Painting · NC

Painting cost in Raleigh-Cary, NC

Planning ranges for painting work in Raleigh-Cary, NC, built from BLS OEWS May 2025 wages (SOC 47-2141) plus our published hours and materials. Open any job row to run it on your ZIP.

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

Mean hourly wage
$22.11
Median hourly
$21.81
p10 – p90
$17.71 – $27.85

How this market compares

Practical cut for Raleigh-Cary: published OEWS wages for Painters, Construction and Maintenance, then the same estimating math we use everywhere. Mean hourly pay here sits about 17% below the national OEWS mean.

Among 487 OEWS areas with published Painting wages, Raleigh-Cary ranks #347 nationally on mean hourly pay ($22.11). Compared with other NC areas that report Painting wages, this market is #3 of 18. The published p10–p90 band runs $17.71 to $27.85 (a $10.14 spread around the $22.11 mean; median $21.81).

OEWS counts about 810 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 $454 here vs $520 U.S. (13% below); Exterior House Painting mid estimate $5,281 here vs $6,220 U.S. (15% below); Exterior Trim Caulk & Spot Paint mid estimate $336 here vs $390 U.S. (14% below).

Same-state comparison: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia ($21.83, 0.28 lower); Pinehurst-Southern Pines ($21.63, 0.48 lower); Asheville ($21.50, 0.61 lower).

Sample project ranges

ProjectLowMidHigh
Interior Room Painting (calc)$220$454$1,008
Exterior House Painting (default size) (calc)$2,637$5,281$11,759
Exterior Trim Caulk & Spot Paint (calc)$145$336$802

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

Check IRS, ENERGY STAR, and DSIRE for any incentives that apply to this project. For state/utility directories, start with DSIRE. Fairange does not quote federal tax credits on metro pages.

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

What usually moves the number

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.

Painting cost FAQ — Raleigh-Cary

How much does painting cost in Raleigh-Cary?

We combine OEWS wages for Painters, Construction and Maintenance with published hours and materials assumptions for jobs like interior room painting, exterior house painting, exterior trim caulk & spot paint. Treat the table as a planning band, then collect written bids.

Where do the wages come from?

BLS OEWS May 2025 — mean $22.11, median $21.81, p10–p90 $17.71–$27.85 (SOC 47-2141).

Is this a contractor quote?

No. Fairange publishes educational planning ranges. Markup is 2.0× / 2.25× / 2.5× on labor; materials use cited retail baselines with a dampened regional factor. See methodology.

Job guides: Interior Room Painting · Exterior House Painting · Exterior Trim Caulk & Spot Paint. Reports: repair labor by metro. Open calculator with your ZIP.

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)$22.11/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

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