Painting business coverage guide
Workers’ comp rates for painters, state by state
Updated 2026-06-11 · by Brokly
Direct answer: workers’ comp is required in nearly every state once painting contractors have employees — each state sets its own threshold and files its own rates. For NCCI class 5474 they span $2.35 to $13.84 per $100 of payroll (2024 filed) — New York is the most expensive, West Virginia the cheapest, and the median state pays $5.08. Pick your state below for its mandate and modeled dollar costs by business size.
Requirement: NAIC — Small Business Insurance. Thresholds vary by state — your state’s guide below has the statute.
How much is workers’ comp for painters in each state?
Calculated manual rates, $ per $100 payroll, NCCI class 5474 (Painting NOC), 2024. The study notes rates “may include loss cost multipliers and assessments.” Alphabetical; rank 1 = most expensive of 51. Linked state names open the state’s coverage guide; linked rates open the cost breakdown.
| State | Rate / $100 payroll | Typical painting business, modeled $/yr | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $4.60 | — | 33 |
| Alaska | $4.72 | — | 31 |
| Arizona | $3.67 | ≈$2.8k | 42 |
| Arkansas | $3.67 | — | 41 |
| California | $7.41 | ≈$5.9k | 7 |
| Colorado | $4.85 | ≈$3.5k | 29 |
| Connecticut | $7.34 | ≈$5.8k | 8 |
| Delaware | $4.19 | — | 37 |
| District of Columbia | $4.56 | — | 34 |
| Florida | $6.68 | ≈$3.3k | 12 |
| Georgia | $11.37 | ≈$7.3k | 3 |
| Hawaii | $7.94 | — | 4 |
| Idaho | $5.99 | ≈$4k | 18 |
| Illinois | $5.50 | ≈$3.6k | 22 |
| Indiana | $4.96 | ≈$3.3k | 27 |
| Iowa | $5.34 | ≈$3.4k | 25 |
| Kansas | $3.30 | — | 46 |
| Kentucky | $3.37 | — | 44 |
| Louisiana | $6.10 | — | 16 |
| Maine | $7.83 | — | 6 |
| Maryland | $3.74 | ≈$2.7k | 40 |
| Massachusetts | $4.03 | ≈$3.1k | 38 |
| Michigan | $4.60 | ≈$3.5k | 32 |
| Minnesota | $6.86 | ≈$5.1k | 10 |
| Mississippi | $3.85 | — | 39 |
| Missouri | $5.73 | ≈$4.2k | 20 |
| Montana | $6.76 | — | 11 |
| Nebraska | $4.92 | — | 28 |
| Nevada | $3.11 | ≈$2.7k | 50 |
| New Hampshire | $6.65 | — | 13 |
| New Jersey | $13.83 | ≈$9.6k | 2 |
| New Mexico | $4.49 | — | 35 |
| New York | $13.84 | ≈$9.2k | 1 |
| North Carolina | $5.44 | ≈$3.5k | 24 |
| North Dakota † | $3.43 | — | 43 |
| Ohio † | $7.83 | — | 5 |
| Oklahoma | $5.63 | — | 21 |
| Oregon | $4.82 | ≈$3.4k | 30 |
| Pennsylvania | $5.08 | ≈$4k | 26 |
| Rhode Island | $6.47 | — | 14 |
| South Carolina | $7.06 | — | 9 |
| South Dakota | $4.29 | — | 36 |
| Tennessee | $3.28 | ≈$2.8k | 47 |
| Texas | $5.80 | ≈$5.1k | 19 |
| Utah | $3.20 | ≈$2.1k | 48 |
| Vermont | $6.23 | — | 15 |
| Virginia | $3.18 | ≈$2.1k | 49 |
| Washington † | $5.50 | — | 23 |
| West Virginia | $2.35 | — | 51 |
| Wisconsin | $6.03 | ≈$4.6k | 17 |
| Wyoming † | $3.32 | — | 45 |
† monopolistic state — workers’ comp must be bought from the state fund; a private policy can’t satisfy the requirement there. Other unlinked states lack a published rate or a defensible business-size cohort. Modeled — not quotes: each figure prices that state’s most common painting business size band from the state’s own observed payroll (CBP 2023), so dollar order can differ from rate rank.
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)
Frequently asked questions
Why do rates for the same trade differ several-fold between states?
Each state approves its own rates from its own claims experience — benefit levels, medical costs, and litigation environments differ. The rate is per $100 of payroll, so state wage levels move the dollar premium too.
Is the rate what I’ll actually pay?
No — it’s the filed starting point. Your payroll sets the base, your claims history (experience mod) scales it, and insurer schedule credits move it further. Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation.