Painters (Construction and Maintenance) build time management, social perceptiveness and coordination skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Furniture Finishers (84%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furniture Finishers | 84% | $44,540 | −10% | None |
| 2 | Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers | 81% | $41,600 | −16% | None |
| 3 | Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters | 75% | $47,550 | −4% | None |
| 4 | Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons | 74% | $40,470 | −18% | None |
| 5 | Hazardous Materials Removal Workers | 73% | $49,450 | 0% | None |
| 6 | Helpers--Roofers | 73% | $44,160 | −11% | None |
| 7 | Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic | 72% | $46,170 | −7% | None |
| 8 | Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing | 72% | $46,170Pay for the broader BLS group “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” | Not compared | None |
| 9 | Fence Erectors | 71% | $47,980 | −3% | None |
| 10 | Upholsterers | 71% | $46,340 | −6% | None |
Compared with Painters, Construction and Maintenance, median $49,400. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as painters (construction and maintenance) (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
84% skill match · $44,540 · −10% pay
Complex Problem Solving · Operations Monitoring · Quality Control Analysis
81% skill match · $41,600 · −16% pay
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
75% skill match · $47,550 · −4% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Operation and Control · Troubleshooting
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Furniture Finishers (84% skill match, median $44,540), Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers (81% skill match, median $41,600) and Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters (75% skill match, median $47,550), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 6 pay more than painters (construction and maintenance) at the median. The biggest increases: Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers (+39%, $68,840), Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters (+24%, $61,390) and Firefighters (+20%, $59,280).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.