Workers’ comp insurance cost for painters in Maryland

Q: What does workers' comp cost painting contractors in Maryland?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $3.74 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee painting business lands around $1.7k–$7k per year before experience mods and schedule credits.

Q: 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.

Published 2026-06-11 · by Brokly

Direct answer: Maryland painting contractors pay a filed workers’-comp manual rate of $3.74 per $100 of payroll (2024 filed rate) — the 40th-highest of 51 US jurisdictions. Modeled on real payrolls, most <5-employee painting contractors land around $1.7k–$7k/yr, before experience mods and schedule credits.

72% of MD painting contractors have <5 employees — the chart below prices every size band from its own observed payroll.
Maryland sits 40th of 51: NM pays more ($4.49), WY less ($3.32).
Workers’ comp is one of several coverages — see everything your painting business needs in Maryland →

What do Maryland painting contractors pay for workers’ comp?

Modeled annual premium across the real size distribution of MD painting contractors

bar height = how many painting contractors are that size · figures = modeled annual cost

typical · most MD painting contractors

▼

<5 emp

≈$2.7k/yr

5–9 emp

≈$12k/yr

10–19 emp

≈$28k/yr

20–49 emp

≈$80k/yr

50–99 emp

≈$160k/yr

SMALLER

MID-SIZE

LARGER

A <5-employee MD painting business: modeled $1.7k–$7k/yr in workers’-comp premium (that band’s own average wage, before experience mods and schedule credits). Bar heights show how many of the 681 MD painting contractors fall in each size band.

Cohort: size distribution of 681 MD painting contractors (Census CBP 2023); premiums modeled from one filed rate ($3.74/$100 payroll, 2024). Bands shown cover 680 of 681 establishments (99.9%) — 1 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.

Filed manual rate (MD)

$3.74 / $100 payroll

as of 2024

Typical <5-employee painting business (72% of MD)

$1.7k–$7k / yr modeled

as of 2024 · CBP 2023

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 Maryland 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
36	South Dakota	$4.29
37	Delaware	$4.19
38	Massachusetts	$4.03
39	Mississippi	$3.85
40	Maryland	$3.74
41	Arkansas	$3.67
42	Arizona	$3.67
43	North Dakota	$3.43
44	Kentucky	$3.37

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 Maryland?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $3.74 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee painting business lands around $1.7k–$7k 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: Arizona ($3.67) · Massachusetts ($4.03) · Tennessee ($3.28) · Michigan ($4.60)

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 681 Maryland painting contractors; your premium depends on your payroll, claims history, and carrier.