Maintenance in San Luis Obispo, CA is $59,120 per year, 19.7% above the national median of $49,400. Pay ranges from under $38,870 at the tenth percentile to more than $102,200 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $45,770 to $74,350.
Employment stands at 400, or 3.3 jobs per thousand held locally. Hanford leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $63,800. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 213th of 361 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $38,870 | −21.3% |
| 25th | $45,770 | −7.3% |
| Median (50th) | $59,120 | +19.7% |
| 75th | $74,350 | +50.5% |
| 90th | $102,200 | +106.9% |
| Mean | $62,490 | +26.5% |
Other metro areas in California
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanford | $63,800 | 40 | |
| 2 | San Francisco | $63,600 | 5,310 | |
| 3 | Santa Rosa | $62,790 | 730 | |
| 4 | Santa Cruz | $62,400 | 230 | |
| 5 | Vallejo | $62,370 | 410 | |
| 6 | San Jose | $61,970 | 2,410 | |
| 7 | Napa | $61,400 | 270 | |
| 8 | Salinas | $60,860 | 520 | |
| 9 | Sacramento | $59,510 | 2,410 | |
| 10 | Los Angeles | $59,080 | 12,100 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in San Luis Obispo run 8.6% above the national average, so the median of $59,120 buys what $54,438 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 10.2% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$59,120as reported by BLSLocal price level
108.6US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$54,438US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $59,120 a year, 19.7% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $38,870 to $102,200 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 400 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Hanford, at $63,800.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Painters, Construction and Maintenance in San Luis Obispo, CA?
The median annual wage is $59,120, or $28.43 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 San Luis Obispo, CA is 19.7% higher. 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 San Luis Obispo, CA earns more than $102,200 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $38,870 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 Hanford, at $63,800 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 400 jobs in this occupation in San Luis Obispo, CA. 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.
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