Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Painter (Construction) Salary in Milwaukee
2024 BLS OEWS Data · Construction · COL Index: 96
Painter (Construction)s in Milwaukee, WI earn a median annual wage of $50,610 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $37,030 and the 90th at $73,800. After cost of living, that translates to $52,719 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: D (45/100).
What Painter (Construction)s Take Home in Milwaukee
The $36,770 spread between entry-level and top-decile painter (construction)s in Milwaukee is around 73% of the median — a typical range for skilled trades. Workers can roughly double their entry pay through a combination of experience, certifications, union membership, and moving from helper to journeyman to foreman roles.
Milwaukee's cost-of-living index of 96 is within a few points of the U.S. average, so the $50,610 median for painter (construction)s here translates almost directly into real purchasing power — roughly $52,719 in U.S.-average terms. What you see is what you take home, with no significant adjustment up or down.
With a Trade Pay Score of 45 (D), this trade-city pairing is below average. That typically reflects either weak nominal wages, sluggish 5-year wage growth, a high cost of living that hollows out real pay, or some combination. Workers should examine both the per-trade page (other cities for the same trade) and the per-city page (other trades in the same metro) to find a stronger fit.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Level | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Apprentice / Entry) | $37,030 | $38,573 |
| 25th Percentile (Early Career) | $47,880 | $49,875 |
| 50th Percentile (Journeyman / Median) | $50,610 | $52,719 |
| 75th Percentile (Experienced) | $61,000 | $63,542 |
| 90th Percentile (Master / Foreman) | $73,800 | $76,875 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure here comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — a survey of about 1.2 million employers per release covering more than 800 occupations and every U.S. metropolitan statistical area. The Trade Pay Score combines raw median pay (30%), 5-year wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade. Read the full methodology.
Career outlook detail — projected 2032 employment levels for painter (construction)s, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in Milwaukee are listed at apprenticeship.gov. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Painter (Construction) make in Milwaukee?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median painter (construction) salary in Milwaukee, WI is $50,610. The 10th percentile is $37,030 (typical for entry-level or apprentice-tier positions); the 90th percentile reaches $73,800 (master, foreman, or specialty roles).
How does Milwaukee pay compare for Painter (Construction)s?
With a Trade Pay Score of 45/100 and a grade of D, the Milwaukee-Painter (Construction) pairing is below average — workers should consider whether a different metro for the same trade might deliver a higher grade.
What is the apprenticeship path for Painter (Construction)s in Milwaukee?
Painter (Construction)s typically complete a 3-year registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay, starting around the 10th percentile ($37,030) and progressing toward the median. Registered apprenticeship programs in the area are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
How does cost of living affect Painter (Construction) pay in Milwaukee?
Milwaukee has a cost-of-living index of 96. The median painter (construction) salary of $50,610 translates to $52,719 in U.S.-average purchasing power — an upward adjustment because the metro is less expensive than average.
Where does this salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is a real BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median or percentile from the 2024 release at https://www.bls.gov/oes/, which surveys roughly 1.2 million U.S. employers per release. Career outlook context (projected employment growth through 2032) comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. Both are public-domain U.S. government data sources.
Painter (Construction)s in Milwaukee, WI earn a median annual wage of $50,610 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $37,030 and the 90th at $73,800. After cost of living, that translates to $52,719 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: D (45/100).
The this entity record above pulls directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. skilled-trade wage data distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.