Career
Helpers--painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons
Help painters and plasterers on the job.
$40,470
Median pay
+1.5%
Job growth, 2025–35
700
Openings a year
No formal educational credential
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Clean work areas and equipment.
- Supply or hold tools and materials.
- Apply protective coverings, such as masking tape, to articles or areas that could be damaged or stained by work processes.
- Smooth surfaces of articles to be painted, using sanding and buffing tools and equipment.
- Erect scaffolding.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Clean work areas and equipment.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Speaking, Coordination, Active Listening, Time Management.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $40,470 a year and 700 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- NO MATCHCIP 99.9999
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters$47,550 · -11.7%
- Helpers--Carpenters$43,780 · -1.7%
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$42,360 · +2.4%
- Plasterers and Stucco Masons$57,660 · +2.8%
- Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers$39,630 · +5.3%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.