Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
Also called: Decorator, Glazer, Painter, Pottery DecoratorPaint, coat, or decorate articles, such as furniture, glass, plateware, pottery, jewelry, toys, books, or leather.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 9 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 1.3% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 5.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other production workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 59% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $37,030 | $34,410 to $44,510 | 50 |
| Arkansas | $40,310 | $36,400 to $49,280 | 50 |
| California | $41,600 | $41,600 to $43,580 | not published |
| Colorado | $54,070 | $46,330 to $61,250 | 170 |
| Connecticut | $50,720 | $45,090 to $56,690 | 50 |
| Florida | $37,440 | $35,850 to $46,140 | 720 |
| Georgia | $46,310 | $37,580 to $56,070 | 60 |
| Idaho | $45,050 | $38,120 to $46,480 | not published |
| Illinois | $41,960 | $32,240 to $48,400 | 180 |
| Indiana | $41,350 | $30,830 to $47,150 | 490 |
| Iowa | $46,670 | $40,340 to $59,540 | 100 |
| Kansas | $39,470 | $33,220 to $48,380 | 90 |
| Kentucky | $42,220 | $36,650 to $57,780 | 200 |
| Louisiana | $38,320 | $33,800 to $48,550 | 50 |
| Maryland | $47,320 | $38,340 to $58,180 | 50 |
| Massachusetts | $54,070 | $50,670 to $55,510 | 210 |
| Michigan | $38,500 | $36,370 to $45,560 | 140 |
| Minnesota | $43,630 | $37,050 to $48,560 | 150 |
| Mississippi | $33,330 | $30,940 to $42,950 | 70 |
| Missouri | $48,560 | $44,440 to $50,520 | 140 |
| Montana | $34,790 | $33,080 to $52,000 | 40 |
| Nevada | $60,190 | $52,800 to $64,940 | not published |
| New Jersey | $52,160 | $48,390 to $63,050 | 90 |
| New York | $48,510 | $40,200 to $70,050 | 460 |
| North Carolina | $42,960 | $37,580 to $55,290 | 170 |
| Ohio | $49,080 | $40,470 to $51,490 | 230 |
| Oklahoma | $36,780 | $34,320 to $44,130 | 100 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,660 | $36,610 to $46,630 | 180 |
| South Carolina | $43,820 | $31,110 to $48,070 | 140 |
| South Dakota | $31,550 | $30,770 to $37,040 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $35,540 | $31,470 to $41,740 | 200 |
| Texas | $32,430 | $27,500 to $40,850 | 550 |
| Utah | $38,430 | $30,470 to $51,620 | 70 |
| Virginia | $47,090 | $37,960 to $56,840 | 290 |
| Washington | $61,210 | $48,890 to $77,780 | 90 |
| Wisconsin | $48,330 | $48,320 to $50,750 | 230 |
| Wyoming | $37,090 | $36,100 to $37,970 | 60 |
Nationally: $41,600. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 9 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Apply coatings, such as paint, ink, or lacquer, to protect or decorate workpiece surfaces, using spray guns, pens, or brushes. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine finished surfaces of workpieces to verify conformance to specifications and retouch any defective areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and maintain tools and equipment, using solvents, brushes, and rags. | Not published |
| Not much | Read job orders and inspect workpieces to determine work procedures and materials required. | Not published |
| AI + software | Select and mix ingredients to prepare coating substances according to specifications, using paddles or mechanical mixers. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean surfaces of workpieces in preparation for coating, using cleaning fluids, solvents, brushes, scrapers, steam, sandpaper, or cloth. | Not published |
See all 9 tasks
| Not much | Rinse, drain, or wipe coated workpieces to remove excess coating material or to facilitate setting of finish coats on workpieces. | Not published |
| Not much | Place coated workpieces in ovens or dryers for specified times to dry or harden finishes. | Not published |
| Not much | Conceal blemishes in workpieces, such as nicks and dents, using fillers such as putty. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 9 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 9 tasks fall under 11 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings |
Show all 11 activities
| Apply materials to fill gaps or imperfections | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for painting, coating, and decorating workers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 1,407 moves out
- 1 Teacher Assistants (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 2 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 5%
- 3 Recreation Workers Moderate +4.3% 5%
- 4 Occupational Health and Safety Specialists High +18.5% 4%
- 5 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Very high -5.6% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 1,357 moves in
- 1 Teacher Assistants (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 16%
- 2 Recreation Workers Moderate +4.3% 8%
- 3 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 7%
- 4 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Very high -5.6% 5%
- 5 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 59% less than high school
- 21% high school
- 3% postsecondary certificate
- 17% some college
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 18 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 17% less than high school
- 47% high school
- 19% some college
- 7% associate's
- 7% bachelor's
- 2% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other production workers” · 14,074 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other production workers”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
4.3% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 5 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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