- West Virginia is 50th of the 50 states with published figures, in the bottom ten for this trade.
- West Virginia pays less than all 5 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 370 powder coaters on payrolls in West Virginia.
- At the state median wage, a powder coating shop needs to bill about $106.85 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Powder Coater pay in West Virginia, bottom to top
BLS has no separate figure for powder coaters. These are its numbers for coating, painting and spraying machine setters, operators and tenders, the closest group: workers who set up and run the machines and lines that coat, paint or spray products. They count workers on a payroll, so owners who run their own coating shop are not in them.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $15.23 | $31,680 | $17.43 |
| 25th percentile | $18.23 | $37,910 | $19.52 |
| Median | $20.65 | $42,950 | $23.20 |
| 75th percentile | $24.37 | $50,690 | $28.69 |
| 90th percentile | $30.21 | $62,840 | $35.93 |
| Average (mean) | $22.22 | $46,220 | $25.30 |
From the bottom tenth ($15.23) to the top tenth ($30.21), the top of the scale pays about 2 times the bottom in West Virginia, close to the 2.1 times spread for powder coaters nationwide.
Both ends trail the national figures. The bottom tenth earn $2.20 an hour less than the bottom tenth nationally, and the top tenth $5.72 less than the national top tenth.
The average wage, $22.22, sits 8% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical powder coater makes.
How West Virginia compares with other states
Over a full year, the West Virginia median of $42,950 is $5,300 less than the national $48,250.
Every other state with published figures pays at least as much. The next lowest is Alabama at $21.27; the highest is Alaska at $33.61.
Every one of the neighboring states pays powder coaters more than West Virginia. The closest is Kentucky at $22.68, and the biggest gap is with Maryland.
BLS wages are not adjusted for living costs. Lower pay often comes with lower housing costs, so the gap in take-home value can be smaller than the gap in wages.
Every state ranked, with the national pay range: national powder coater salary by state.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | $20.65 | $42,950 | |
| Kentucky | $22.68 | $47,170 | +$2.03 an hour |
| Maryland | $26.69 | $55,510 | +$6.04 an hour |
| Ohio | $23.34 | $48,550 | +$2.69 an hour |
| Pennsylvania | $23.24 | $48,340 | +$2.59 an hour |
| Virginia | $23.98 | $49,880 | +$3.33 an hour |
How many powder coaters work in West Virginia
About 370 powder coaters work on payrolls in West Virginia, 0.2% of the 158,740 nationwide, the 44th largest count among the states.
It is a smaller part of local jobs than in most of the country, at 0.5 per 1,000 jobs, 0.51 times the national share.
What a powder coating shop in West Virginia should charge
A lower wage helps the price less than you might expect, because the overhead does not shrink with it. Here is a powder coating shop in West Virginia paying the state median of $20.65, on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers: 40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit.
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $20.65 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $46,238 |
| Break-even rate | ($46,238 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $90.83 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $90.83 ÷ 0.85 | $106.85 |
That is $106.85 per billable hour, 5.2 times the wage, and $4.48 less than the $111.33 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $24.37 in West Virginia, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $113.39.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $18.23, the rate only drops to $102.60.
At this wage, overhead is most of the price: $60 of every billed hour goes to it before anyone is paid. Spreading the same overhead over more billable hours, with a second person or less drive time, brings the rate down fastest.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as a powder coater in West Virginia
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how powder coating shops run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 51-9124, coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: powder coater salary by state.