Auto Painter Salary & Pay DataStand-in BLS figures: coating, painting and spraying machine setters, operators and tenders
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Closest available occupation, a stand-in: SOC 51-9124 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Closest available: BLS has had no separate auto painter code since 2018.
This is coating, painting and spraying machine setters, operators and tenders (51-9124), mostly factory spray work, so it is a stand-in, not auto painter pay.
The figure shown is the median for coating, painting and spraying machine setters, operators and tenders (SOC 51-9124): $48,250 a year ($23.20 an hour) in May 2025.
It is a labelled benchmark, not auto painter pay.
Annual figures are BLS hourly wages × 2,080 hours. OEWS covers wage-and-salary workers only, so it leaves out shop owners, the self-employed (including technicians paid as 1099 contractors), overtime pay and most bonuses.
What the BLS figure covers
These are BLS figures for every worker in SOC 51-9124 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, the closest available occupation, a stand-in, shown only as a benchmark.
BLS publishes no separate series or percentiles for auto painters, so this page does not show a percentile table for the role.
Pay by employer industry
National median for coating, painting and spraying machine setters, operators and tenders (SOC 51-9124) by the industry of the employer, BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates.
BLS publishes no industry split for auto painters alone; these rows are for the whole occupation, the closest available occupation, a stand-in.
Automotive repair and maintenance (NAICS 8111) covers mechanical and electrical repair shops, body, paint, interior and glass shops, and other automotive repair and maintenance, car washes included.
Automobile dealers (NAICS 4411) covers new and used car dealers.
| Employer industry | Median | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries (the national figure above) | $48,250 | $23.20 | 158,740 |
| Automotive Repair and Maintenance | $56,570 | $27.20 | 27,290 |
| Automobile Dealers | $51,590 | $24.80 | 3,180 |
Selected industries only; the first row covers every industry.