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The national median salary for Paperhangers is $52,146 per year ($25.07/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $44,886 and $60,174 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $69,056 per year. There are approximately 1,570 paperhangers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+5.3%
Faster than average
Annual openings
200
per year, on avg
Workforce today
2K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
5% from new growth95% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 4 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
NAICS 541800
1K
$51,480
Building Finishing Contractors
NAICS 238300
300
$59,320
Building Material and Supplies Dealers
NAICS 444100
60
$53,560
Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing
NAICS 339900
30
$53,290
Wage range across top 5 industries: $51,480 to $59,320 (15% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$17.32
$36,026
P25
$21.58
$44,886
P50MEDIAN
$25.07
$52,146
P75
$28.93
$60,174
P90
$33.20
$69,056
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average paperhangers salary?
The national median salary for Paperhangers is $52,146 per year ($25.07/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $44,886 and $60,174 annually.
How much do top-earning paperhangers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Paperhangers is $69,056 per year ($33.20/hr). The 75th percentile is $60,174 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for paperhangers?
Entry-level Paperhangers (10th percentile) earn approximately $36,026 per year ($17.32/hr). The 25th percentile is $44,886 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.