47 Series · SOC 47-2142
Paperhangers Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $52,140
- Median / year
- +8%
- 2024→2025
- $69,050
- Top 10% earn
- +5.3%
- Growth '24–'34
- 1,570
- Estimated US jobs
Paperhangers earn a median of $52,140 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $52,140, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $36,020 (10th percentile) to $69,050 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 1,570 estimated jobs in covered establishments. The highest published state median in this ranking is California ($62,790).
The pay verdict
Paperhangers earn a median of $52,140, putting them below the typical US occupation and higher than 38% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Construction and Extraction, it ranks #39 of 60 by median pay. Employment is projected to grow 5.3% by 2034.
- $52,140
- Median annual wage
- Top 62%
- of 825 US occupations with published wages
- #39 of 60
- in Construction and Extraction
- 1.9×
- 90th-to-10th pay spread
Highest-paying state: California at $62,790. Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
Observed pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2019–2025
- The published national median for Paperhangers moved from $40,520 in May 2019 to $52,140 in May 2025 (+28.7%).
- Across the 749 occupations priced in both releases under SOC-2018, the median occupation changed +24.5%.
- Paperhangers sits +4.2 pp near that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Paperhangers (SOC 47-2142) has a national median of $52,140 per year in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release. The published 10th-to-90th-percentile boundaries run from $36,020 to $69,050, and the published mean is $53,730. Those summary statistics describe the estimated distribution; their difference alone does not identify its cause. OEWS estimates 1,570 jobs in covered establishments nationally. WageDex has published rows for 13 state or territory areas and 4 metropolitan or nonmetropolitan wage areas. The published national median moved from $48,260 in the May 2024 OEWS release to $52,140 in May 2025, a rise of $3,880 (+8%). This is a change between two BLS survey estimates, not an inflation-adjusted same-worker pay raise.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a +5.3% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which we classify as faster than average relative to the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. About 200 openings are projected per year from growth, occupational transfers, and labor-force exits. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry, and BLS classifies its typical on-the-job preparation as long-term on-the-job training. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific fatality and injury rate for this role in the current release. The safety panel below shows its broad Construction and Extraction Occupations SOC-group context and is not an occupation-level measurement or ranking.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. California pays the highest state median at $62,790, which is +20% above the national figure. The highest published metropolitan-area median in this ranking is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $71,270. The observed difference does not identify its cause. Pair the national median with the state and metropolitan-area rows below while keeping the geography and statistic consistent. OEWS includes tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses, but not employer benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, or nonproduction bonuses. See our methodology for the sourcing and calculation details.
Median Salary
$52,140
per year
Median Hourly
$25.07/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$53,730
average
Employment
1,570
jobs nationwide
How does this pay compare nationally?
Where Paperhangers pay sits nationally
Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median
$52,140 Bottom 38% higher than 38% of 825 US occupations
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Read the chart as text · as of May 2025
| Band | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| $0–$20,000 | 0 US occupations | 0% |
| $20,000–$40,000 | 98 US occupations | 12% |
| $40,000–$60,000 (this entry) | 298 US occupations | 36% |
| $60,000–$80,000 | 209 US occupations | 25% |
| $80,000–$100,000 | 82 US occupations | 10% |
| $100,000–$120,000 | 58 US occupations | 7% |
| $120,000–$140,000 | 32 US occupations | 4% |
| $140,000–$160,000 | 14 US occupations | 2% |
| $160,000–$180,000 | 9 US occupations | 1% |
| $180,000 and above | 25 US occupations | 3% |
$52,140 · 38th percentile of 825 US occupations
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025
Does this job pay well and grow?
Each dot is a 47-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Paperhangers; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).
Read the chart as text
- Construction Laborers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 7.3%, Median annual wage $47120
- First-Line Superviso…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 5.3%, Median annual wage $79920
- Electricians: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 9.5%, Median annual wage $63190
- Carpenters: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.5%, Median annual wage $60580
- Operating Engineers …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.6%, Median annual wage $59850
- Plumbers, Pipefitter…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.5%, Median annual wage $63800
- Painters, Constructi…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.8%, Median annual wage $49400
- Cement Masons and Co…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.8%, Median annual wage $57020
- Highway Maintenance …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3%, Median annual wage $50260
- Construction and Bui…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -0.8%, Median annual wage $74690
- Roofers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 5.9%, Median annual wage $55440
- Sheet Metal Workers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 2.4%, Median annual wage $61800
- Drywall and Ceiling …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.2%, Median annual wage $58930
- Structural Iron and …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.4%, Median annual wage $62780
- Helpers--Electricians: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 0.2%, Median annual wage $42670
- Glaziers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.3%, Median annual wage $57080
- Brickmasons and Bloc…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.2%, Median annual wage $62120
- Hazardous Materials …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1%, Median annual wage $49450
- Roustabouts, Oil and…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 2.5%, Median annual wage $46960
- Insulation Workers, …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.8%, Median annual wage $49120
- Helpers--Pipelayers,…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.9%, Median annual wage $42360
- Service Unit Operato…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 0.4%, Median annual wage $58160
- Paving, Surfacing, a…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.2%, Median annual wage $53340
- Tile and Stone Setters: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 10.1%, Median annual wage $55690
- Paperhangers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 5.3%, Median annual wage $52140
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Projected Growth
+5.3%
Faster than average
Annual Openings
200
per year (projected)
Employment Change
+100
2,300 (2024) → 2,500 (2034)
Typical Education
No formal educational credential
On-the-Job Training
Long-term on-the-job training
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Construction and Extraction Occupations context
Broad SOC context, not an occupation grade
Fatality Rate
12.4/100K
Injury Rate
3.5/100
Danger Index
20.2/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Paperhangers roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ Smooth strips or sections of paper with brushes or rollers to remove wrinkles and bubbles and to smooth joints.
- ▸ Trim rough edges from strips, using straightedges and trimming knives.
- ▸ Trim excess material at ceilings or baseboards, using knives.
- ▸ Check finished wallcoverings for proper alignment, pattern matching, and neatness of seams.
- ▸ Mark vertical guidelines on walls to align strips, using plumb bobs and chalk lines.
- ▸ Cover interior walls and ceilings of rooms with decorative wallpaper or fabric, using hand tools.
- ▸ Apply adhesives to the backs of paper strips, using brushes, or dunk strips of prepasted wallcovering in water, wiping off any excess adhesive.
- ▸ Measure and cut strips from rolls of wallpaper or fabric, using shears or razors.
- ▸ Place strips or sections of paper on surfaces, aligning section edges and patterns.
- ▸ Fill holes, cracks, and other surface imperfections preparatory to covering surfaces.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
Paperhangers pay history, 2015–2025
Published national median across 11 BLS OEWS releases. Nominal dollars, not inflation-adjusted.
Read the chart as text
| Period | National median |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $33,590 |
| 2016 | $33,770 |
| 2017 | $37,030 |
| 2018 | $38,090 |
| 2019 | $40,520 |
| 2020 | $43,560 |
| 2021 | $47,610 |
| 2022 | $44,930 |
| 2023 | $48,460 |
| 2024 | $48,260 |
| 2025 | $52,140 |
2015 median
$33,590
2025 median
$52,140
2019–2025 change (same SOC)
+$11,620 (+28.7%)
Avg/year (same SOC)
+4.3%
| Release | Median | Change | Estimated jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | $33,590 | First banked release | 3,020 |
| May 2016 | $33,770 | +0.5% | 3,190 |
| May 2017 | $37,030 | +9.7% | 2,710 |
| May 2018 | $38,090 | +2.9% | 2,780 |
| May 2019 | $40,520 | Classification break | 3,380 |
| May 2020 | $43,560 | +7.5% | 2,820 |
| May 2021 | $47,610 | +9.3% | 2,340 |
| May 2022 | $44,930 | -5.6% | 2,220 |
| May 2023 | $48,460 | +7.9% | 1,830 |
| May 2024 | $48,260 | -0.4% | 1,520 |
| May 2025 | $52,140 | +8.0% | 1,570 |
Across the 11 releases WageDex holds for this occupation, the published national median went from $33,590 in May 2015 to $52,140 in May 2025. Within the SOC-2018 classification (2019–2025), the like-for-like change averages +4.3% per year in nominal terms. Within the same SOC classification, estimated employment went from 3,380 in May 2019 to 1,570 in May 2025.
Each figure is a separate BLS survey estimate, so a change between releases reflects the estimated occupation-wide median in each year. It is not the raise any individual worker received, and it is not adjusted for inflation. Years where BLS did not publish an annual median for this occupation are omitted rather than filled in. This span also crosses a classification change: releases before May 2019 use the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification and later releases use the 2018 SOC, so figures either side of that boundary are not strictly like-for-like. Headline change rates on this page use only the same-classification subset.
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
View all 13 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $62,790 | +20% above national |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $61,800 | +19% above national |
| 3 | New York | $60,230 | +16% above national |
| 4 | Missouri | $59,560 | +14% above national |
| 5 | Indiana | $54,810 | +5% above national |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $51,500 | 1% below national |
| 7 | Florida | $48,780 | 6% below national |
| 8 | North Carolina | $48,590 | 7% below national |
| 9 | Colorado | $48,180 | 8% below national |
| 10 | Ohio | $47,830 | 8% below national |
| 11 | South Carolina | $46,800 | 10% below national |
| 12 | Washington | $46,270 | 11% below national |
| 13 | Tennessee | $46,010 | 12% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 4 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $71,270 | +37% above national |
| 2 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $63,450 | +22% above national |
| 3 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $59,990 | +15% above national |
| 4 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $58,550 | +12% above national |
Same SOC major group
Other detailed occupations in SOC major group 47 (Construction and Extraction Occupations) - category peers, not a pay match.
Boilermakers
SOC 47-2011
Brickmasons and Blockmasons
SOC 47-2021
Carpenters
SOC 47-2031
Carpet Installers
SOC 47-2041
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
SOC 47-2051
Showing 5 of 59 detailed occupations BLS assigns to this SOC major group.
Nationwide occupations with similar pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside this SOC major group (Construction and Extraction Occupations). Same-category cards above stay inside the group; these neighborhoods are cross-group nearest neighbors on national median pay ($52,140 here) and reported employment (1,570 jobs here).
Similar median pay
Nearest other detailed occupations by BLS OEWS national median annual wage.
Similar employment scale
Nearest headcount peers (floor 1,000 national jobs), distinct from the pay column.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS national median annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude occupations already listed in the pay column so the two link sets stay distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Paperhangers make? ▼
Where does Paperhangers pay rank nationally? ▼
What state pays Paperhangers the most? ▼
What education do Paperhangers need? ▼
Does BLS publish a safety rate for Paperhangers? ▼
Is Paperhangers a good career? ▼
How does Paperhangers pay vary by state? ▼
Which metro areas pay the most for Paperhangers? ▼
What to do with this data
How to use Paperhangers pay figures in a real decision
- The 75th-percentile wage is about $60,180/year. Treat it as the upper-quartile market boundary, not an automatic target for experience alone; role scope, location, industry, credentials, performance, and employer context still need separate evidence. Salary calculator
- Location moves pay significantly: California leads at $62,790/year for this role. Weigh state pay against local cost of living before relocating or negotiating remote. Pay by state
- Compare this occupation against similar roles before you decide, so you are reading the pay band in context rather than in isolation. Compare jobs
These are BLS survey estimates for the occupation, not a salary offer or a prediction for any individual. Your pay depends on experience, employer, exact role, and location.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation wages use BLS OEWS May 2025; outlook uses BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety, skills, knowledge, and task panels identify their BLS or O*NET sources in context. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Actual pay for a specific role, employer, or offer may differ from these national/state figures, consult a qualified career counselor, recruiter, or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.