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Washington painter prevailing wage, county by county

A painter's prevailing wage on Washington public works runs from $52.40 an hour in Yakima County to $58.84 in Clallam County, wages and fringe benefits together. The median county is $55.64.

Main painter classification in each county, L&I period 2026-2, commercial rates. Checked October 24, 2026.

Pierce County painter: $58.84 per hourAdams County painter: $52.40 per hourPend Oreille County painter: $52.40 per hourKing County painter: $58.84 per hourChelan County painter: $52.40 per hourKittitas County painter: $52.40 per hourGarfield County painter: $52.40 per hourGrant County painter: $52.40 per hourOkanogan County painter: $52.40 per hourFranklin County painter: $52.40 per hourKlickitat County painter: $55.64 per hourClark County painter: $55.64 per hourSkagit County painter: $58.84 per hourWalla Walla County painter: $52.40 per hourPacific County painter: $55.64 per hourCowlitz County painter: $55.64 per hourWahkiakum County painter: $55.64 per hourLewis County painter: $58.84 per hourClallam County painter: $58.84 per hourGrays Harbor County painter: $58.84 per hourJefferson County painter: $58.84 per hourLincoln County painter: $52.40 per hourMason County painter: $58.84 per hourSan Juan County painter: $58.84 per hourStevens County painter: $52.40 per hourWhatcom County painter: $58.84 per hourDouglas County painter: $52.40 per hourSnohomish County painter: $58.84 per hourThurston County painter: $58.84 per hourColumbia County painter: $52.40 per hourYakima County painter: $52.40 per hourBenton County painter: $52.40 per hourIsland County painter: $58.84 per hourSpokane County painter: $52.40 per hourWhitman County painter: $52.40 per hourFerry County painter: $52.40 per hourSkamania County painter: $55.64 per hourAsotin County painter: $52.40 per hourKitsap County painter: $58.84 per hour
$52$52$52$55$58$58Painter, main rate, total per hour. Each shade holds about a fifth of the counties.

How much does a painter make on prevailing wage in Washington?

3 groups of counties with identical rates and 23 counties with rates of their own, highest main rate first, each split into wage and fringe benefits on one scale. The table below lists which counties are in each group.

  1. Whatcom County group2 counties$58.84
  2. Clallam County1 county$58.84
  3. Grays Harbor County1 county$58.84
  4. Island County1 county$58.84
  5. Jefferson County1 county$58.84
  6. King County1 county$58.84
  7. Kitsap County1 county$58.84
  8. Lewis County1 county$58.84
  9. Mason County1 county$58.84
  10. Pierce County1 county$58.84
  11. San Juan County1 county$58.84
  12. Snohomish County1 county$58.84
  13. Thurston County1 county$58.84
  14. Pacific County group2 counties$55.64
  15. Clark County1 county$55.64
  16. Cowlitz County1 county$55.64
  17. Klickitat County1 county$55.64
  18. Skamania County1 county$55.64
  19. Grant County group12 counties$52.40
  20. Benton County1 county$52.40
  21. Chelan County1 county$52.40
  22. Kittitas County1 county$52.40
  23. Okanogan County1 county$52.40
  24. Spokane County1 county$52.40
  25. Whitman County1 county$52.40
  26. Yakima County1 county$52.40

Which counties pay which rate

CountiesMain classificationTotalBase
Whatcom County group, 2 counties: Skagit, WhatcomJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
Clallam CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
Grays Harbor CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
Island CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
Jefferson CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
King CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
Kitsap CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
Lewis CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
Mason CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
Pierce CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
San Juan CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
Snohomish CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
Thurston CountyJourney Level$58.84 $43.14 
Pacific County group, 2 counties: Pacific, WahkiakumCommercial Painter$55.64 $38.12 
Clark CountyCommercial Painter$55.64 $38.12 
Cowlitz CountyCommercial Painter$55.64 $38.12 
Klickitat CountyCommercial Painter$55.64 $38.12 
Skamania CountyCommercial Painter$55.64 $38.12 
Grant County group, 12 counties: Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Walla WallaCommercial Painter$52.40 $36.02 
Benton CountyCommercial Painter$52.40 $36.02 
Chelan CountyCommercial Painter$52.40 $36.02 
Kittitas CountyCommercial Painter$52.40 $36.02 
Okanogan CountyCommercial Painter$52.40 $36.02 
Spokane CountyCommercial Painter$52.40 $36.02 
Whitman CountyCommercial Painter$52.40 $36.02 
Yakima CountyCommercial Painter$52.40 $36.02 

3 groups of counties with identical L&I rates, and 23 counties with rates of their own.

These are journey-level rates. Registered apprentices are paid L&I's apprentice rate for the trade (RCW 39.12.021), which L&I publishes in its wage lookup.

L&I also sets residential painter rates for 39 county listings. They apply only to the residential projects defined in WAC 296-127-010(9), and each county page shows them separately.

Questions about Washington painter pay

What is the painter prevailing wage in King County?

$58.84 an hour: a $43.14 base wage plus $15.70 in fringe benefits, under L&I period 2026-2. Overtime and every painter classification in King County.

Does painter prevailing wage include fringe benefits?

Yes. In King County the $58.84 total is a $43.14 base wage plus $15.70 in fringe benefits, about 27% of the total. The employer owes the full amount for every hour worked.

Do apprentice painters get this rate?

Registered apprentices get L&I's apprentice rate for the trade (RCW 39.12.021), which L&I publishes in its wage lookup. Anyone else on the job is paid as a journey-level worker.

Why do some counties have the same painter rate?

L&I often publishes the same painter rates for several counties. Across Washington, the 39 counties with a painter rate fall into 26 distinct sets of rates, and 3 of those sets are shared by more than one county; the largest covers 12 counties (the Grant County group).

Which county pays painters the most in Washington?

Clallam County, at $58.84 an hour for the main classification. The lowest is Yakima County at $52.40, and the median county is $55.64.