Paperhangers Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for paperhangers in the U.S. is $52,140 ($25.07 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $52,140
- Mean annual wage
- $53,730
- Median hourly wage
- $25.07
- Employment
- 1,570
1,570 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,020 | $17.32 |
| 25th percentile | $44,890 | $21.58 |
| Median (50th) | $52,140 | $25.07 |
| 75th percentile | $60,180 | $28.93 |
| 90th percentile | $69,050 | $33.20 |
Highest-paying states for paperhangers
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| California | $62,790 | 130 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,800 | 30 |
| New York | $60,230 | 300 |
| Missouri | $59,560 | — |
| Indiana | $54,810 | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $51,500 | — |
| Florida | $48,780 | 30 |
| North Carolina | $48,590 | 100 |
| Colorado | $48,180 | 130 |
| Ohio | $47,830 | 70 |
Lowest-paying states
- Tennessee: $46,010 median annual wage
- Washington: $46,270 median annual wage
- South Carolina: $46,800 median annual wage
- Ohio: $47,830 median annual wage
- Colorado: $48,180 median annual wage
About this occupation
Cover interior walls or ceilings of rooms with decorative wallpaper or fabric, or attach advertising posters on surfaces such as walls and billboards. May remove old materials or prepare surfaces to be papered.
Typical tasks
- Staple or tack advertising posters onto fences, walls, billboards, or poles.
- Apply thinned glue to waterproof porous surfaces, using brushes, rollers, or pasting machines.
- Mark vertical guidelines on walls to align strips, using plumb bobs and chalk lines.
- Measure surfaces or review work orders to estimate the quantities of materials needed.
- Mix paste, using paste powder and water, and brush paste onto surfaces.
- Remove paint, varnish, dirt, and grease from surfaces, using paint remover and water soda solutions.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: No formal educational credential
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 34.9% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 39.0% |
| Some college, no degree | 14.7% |
| Associate's degree | 4.2% |
| Bachelor's degree | 5.9% |
| Master's degree | 1.0% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.4% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Construction Laborers$47,120
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$79,920
- Electricians$63,190
- Carpenters$60,580
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$59,850
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$63,800
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance$49,400
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$57,020
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.