Painting · AZ

Painting costs in Flagstaff, AZ

Last updated from data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · PPI construction materials 2026-09 · estimates only

How this market compares

Skip the generic national blog post — this page is the Flagstaff Painting slice of OEWS May 2025. Mean hourly pay here sits about 12% below the national OEWS mean.

Mean Painting pay here is $23.37/hr — national rank 269 of 487 areas that publish this occupation. Compared with other AZ areas that report Painting wages, this market is #3 of 8. Hourly wages stretch from $19.63 (10th percentile) to $28.09 (90th). That $8.46 gap is why two bids on the same scope can still look honest.

OEWS counts about 160 Painters, Construction and Maintenance jobs in this area. Nationwide that occupation is about 225,190. How a few common projects pencil out against the national mid: Interior Room Painting mid estimate $473 here vs $520 U.S. (9% below); Exterior House Painting mid estimate $5,542 here vs $6,220 U.S. (11% below); Exterior Trim Caulk & Spot Paint mid estimate $351 here vs $390 U.S. (10% below).

Same-state comparison: Tucson ($23.54, 0.17 higher); Prescott Valley-Prescott ($22.89, 0.48 lower); Lake Havasu City-Kingman ($22.35, 1.02 lower).

Local tip: Local code, permit fees, and how busy crews are this month move numbers as much as wage rates do.

Sample project ranges

ProjectLowMidHigh
Interior Room Painting$236$473$1,016
Exterior House Painting (default size)$2,871$5,542$11,859
Exterior Trim Caulk & Spot Paint$157$351$809
Mean hourly wage
$23.37
Median hourly
$22.56
p10 – p90
$19.63 – $28.09

Getting quotes without the circus

  1. Screenshot our mid/low/high band.
  2. Ask three licensed, insured pros for written scopes.
  3. Compare exclusions — permits, haul-away, thermostats, flashing — before crowning a winner.

What usually moves the number

Rebates (verify; don’t trust a random Facebook ad)

Check IRS, ENERGY STAR, and DSIRE for any incentives that apply to this project. Start with IRS, ENERGY STAR, and DSIRE.

What this estimate can’t tell you. Roof pitch, an old house or code upgrades, tough access, permits, emergency or after-hours calls, and brand tier can push a real quote outside this range.

Check our math

BLS OEWS May 2025 · local hourly means the calculator uses

Painter (47-2141)$23.37/hr mean

Source: official BLS OEWS data for this area · area index: oessrcma.htm.

Contractor markup (2.0× / 2.25× / 2.5×) and the regional materials factor are ours — see methodology.

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Thermostats

A decent thermostat won’t fix a bad install, but it can stop the short-cycling arguments.

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Water heaters

Tank, tankless, heat-pump — the sticker price is only half the story.

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Warranties & financing

Read the exclusions. “Full coverage” rarely means what the brochure implies.

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Monthly wage & cost note

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