Painter prevailing wage in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

$43.42an hour, base + fringe

$27.43 wage + $15.99 fringe benefits · Building

On Pennsylvania public works in Lancaster County, a painter must be paid at least $43.42 an hour: a $27.43 base wage plus $15.99 in fringe benefits.

PPWS county schedules from each county's newest determination (Oct 25, 2026); this rate, effective May 1, 2020. Rates are set per project: the public body gets a determination before bidding, and once the contract is signed its rates "shall not be altered" while it is in force (Act § 4). A determination must be re-requested if the contract isn't awarded within 120 days (34 Pa. Code 9.104(a)). Checked against dliweb.pa.gov on October 25, 2026.

L&I lists 6 painter rates for Lancaster County, from $38.29 to $57.66 an hour. See all of them.

Pennsylvania publishes no county rate schedule. These are the rates printed in each county's newest project determination; the binding rates for a job are the ones in that job's own determination.

Base wage and fringe benefits: $27.43 + $15.99

The base wage is the taxable hourly wage. L&I prints the fringe benefits as one hourly figure, not itemized; it can go to health, pension, vacation and training plans, or be paid as cash where the state allows.

Base wage (taxable)	$27.43
Fringe benefits (one figure, not itemized)	$15.99
Total hourly rate, as printed	$43.42

Davis-Bacon painter rate in Lancaster County

Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. Pennsylvania's Act doesn't cover projects where Davis-Bacon applies, so a job uses one schedule or the other (L&I FAQ).

For building work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is PAINTER: BRUSH AND ROLLER ONLY at $42.14 ($25.84 base + $16.30 fringe), from PA20260092 modification 3, published September 24, 2026, rate PAIN0411-005. Against L&I's $43.42: L&I's rate is $1.28 an hour higher.

Construction	Federal classification	Base + fringe	Base	WD
Building	PAINTER (SPRAY ONLY)PAIN0057-036	$42.63	$26.98	PA20260092 Mod 3
Building	PAINTER: BRUSH AND ROLLER ONLYPAIN0411-005	$42.14	$25.84	PA20260092 Mod 3
Highway, Heavy	PAINTER: BRIDGE (ADAMS, CUMBERLAND, DAUPHIN, LANCASTER, PERRY, AND YORK COUNTIES)PAIN0021-026	$50.02	$33.72	PA20260006 Mod 2
Highway, Heavy	PAINTER: BRUSH (ADAMS, CUMBERLAND, DAUPHIN, LANCASTER, PERRY, AND YORK COUNTIES)PAIN0021-026	$42.14	$25.84	PA20260006 Mod 2
Highway, Heavy	PAINTER: SPRAY, SANDBLAST (ADAMS, CUMBERLAND, DAUPHIN, LANCASTER, PERRY, AND YORK COUNTIES)PAIN0021-026	$44.27	$27.97	PA20260006 Mod 2
Residential	PAINTER: BRUSH AND ROLLERPAIN0021-011	$50.16	$29.02	PA20260123 Mod 2

Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. Pennsylvania Davis-Bacon changes

When this rate changes

A signed contract keeps the rates in its own determination, including the dated steps printed there. A later L&I rate change doesn't reach it (Act § 4).
County pages here follow each county's newest determination, so they move whenever L&I issues the next one there. The determination is named in the Source line.

Every painter rate in Lancaster County

As L&I lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.

Painters Class 3 (see notes)Heavy/Highway$57.66
Painters Class 2 (see notes)Heavy/Highway$51.91
Painters Class 3 (see notes)Building$49.17
Painters Class 1 (see notes)Building$48.48
Painters Class 2 (see notes)Building$43.42
Painters Class 1 (see notes)Heavy/Highway$38.29

Hourly rate of each painter classification in Lancaster County, highest first, split into wage and fringe benefits.

Classification	Base + fringe	Base	Fringe benefits	Effective
Painters Class 1 (see notes)Building	$48.48	$29.70	$18.78	May 1, 2026
Painters Class 2 (see notes)Building	$43.42	$27.43	$15.99	May 1, 2020
Painters Class 3 (see notes)Building	$49.17	$33.18	$15.99	May 1, 2020
Painters Class 1 (see notes)Heavy/Highway	$38.29	$23.92	$14.37	May 1, 2018
Painters Class 2 (see notes)Heavy/Highway	$51.91	$33.13	$18.78	May 1, 2026
Painters Class 3 (see notes)Heavy/Highway	$57.66	$38.88	$18.78	May 1, 2026

How Lancaster County compares

The main painter rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and nearby. All bars use the same scale.

Every county in Pennsylvania

Lancaster $43.425215

$43.32McKean$80.93Bucks

LancasterNearby: Lebanon $43.42, York $43.42, Chester $80.93Each column is a group of counties with about the same main rate; its height is how many. 58 counties pay more than Lancaster, 7 the same, 1 less.

Wage and fringe benefits, nearby

Lancaster Countybase $27.43$43.42
Lebanon Countybase $27.43$43.42
York Countybase $27.43$43.42
Chester Countybase $45.71$80.93

Painter rates in nearby counties

Current L&I rates. L&I sets rates by county, and counties in the same collective bargaining area often share them.

County	Classification	Base + fringe	Base	vs Lancaster County
Chester County	Painters Class 1 (see notes)	$80.93	$45.71	+$37.51
Delaware County	Painters Class 1 (see notes)	$80.93	$45.71	+$37.51
Berks County	Painters Class 2 (see notes)	$59.79	$35.61	+$16.37
Lancaster County	Painters Class 2 (see notes)	$43.42	$27.43
Lebanon County	Painters Class 2 (see notes)	$43.42	$27.43	same
York County	Painters Class 2 (see notes)	$43.42	$27.43	same
Dauphin County	Painters Class 2 (see notes)	$43.42	$27.43	same

Pennsylvania painter prevailing wage by county, with a map

Are you being paid this rate?

Add your base wage to the fringe your employer pays for you, and compare it with the total. A worker can protest to L&I within three months: Bureau of Labor Law Compliance, 1-800-932-0665 (L&I).

Source

Department of Labor & Industry (L&I), PPWS determination 26-09261, issued October 21, 2026, effective May 1, 2020: www.dliweb.pa.gov/PrevWage/Pages/Project.aspx

We read each county's newest PPWS determination from L&I's site and check every number with a second read. The totals are the ones L&I prints. How we check · Download Lancaster County as CSV · Report an error