Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Also called: Automotive Painter (Auto Painter), Coater Operator, Paint Technician (Paint Tech), PainterSet up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials. Includes painters of transportation vehicles such as painters in auto body repair facilities.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 29 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.5% 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 61% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $44,250 | $37,210 to $53,330 | 5,250 |
| Alaska | $69,910 | $45,210 to $81,610 | 140 |
| Arizona | $47,860 | $40,590 to $56,950 | 2,440 |
| Arkansas | $46,380 | $37,450 to $49,960 | 1,870 |
| California | $52,950 | $43,840 to $68,890 | 11,570 |
| Colorado | $53,590 | $47,480 to $75,510 | 1,470 |
| Connecticut | $52,900 | $44,710 to $65,450 | 1,550 |
| Delaware | $46,120 | $37,380 to $62,510 | 100 |
| Florida | $47,860 | $39,990 to $59,210 | 6,200 |
| Georgia | $46,450 | $39,780 to $59,970 | 5,900 |
| Hawaii | $51,990 | $45,040 to $63,240 | 230 |
| Idaho | $45,810 | $39,630 to $51,110 | 760 |
| Illinois | $48,000 | $42,550 to $57,980 | 6,390 |
| Indiana | $47,320 | $38,890 to $59,270 | 8,030 |
| Iowa | $49,330 | $44,190 to $59,160 | 3,220 |
| Kansas | $47,120 | $38,320 to $58,040 | 3,160 |
| Kentucky | $47,170 | $36,560 to $53,690 | 2,190 |
| Louisiana | $47,950 | $39,420 to $57,420 | 810 |
| Maine | $56,200 | $47,430 to $64,720 | 680 |
| Maryland | $55,510 | $45,210 to $83,760 | 1,010 |
| Massachusetts | $51,150 | $45,120 to $59,980 | 2,740 |
| Michigan | $44,670 | $38,300 to $53,340 | 7,050 |
| Minnesota | $52,210 | $46,440 to $62,500 | 3,430 |
| Mississippi | $53,170 | $43,680 to $63,180 | 2,010 |
| Missouri | $47,580 | $40,800 to $60,670 | 3,860 |
| Montana | $47,380 | $42,740 to $55,460 | 330 |
| Nebraska | $49,340 | $46,530 to $61,030 | 740 |
| Nevada | $45,750 | $40,130 to $53,340 | 640 |
| New Hampshire | $48,410 | $45,850 to $58,170 | 430 |
| New Jersey | $58,240 | $47,320 to $76,530 | 2,890 |
| New Mexico | $45,730 | $38,220 to $50,050 | 400 |
| New York | $48,000 | $41,530 to $59,500 | 3,270 |
| North Carolina | $46,730 | $38,290 to $55,650 | 5,700 |
| North Dakota | $51,020 | $46,110 to $68,180 | 560 |
| Ohio | $48,550 | $42,630 to $57,940 | 8,320 |
| Oklahoma | $45,780 | $38,020 to $54,720 | 2,520 |
| Oregon | $49,400 | $46,220 to $61,980 | 2,470 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,340 | $42,580 to $58,940 | 6,790 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,850 | $21,840 to $34,010 | 150 |
| Rhode Island | $49,850 | $41,280 to $60,840 | 470 |
| South Carolina | $48,220 | $40,130 to $56,670 | 2,780 |
| South Dakota | $47,980 | $40,570 to $53,310 | 1,150 |
| Tennessee | $47,210 | $39,870 to $55,620 | 3,880 |
| Texas | $46,750 | $38,130 to $58,170 | 16,600 |
| Utah | $47,880 | $39,720 to $56,200 | 1,740 |
| Vermont | $49,360 | $46,500 to $60,000 | 170 |
| Virginia | $49,880 | $45,760 to $63,440 | 4,130 |
| Washington | $59,980 | $47,790 to $78,740 | 3,980 |
| West Virginia | $42,950 | $37,910 to $50,690 | 370 |
| Wisconsin | $49,170 | $45,180 to $57,960 | 6,120 |
| Wyoming | $50,220 | $46,670 to $65,220 | 220 |
Nationally: $48,250. 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 29 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Dispose of hazardous waste in an appropriate manner. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean equipment and work areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Hold or position spray guns to direct spray onto articles. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes. | Not published |
| Not much | Spray prepared surfaces with specified amounts of primers and decorative or finish coatings. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn dials, handwheels, valves, or switches to regulate conveyor speeds, machine temperature, air pressure and circulation, and the flow or spray of coatings or paints. | Not published |
See all 29 tasks
| Not much | Use brush to hand-paint areas in need of retouching or unreachable with a spray gun. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine, measure, weigh, or test sample products to ensure conformance to specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine paint flow, viscosity, and coating quality by performing visual inspections, or by using viscometers. | Not published |
| Not much | Disassemble, clean, and reassemble sprayers or power equipment, using solvents, wire brushes, and cloths. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill hoppers, reservoirs, troughs, or pans with material used to coat, paint, or spray, using conveyors or pails. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach hoses or nozzles to machines, using wrenches and pliers, and make adjustments to obtain the proper dispersion of spray. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe machine gauges and equipment operation to detect defects or deviations from standards, and make adjustments as necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Start and stop operation of machines, using levers or buttons. | Not published |
| Not much | Apply rust-resistant undercoats and caulk and seal seams. | Not published |
| Not much | Buff and wax the finished paintwork. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate lifting or moving devices to move equipment or materials to access areas to be painted. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate auxiliary machines or equipment used in coating or painting processes. | Not published |
| Not much | Weigh or measure chemicals, coatings, or paints before adding them to machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up portable equipment, such as ventilators, exhaust units, ladders, or scaffolding. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record operational data on specified forms. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Remove materials, parts, or workpieces from painting or coating machines, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Thread or feed items or products through or around machine rollers and dryers. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust controls on infrared ovens, heat lamps, portable ventilators, or exhaust units to speed the drying of surfaces between coats. | Not published |
| Not much | Apply primer over any repairs made to surfaces. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill small dents or scratches with body fillers and smooth surfaces to prepare for painting. | Not published |
| Not much | Mix paints to match color specifications or original colors, stirring or thinning paints, using spatulas or power mixing equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove grease, dirt, paint, or rust from surfaces in preparation for paint application, using abrasives, solvents, brushes, blowtorches, washing tanks, or sandblasters. | Not published |
| Not much | Sand and apply sealer to properly dried finish. | 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. O*NET hasn't rated 6 of the tasks, so they come last, in O*NET's own order. 1 of the 29 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 29 tasks fall under 20 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.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Perform general construction or extraction activities | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment |
Show all 20 activities
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Build structures | |||
| Apply materials to fill gaps or imperfections | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment | |||
| Remove workpieces from production equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report33%
- Data or a spreadsheet29%
- An analysis or summary14%
- A script or snippet4%
- Configuration or infrastructure3%
How they worked with Claude
51% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
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 coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders 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 3,811 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
- 3 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 3,608 moves in
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
- 2 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
- 4 Painters, Construction and Maintenance Low +3.0% 3%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 3%
Combined from the 2010 occupations “Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders” and “Painters, Transportation Equipment”, which BLS merged into yours. 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
- 27% less than high school
- 63% high school
- 7% postsecondary certificate
- 4% some college
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 40 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”
1 program: Autobody/Collision and Repair Technology/Technician.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
28.4% 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 6 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders” 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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