Production
Paint Booth Operators
SOC 51-9124
Apply paint finishes to automotive and industrial parts in controlled environments.
The job
Median pay
$48k
$41k to $60k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+2.5% projected
Openings a year
15k
BLS projection
Typical education
No formal credential
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
10/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
16th pct
More exposed than 16% of occupations · modeled estimate · 13th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
46/100
Key skills
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Learning Strategies
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 16,600 | 1.2 | 1.2× | $47k |
| California | 11,570 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $53k |
| Ohio | 8,320 | 1.5 | 1.5× | $49k |
| Indiana | 8,030 | 2.5 | 2.5× | $47k |
| Michigan | 7,050 | 1.6 | 1.6× | $45k |
| Pennsylvania | 6,790 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $48k |
| Illinois | 6,390 | 1.0 | 1.0× | $48k |
| Florida | 6,200 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $48k |
| Wisconsin | 6,120 | 2.1 | 2.0× | $49k |
| Georgia | 5,900 | 1.2 | 1.2× | $46k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 5,700 | 1.2 | 1.1× | $47k |
| Alabama | 5,250 | 2.5 | 2.4× | $44k |
| Virginia | 4,130 | 1.0 | 1.0× | $50k |
| Washington | 3,980 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $60k |
| Tennessee | 3,880 | 1.2 | 1.2× | $47k |
| Missouri | 3,860 | 1.3 | 1.3× | $48k |
| Minnesota | 3,430 | 1.2 | 1.1× | $52k |
| New York | 3,270 | 0.3 | 0.3× | $48k |
| Iowa | 3,220 | 2.1 | 2.0× | $49k |
| Kansas | 3,160 | 2.2 | 2.1× | $47k |
| New Jersey | 2,890 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $58k |
| South Carolina | 2,780 | 1.2 | 1.2× | $48k |
| Massachusetts | 2,740 | 0.8 | 0.7× | $51k |
| Oklahoma | 2,520 | 1.5 | 1.4× | $46k |
| Oregon | 2,470 | 1.3 | 1.2× | $49k |
| Arizona | 2,440 | 0.8 | 0.7× | $48k |
| Kentucky | 2,190 | 1.1 | 1.1× | $47k |
| Mississippi | 2,010 | 1.7 | 1.7× | $53k |
| Arkansas | 1,870 | 1.4 | 1.4× | $46k |
| Utah | 1,740 | 1.0 | 1.0× | $48k |
| Connecticut | 1,550 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $53k |
| Colorado | 1,470 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $54k |
| South Dakota | 1,150 | 2.5 | 2.5× | $48k |
| Maryland | 1,010 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $56k |
| Louisiana | 810 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $48k |
| Idaho | 760 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $46k |
| Nebraska | 740 | 0.7 | 0.7× | $49k |
| Maine | 680 | 1.1 | 1.0× | $56k |
| Nevada | 640 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $46k |
| North Dakota | 560 | 1.3 | 1.3× | $51k |
| Rhode Island | 470 | 0.9 | 0.9× | $50k |
| New Hampshire | 430 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $48k |
| New Mexico | 400 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $46k |
| West Virginia | 370 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $43k |
| Montana | 330 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $47k |
| Hawaii | 230 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $52k |
| Wyoming | 220 | 0.8 | 0.8× | $50k |
| Vermont | 170 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $49k |
| Alaska | 140 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $70k |
| Delaware | 100 | 0.2 | 0.2× | $46k |
| Washington DC | 92 | 0.1 | 0.1× | $61k~ |
Top metro areas
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX5,050 jobs · $49k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX4,590 jobs · $47k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA4,580 jobs · $55k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN3,680 jobs · $49k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ3,250 jobs · $59k median
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA2,640 jobs · $63k median
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI2,590 jobs · $44k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA2,350 jobs · $47k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Paint Booth Operators interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.