Fence Erectors vs Painters, Construction and Maintenance: Similar Median Pay, Different Work

Fence Erectors vs Painters, Construction and Maintenance: what changes?

Consider Fence Erectors if you want to erect and repair fences and fence gates, using hand and power tools. Consider Painters, Construction and Maintenance if you would rather paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. Both list no formal educational credential; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Fence Erectors and Painters, Construction and Maintenance. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Fence Erectors

National median pay (2025): $47,980
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Establish the location for a fence, and gather information needed to ensure that there are no electric cables or water lines in the area.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,500

Know before you choose

Deadline pressure is a recurring condition rather than an occasional emergency.

See the full Fence Erectors brief

Painters, Construction and Maintenance

National median pay (2025): $49,400
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Cover surfaces with dropcloths or masking tape and paper to protect surfaces during painting.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 24,900

Know before you choose

Long periods of standing are part of the normal workday.

See the full Painters, Construction and Maintenance brief

How the national numbers differ

Painters, Construction and Maintenance has the edge on annual openings

Painters, Construction and Maintenance is at 24,900 annual openings, compared with 2,500 annual openings for Fence Erectors.

Fence Erectors has the edge on projected growth

Fence Erectors is at 5.6% projected growth, compared with 3% projected growth for Painters, Construction and Maintenance.

Painters, Construction and Maintenance has the edge on median pay

Painters, Construction and Maintenance is at $49,400, compared with $47,980 for Fence Erectors.

50.2/ 100

Fence Erectors

58.5/ 100

Painters, Construction and Maintenance

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence