Painting Labor Rates Atlanta, GA
Interior Painting Labor Cost in Atlanta, Hour by Hour
See Atlanta's real painter wages from BLS data and the arithmetic behind fair labor costs, room by room.
Atlanta painters earn a median $23.83 an hour, according to BLS data. Billed out at a standard 2.0x-3.0x contractor overhead multiplier, that’s $47.66-$71.49 an hour of labor. On the page below: a single bedroom runs about $77-$257 in labor, a whole 3-bedroom home about $682-$1,250, and every number traces back to a wage or index figure you can check yourself.
Key points
- Atlanta’s median painter wage is $23.83/hr, just $0.08/hr (0.3%) above the U.S. median of $23.75/hr.
- A standard 2.0x-3.0x burden multiplier on the Atlanta wage band ($21.31-$25.99/hr) puts fair billed labor at $42.62-$77.97/hr.
- A whole 3-bedroom home repaint (16 labor-hours under this page’s production assumption) costs $682-$1,248 in labor alone.
- The BLS Producer Price Index for prepared paint rose 6.2% over the year ending July 2026 (448.296 vs 422.049).
- A $1,500 quote on a 3-bedroom home implies an $84.38/hr billed rate, above the top of the fair labor band computed here.
What do Atlanta painters actually earn?
This is straight from the BLS OEWS survey for SOC 47-2141, Painters, Construction and Maintenance, 2025 data. These are wages paid to the worker, not prices billed to you.
| Geography | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | Mean | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | $21.31/hr | $23.83/hr | $25.99/hr | $24.26/hr | 1,340 |
| Georgia statewide | $20.26/hr | $23.24/hr | $27.73/hr | $24.30/hr | 2,760 |
| United States | $21.46/hr | $23.75/hr | $29.65/hr | $26.64/hr | 225,190 |
Note the shape: Atlanta’s 75th percentile ($25.99) is lower than the U.S. 75th percentile ($29.65). Atlanta’s top-paid painters earn less than top-paid painters nationally, even though the medians are nearly identical. A crew supervisor in Atlanta (First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers) earns a median $38.70/hr, useful context if your bid includes a lead or foreman on site.
Why is the wage not the price you’re billed?
The wage above is what lands in the painter’s pocket. What you’re billed is that wage times a burden and overhead multiplier covering payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, liability insurance, vehicles, fuel, tools, office time, warranty reserve, and profit.
This page’s assumptions, stated up front:
- Burden multiplier: 2.0x-3.0x the wage. This is a standard working assumption for small residential contractors, not a measured BLS figure. Flagged clearly wherever it’s used.
- Production rate: 150 sq ft of wall coverage per painter-hour, covering prep and two coats combined. Also an assumption, not BLS data.
- Wall area per room: gross perimeter x 8 ft ceiling height, minus 15% for doors, windows, and trim (10% for hallways).
- Materials allowance: a flat per-room estimate for paint and sundries, again an assumption, adjusted later by the measured PPI trend.
Applying the multiplier to the Atlanta wage band:
| Basis | Wage | x2.0 (low overhead) | x3.0 (full-service) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $21.31/hr | $42.62/hr | $63.93/hr |
| Median | $23.83/hr | $47.66/hr | $71.49/hr |
| 75th percentile | $25.99/hr | $51.98/hr | $77.97/hr |
The full fair-labor band this page uses is $42.62-$77.97/hr, built from the 25th percentile wage at 2.0x on the low end and the 75th percentile wage at 3.0x on the high end.
How much does painting one room cost, room by room?
Labor hours = wall area ÷ 150 sq ft/hr. Cost = hours x billed rate, using the $42.62 (low) to $77.97 (high) band above. Materials not included here — see the materials table further down.
| Room | Wall area (sq ft) | Labor hours | Low cost ($42.62/hr) | High cost ($77.97/hr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closet / powder room | 120 | 0.8 | $34.10 | $62.38 |
| Small bedroom (10x10) | 270 | 1.8 | $76.72 | $140.35 |
| Medium bedroom (12x14) | 354 | 2.4 | $102.29 | $187.13 |
| Master bedroom (14x16) | 408 | 2.7 | $115.07 | $210.52 |
| Living room (16x20) | 490 | 3.3 | $140.65 | $257.30 |
| Whole 3BR home (~1,400 sq ft) | 2,400 | 16.0 | $681.92 | $1,247.52 |
| Whole 4BR home (~2,200 sq ft) | 3,600 | 24.0 | $1,022.88 | $1,871.28 |
Find your room, read across. The spread between low and high is entirely the overhead assumption — same wage data, different contractor cost structure.
What does labor cost across a full range of hours?
Instead of picking a room, you can go straight from hours to cost using the same three rates as above ($42.62/hr low, $59.58/hr at the 2.5x median-overhead level used in the worked examples below, $77.97/hr high):
| Labor hours | Low ($42.62/hr) | Median-overhead ($59.58/hr) | High ($77.97/hr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | $85.24 | $119.16 | $155.94 |
| 4 | $170.48 | $238.32 | $311.88 |
| 6 | $255.72 | $357.48 | $467.82 |
| 8 | $340.96 | $476.64 | $623.76 |
| 10 | $426.20 | $595.80 | $779.70 |
| 12 | $511.44 | $714.96 | $935.64 |
| 14 | $596.68 | $834.12 | $1,091.58 |
| 16 | $681.92 | $953.28 | $1,247.52 |
| 18 | $767.16 | $1,072.44 | $1,403.46 |
| 20 | $852.40 | $1,191.60 | $1,559.40 |
The 16-hour row matches the whole-3BR-home row in the room table above, and extending the same math to 24 hours gives $1,022.88 low / $1,429.92 median / $1,871.28 high — the low and high figures match the whole-4BR-home row above, which is the consistency check this table is built to pass.
Does a bigger crew or higher-overhead company change the price?
Same labor hours, three different burden multipliers, using the Atlanta median wage of $23.83/hr as the base:
| Job | Labor hours | 2.0x ($47.66/hr) | 2.5x ($59.58/hr) | 3.0x ($71.49/hr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small bedroom | 1.8 | $85.79 | $107.24 | $128.68 |
| Living room | 3.3 | $157.28 | $196.61 | $235.92 |
| Whole 3BR home | 16.0 | $762.56 | $953.28 | $1,143.84 |
The 2.0x column is roughly a solo painter with minimal overhead. The 3.0x column is a fully insured company with a warranty and office staff. Both are billing the same wage-based labor; the difference is what stands behind the work.
Same three overhead levels, every room size
The pattern above holds for every room in the room-by-room table, not just these three examples:
| Room | Labor hours | 2.0x ($47.66/hr) | 2.5x ($59.58/hr) | 3.0x ($71.49/hr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closet / powder room | 0.8 | $38.13 | $47.66 | $57.19 |
| Small bedroom | 1.8 | $85.79 | $107.24 | $128.68 |
| Medium bedroom | 2.4 | $114.38 | $143.00 | $171.58 |
| Master bedroom | 2.7 | $128.68 | $160.87 | $193.02 |
| Living room | 3.3 | $157.28 | $196.61 | $235.92 |
| Whole 3BR home | 16.0 | $762.56 | $953.28 | $1,143.84 |
| Whole 4BR home | 24.0 | $1,143.84 | $1,429.92 | $1,715.76 |
Reading down the 2.5x column gives the single best “middle” estimate for any room on this page, since 2.5x sits at the midpoint of the 2.0x-3.0x range this page treats as fair.
How is a real quote built, line by line?
Worked example: a master bedroom, 14x16 ft, 8 ft ceilings, walls only, two coats.
| Line item | Value |
|---|---|
| Gross wall area (perimeter x height) | 480 sq ft |
| Minus 15% for doors/windows/trim | 408 sq ft net |
| Production rate (assumption) | 150 sq ft/hr |
| Labor hours | 408 ÷ 150 = 2.7 hrs |
| Crew | 1 painter |
| Atlanta median wage | $23.83/hr |
| Burden multiplier (assumption) | 2.5x |
| Billed rate | $23.83 x 2.5 = $59.58/hr |
| Labor cost | 2.7 x $59.58 = $160.87 |
| Materials allowance (assumption) | $95.00 |
| Total estimate | $255.87 |
Every line is an input you can swap. Change the burden to 3.0x and labor alone becomes $193.51; change the room to a 10x10 and hours drop to 1.8.
Second worked example: living room, 2.5x overhead
Same method, different room and a materials line pulled from the PPI-adjusted table further down:
| Line item | Value |
|---|---|
| Gross wall area (perimeter x height) | 576 sq ft |
| Minus 15% for doors/windows/trim | 490 sq ft net |
| Production rate (assumption) | 150 sq ft/hr |
| Labor hours | 490 ÷ 150 = 3.3 hrs |
| Crew | 1 painter |
| Atlanta median wage | $23.83/hr |
| Burden multiplier (assumption) | 2.5x |
| Billed rate | $23.83 x 2.5 = $59.58/hr |
| Labor cost | 3.3 x $59.58 = $196.61 |
| Materials allowance (this year, PPI-adjusted) | $122.13 |
| Total estimate | $318.74 |
Two rooms, two totals, one method — swap the wall area and the materials line and the rest of the arithmetic doesn’t change.
Does your quote match the wage data? Reverse check
Take a quoted price for a whole 3-bedroom home (16 labor-hours, $150 materials allowance) and back out the implied hourly rate: (quote − $150) ÷ 16. Compare against the fair band of $42.62-$77.97/hr.
| Quoted price | Implied hourly rate | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| $700 | $34.38/hr | Below the wage band — check scope, may be underbid |
| $900 | $46.88/hr | Within the fair band |
| $1,100 | $59.38/hr | Within the fair band |
| $1,300 | $71.88/hr | Within the fair band, near the top |
| $1,500 | $84.38/hr | Above the fair band — ask what justifies it |
| $1,800 | $103.13/hr | Well above the fair band |
| $2,200 | $128.13/hr | Well above the fair band |
This doesn’t prove a quote is wrong. It tells you which questions to ask. A rate above $77.97/hr should be explained by something specific: a specialty finish, lead-safe prep, or extensive wall repair.
Why did paint materials get more expensive this year?
The BLS Producer Price Index for prepared paint (series WPU0621) rose from 422.049 to 448.296 over the twelve months ending July 2026, a 6.2% increase. That index tracks manufacturer-level pricing, not what you pay at the store, so don’t convert the index level itself into a dollar figure. Applying the measured 6.2% rate of change to this page’s assumed materials allowances shows the direction of movement:
| Room | Materials allowance, 1 year ago (assumption) | Materials allowance, this year (+6.2%) |
|---|---|---|
| Closet | $35.00 | $37.17 |
| Small bedroom | $70.00 | $74.34 |
| Medium bedroom | $85.00 | $90.27 |
| Master bedroom | $95.00 | $100.89 |
| Living room | $115.00 | $122.13 |
| Whole 3BR home | $450.00 | $477.90 |
| Whole 4BR home | $650.00 | $690.30 |
The dollar figures are this page’s assumptions, not measured prices. The 6.2% growth rate applied to them is the measured PPI figure.
Is Atlanta more expensive than the rest of the country?
Barely, and it cuts against the common assumption. Atlanta’s median painter wage is $23.83/hr against $23.75/hr nationally — a gap of $0.08/hr, or 0.3%. At a 2.5x burden multiplier that’s $59.58/hr in Atlanta versus $59.38/hr nationally, a $0.21/hr difference. On the 16-hour whole-home job from the table above, that’s about $3.31 total — noise, not a big-city premium.
Georgia’s statewide median ($23.24/hr) is actually 2.5% below Atlanta’s own median, so metro-Atlanta painters earn a small premium over the rest of the state, just not over the country as a whole.
Two things homeowners get wrong about painting costs
“The hourly wage is what I’m being billed.” No. The wage is $23.83/hr median in Atlanta. What you’re billed, under this page’s standard 2.0x-3.0x overhead assumption, is $47.66-$71.49/hr — roughly double to triple the wage. That gap covers insurance, taxes, vehicles, and profit, not padding by default.
“A bigger city always means a bigger painter premium.” Atlanta’s median wage is 0.3% above the national median — essentially flat, not a premium market for this trade despite Atlanta’s size. Compare that to Atlanta’s 75th percentile ($25.99/hr), which is actually below the national 75th percentile ($29.65/hr) by 12.3%.
“A closet or small bathroom is basically free labor because materials are what really cost money.” Not quite. A closet’s labor band ($34.10-$62.38 from the room-by-room table) sits close to its current-year materials allowance ($37.17) — labor isn’t a rounding error even on the smallest room in the house.
“Any bid that includes a supervisor’s time means you’re being overcharged.” A crew supervisor’s median Atlanta wage is $38.70/hr — below the $77.97/hr top of the fair billed-labor band this page computes for a regular painter. Supervisor time on a bid isn’t automatically inflation; it fits inside the same wage-based framework used throughout this page.
What can this calculation not see?
- Permits. Most interior repainting doesn’t require a permit, but structural repair combined with painting might. This page has no permit-fee data. Even a straightforward repaint that uncovers rotted drywall behind a fixture can trigger a permit review this page’s hourly-rate math doesn’t include.
- Lead paint testing. Homes built before 1978 may require lead-safe work practices, adding labor hours and disposal costs not modeled here. That added prep can push actual hours per room well above the 150 sq ft/hr rate this page assumes, since lead-safe containment slows every pass through the room.
- Wall condition. Skim coating, popcorn ceiling removal, or extensive drywall patching adds hours this page’s flat production rate doesn’t capture. A room needing two rounds of skim coat before priming can easily double the 150 sq ft/hr assumption used throughout this page.
- Color change. Going from a dark to a light color, or vice versa, often needs a tinted primer coat and a third finish coat — pushing real hours above the 150 sq ft/hr assumption. Because the extra coat bills at the same hourly rate as the rest of the job, adding one hour to the master bedroom example above adds roughly $59.58-$71.49 in labor, depending on which overhead multiplier the contractor runs.
- Access and furniture. Fully furnished rooms, built-ins, or stairwells slow work below the flat production rate used here. A fully furnished living room that needs everything moved and covered can turn the 3.3-hour estimate in the worked example above into a longer job before a single wall gets painted.
- Season and scheduling. Rush jobs or off-hours work can carry a premium this page does not model. The $42.62-$77.97/hr band throughout this page assumes standard weekday scheduling and says nothing about rush or weekend add-ons.
- Disposal fees. Old paint and solvent disposal are sometimes billed separately. When itemized that way, disposal sits entirely outside every labor-hour calculation on this page.
How do you read a real quote against these numbers?
Ask for these as separate line items, not a bundled total: labor hours and crew size, prep scope (patching, sanding, caulking), number of coats and whether primer is included, what’s included (trim, doors, closets) versus billed as extra, and paint brand and sheen.
The single question that exposes a padded bid: “How many labor-hours and how many painters are budgeted for this job?” Divide the labor portion of the quote by that hour figure. If the result sits well outside $42.62-$77.97/hr with no scope explanation, ask what accounts for the gap.
What should you check before signing?
- Get the scope in writing: number of coats, prep steps, and exactly which surfaces are included.
- Confirm liability insurance and, for larger jobs, ask for a certificate.
- Get paint brand and sheen specified, not just “quality paint.”
- Confirm the payment schedule and what triggers each payment.
- Divide the labor total by the stated hours and crew size, then compare against the $42.62-$77.97/hr band above.
- Ask what the 6.2% rise in paint producer pricing means for your materials line if the quote is more than a few months old.
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Common questions
- How much does it cost to paint one bedroom in Atlanta?
- Labor alone runs roughly $77 to $257 depending on room size and contractor overhead, built from the Atlanta painter wage band of $21.31 to $25.99 an hour times a 2.0x to 3.0x burden multiplier. A small 10x10 bedroom runs about $77-$140 in labor; a master bedroom about $115-$211. Add a materials allowance of roughly $70-$100 on top for paint and sundries. For the full breakdown across nine room sizes and all three overhead levels (2.0x, 2.5x, 3.0x), see the room-by-room and cross-multiplier tables further down this page — for example, a medium 12x14 bedroom lands at $114.38-$171.58 in labor depending on which overhead level the contractor runs.
- What is a fair hourly rate to pay a painter in Atlanta?
- Based on Atlanta's BLS wage data ($21.31-$25.99/hr paid to painters) and a standard 2.0x-3.0x overhead multiplier, a fair billed rate runs about $42.62 to $77.97 per hour. The Atlanta median painter wage is $23.83/hr, so a typical burdened rate lands near $47.66-$71.49/hr. At a middle-of-the-road 2.5x multiplier, that median wage bills at $59.58/hr — the rate used throughout the worked examples on this page. Rates outside the $42.62-$77.97 band deserve a question, not automatic rejection.
- Why did my paint estimate go up this year?
- The BLS Producer Price Index for prepared paint rose 6.2% over the twelve months ending July 2026 (448.296 vs 422.049 a year earlier). That's an index of paint manufacturer pricing, not a retail dollar figure, but it signals paint materials costs moved up faster than typical wage growth over the same period. Applied to this page's materials assumptions, a master bedroom's materials line moves from $95.00 to $100.89, and a whole 3BR home's materials line moves from $450.00 to $477.90 — both a reflection of the same 6.2% rate of change, not new pricing data.
- Is painting labor more expensive in Atlanta than the national average?
- Barely. Atlanta's median painter wage is $23.83/hr against $23.75/hr nationally, a gap of $0.08/hr, or 0.3%. At a burdened rate that's about $0.21/hr, and on a 16-hour whole-home repaint it adds roughly $3 total. Atlanta painters earn close to the national median, not a big-city premium. The gap is more visible at the top end: Atlanta's 75th percentile wage ($25.99/hr) sits 12.3% below the national 75th percentile ($29.65/hr), meaning Atlanta's highest-paid painters earn noticeably less than their national counterparts even though the medians nearly match.
- How many hours does it take to paint a 3-bedroom house interior?
- Using a production-rate assumption of 150 sq ft of wall coverage per painter-hour (prep plus two coats), a typical 1,400 sq ft home with roughly 2,400 sq ft of interior wall area works out to about 16 labor-hours. That's a modeling assumption, not a BLS figure, and actual time varies with trim, ceiling height, and wall condition. A larger 2,200 sq ft, 4-bedroom home with about 3,600 sq ft of wall area works out to 24 labor-hours under the same assumption — the two figures scale linearly with wall area since the 150 sq ft/hr rate is held constant.
Sources — checked Aug 17, 2026
- BLS OEWS — Painters, Construction and Maintenance, Atlanta, GA
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Painters, Construction and Maintenance
- BLS Producer Price Index — Prepared paint
Wage and price index figures are taken from the sources above on the date shown. Wage data is released annually and price indexes monthly, so both move. Everything here is a calculated estimate, not a quote — get a written bid from a licensed local contractor before committing to work. See how the numbers are built.