What do most painters charge hourly?

Most painters charge hourly rates that vary by type, location, and experience, but in United States in 2025 to 2026, typical rates are as follows. For residential house painters, independent painters charge 25 to 50 dollars per hour, while painting contractors or companies charge 50 to 100 dollars per hour for crew, which includes overhead, insurance, and profit. Professional painting companies often quote per square foot rather than hourly, typically 2 to 6 dollars per square foot for interior and 1.50 to 4 dollars for exterior, which translates to about 35 to 70 dollars per hour per painter when broken down. In high cost of living areas like San Francisco, New York, or Seattle, rates can be 60 to 100 dollars per hour. For commercial painters, rates are similar or slightly higher. For artistic painters or muralists, hourly rates range widely from 30 to 150 dollars per hour depending on reputation and complexity. Most painters also add cost of materials, paint, primer, tape. So average across country is about 30 to 75 dollars per hour labor, with 25 dollars being low end and 100 dollars high end. Always get detailed written estimate rather than just hourly.