Insurance for your business
- Auto repair shops
- Bars
- Carpenters
- Electricians
- Fast food
- Home-health agencies
- Painters
- Physician offices
- Restaurants
- Roofers
- Trucking companies
Learn
Compare two coverages
Workers’ comp insurance cost for painters in California
Published 2026-06-11 · by Brokly
- 69% of CA painting contractors have <5 employees — the chart below prices every size band from its own observed payroll.
- California sits 7th of 51: NJ pays more ($13.83), FL less ($6.68).
- Workers’ comp is one of several coverages — see everything your painting business needs in California →
What do California painting contractors pay for workers’ comp?
Modeled annual premium across the real size distribution of CA painting contractors
bar height = how many painting contractors are that size · figures = modeled annual cost
Cohort: size distribution of 4,880 CA painting contractors (Census CBP 2023); premiums modeled from one filed rate ($7.41/$100 payroll, 2024). Bands shown cover 4,876 of 4,880 establishments (99.9%) — 4 establishments in larger, very small-count, or data-suppressed size bands are not shown. 2023 payroll dollars, not inflation-adjusted. Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation.
Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04) · US Census County Business Patterns 2023, state file (Painting and wall covering contractors (NAICS 238320)) (as of 2023, retrieved 2026-06-05)
How does California compare to nearby ranks?
Calculated manual rates, $ per $100 payroll, NCCI class 5474 (Painting NOC), 2024. See all 51 jurisdictions →
| Rank | State | Rate / $100 payroll |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Georgia | $11.37 |
| 4 | Hawaii | $7.94 |
| 5 | Ohio | $7.83 |
| 6 | Maine | $7.83 |
| 7 | California | $7.41 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $7.34 |
| 9 | South Carolina | $7.06 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $6.86 |
| 11 | Montana | $6.76 |
Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04)
Frequently asked questions
What does workers' comp cost painting contractors in California?
Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $7.41 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee painting business lands around $3.7k–$15k per year before experience mods and schedule credits.
What drives the rate up or down?
Three levers: payroll (the exposure base), claims history (the experience modifier), and schedule credits/debits the insurer applies. Painting work is NCCI class 5474 (Painting NOC, ‘not otherwise classified’) — the general classification for interior and exterior building painting that isn’t assigned a more specific painting class.
Painters in nearby-ranked states: Connecticut ($7.34) · Minnesota ($6.86) · Georgia ($11.37) · Florida ($6.68)
Stay informed
We’ll notify you when we’re ready to benchmark your painting business’s coverage.
No spam — one email.
Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation. Figures are modeled from public filings and Census data for 4,880 California painting contractors; your premium depends on your payroll, claims history, and carrier.