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Harris County, TX · Painter
Painter prevailing wage in Harris County, Texas
$21.65an hour, base + fringe
$17.24 wage + $4.41 fringe benefits · Building · SUTX2014-029
On federally funded or assisted building construction in Harris County, a painter must be paid at least $21.65 an hour: a $17.24 base wage plus $4.41 in fringe benefits, under wage determination TX20260253 (modification 1). DOL prints no total, so $21.65 is our sum of the two.
Wage determination TX20260253, modification 1, published May 18, 2026, for building construction; rate identifier SUTX2014-029 (July 21, 2014). Checked against sam.gov on October 25, 2026.
Texas public bodies set their own rates, often the Davis-Bacon ones; check the bid documents. Under Gov't Code 2258.022 each body either surveys local wages or adopts the Davis-Bacon rates, and no state agency publishes a schedule.
DOL lists 8 painter rates for Harris County, from $11.41 to $26.40 an hour. See all of them.
City of Houston contracts use Houston's 2026 wage scales, which copy these Davis-Bacon rates; they are listed with each trade, marked City of Houston. Harris County posts the same SAM.gov determinations with its own contractor minimum wage of $21.65 an hour.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $17.24 + $4.41
The base wage is the taxable hourly wage. DOL 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) | $17.24 |
| Fringe benefits (one figure, not itemized) | $4.41 |
| Base + fringe benefits (our sum; DOL prints no total) | $21.65 |
When this rate changes
- A contract keeps the wage determination in its bid documents. Modifications published before bid opening apply to it, though one published less than 10 days before can be left out if the agency finds there isn't time to tell bidders (29 CFR 1.6(c)).
- DOL changes a WD by publishing a numbered modification on SAM.gov. This page reads the modification named in the Source line; the Texas change log lists what each one changed.
Every painter rate in Harris County
As DOL lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- PAINTER, STRUCTURESHighway · SATX2025-013$26.40
- Painter, StructuresCity of Houston: Engineering · City of Houston$26.40
- Painter, StructuresCity of Houston: Highway · City of Houston$26.40
- PAINTER (BRUSH, ROLLER AND SPRAY), EXCLUDES DRYWALL FINISHING/TAPINGBuilding · SUTX2014-029$21.65
- Painter * (brush, roller, and spray) excludes drywall finishing/tapingCity of Houston: Building · City of Houston$21.65
- PainterTexas A&M System: Building · Texas A&M System$16.20
- PAINTER: PARKING LOT STRIPINGResidential · SUTX2005-030$14.21
- PAINTER: BRUSH, ROLLER, AND SPRAYResidential · SUTX2005-030$11.41
| Classification | Base + fringe | Base | Fringe benefits | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAINTER (BRUSH, ROLLER AND SPRAY), EXCLUDES DRYWALL FINISHING/TAPINGBuildingSUTX2014-029 | $21.65 | $17.24 | $4.41 | TX20260253 Mod 1 |
| PAINTER, STRUCTURESHighwaySATX2025-013 | $26.40 | $26.40 | $0.00 | TX20260299 Mod 1 |
| PAINTER: PARKING LOT STRIPINGResidentialSUTX2005-030 | $14.21 | $14.21 | $0.00 | TX20260067 Mod 1 |
| PAINTER: BRUSH, ROLLER, AND SPRAYResidentialSUTX2005-030 | $11.41 | $11.41 | $0.00 | TX20260067 Mod 1 |
| PainterTexas A&M System: BuildingTexas A&M System | $16.20 | incl. | incl. | TAMUS-2024-10-14-harris |
| Painter, StructuresCity of Houston: EngineeringCity of Houston | $26.40 | $26.40 | $0.00 | COH-00820-2026-02-01 |
| Painter * (brush, roller, and spray) excludes drywall finishing/tapingCity of Houston: BuildingCity of Houston | $21.65 | $17.24 | $4.41 | COH-00821-2026-02-01 |
| Painter, StructuresCity of Houston: HighwayCity of Houston | $26.40 | $26.40 | $0.00 | COH-00810-2026-02-01 |
How Harris 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 Texas
Wage and fringe benefits, nearby
- Harris Countybase $17.24$21.65
- Montgomery Countybase $16.77$21.28
- Fort Bend Countybase $16.77$21.28
- Waller Countybase $16.77$21.28
Painter rates in nearby counties
Current DOL rates. Davis-Bacon rates are set for groups of counties, so neighbours often share them; the county where the work is done decides.
| County | Classification | Base + fringe | Base | vs Harris County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galveston County | PAINTER (BRUSH, ROLLER, AND DRYWALL FINISHING/TAPING) | $27.38 | $17.88 | +$5.73 |
| Harris County | PAINTER (BRUSH, ROLLER AND SPRAY), EXCLUDES DRYWALL FINISHING/TAPING | $21.65 | $17.24 | |
| Montgomery County | PAINTER (BRUSH, ROLLER AND SPRAY), EXCLUDES DRYWALL FINISHING/TAPING | $21.28 | $16.77 | −$0.37 |
| Fort Bend County | PAINTER (BRUSH, ROLLER AND SPRAY), EXCLUDES DRYWALL FINISHING/TAPING | $21.28 | $16.77 | −$0.37 |
| Waller County | PAINTER (BRUSH, ROLLER AND SPRAY), EXCLUDES DRYWALL FINISHING/TAPING | $21.28 | $16.77 | −$0.37 |
| Liberty County | PAINTER (BRUSH, ROLLER AND SPRAY), EXCLUDES DRYWALL FINISHING/TAPING | $21.28 | $16.77 | −$0.37 |
| Brazoria County | PAINTER (BRUSH, ROLLER AND SPRAY), EXCLUDES DRYWALL FINISHING/TAPING | $21.28 | $16.77 | −$0.37 |
More from DOL on this rate
- DOL wage determination
- SAM.gov wage determinations
- Davis-Bacon determinations list journeyworker rates. Apprentices in a program registered with DOL or a recognized state agency can be paid the program's percentage of the rate, within its ratio; anyone else gets the full rate (29 CFR 5.5(a)(4)).
Are you being paid this rate?
Add your base pay to the fringe your employer pays for you, in cash or into plans, and compare the sum with the total. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division takes complaints: 1-866-487-9243, or dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/complaints.
Source
U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (DOL), wage determination TX20260253 Mod 1, published May 18, 2026: sam.gov/wage-determination/TX20260253/1
We read every active Texas Davis-Bacon wage determination from SAM.gov's own data and check every number with a second, independent read of the same file. DOL prints no total; ours is base plus fringe. The Texas A&M University System, City of Houston and City of Austin rows are copied from those bodies' own schedules, with their source on each row. How we check · Download Harris County as CSV · Report an error