Paperhangers Salary
The median pay for a paperhangers in St. Louis, MO-IL is $59,990/year ($28.84/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $52K at the entry level to $70K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $63,088 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,218/month, about 30.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $60K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About paperhangers
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What this looks like in St. Louis
St. Louis sits well above the national pay line for paperhangers, local pay runs about 15% higher than the U.S. median of $52K. Rent runs $1,218/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 30.3% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level paperhangers (10th percentile) start around $52K. Mid-career wages sit at $60K. Top earners bring in $70K or more, a $18K spread from bottom to top.
Paperhangers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Paperhangers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $63K | +20% | 130 |
| Pennsylvania | $62K | +19% | 30 |
| New York | $60K | +16% | 300 |
| Missouri | $60K | +14% | N/A |
| Indiana | $55K | +5% | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $52K | -1% | N/A |
| Florida | $49K | -6% | 30 |
| North Carolina | $49K | -7% | 100 |
| Colorado | $48K | -8% | 130 |
| Ohio | $48K | -8% | 70 |
| South Carolina | $47K | -10% | 50 |
| Washington | $46K | -11% | N/A |
| Tennessee | $46K | -12% | 40 |
Showing 1–10 of 13 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track paperhangers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a paperhanger afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $60K, rent takes 30.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for paperhangers in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new paperhangers typically earn — is $52K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,118/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 39% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is paperhanger a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Local pay is 15% above the national median — $60K here vs. $52K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for paperhangers?
St. Louis pays $60K median vs. the U.S. average of $52K — that’s +15%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $63K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do paperhangers make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $59,990 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $51,970, and experienced paperhangers can clear $69,640. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $60K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,015/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 30.3% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a paperhangers salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median paperhangers salary is worth about $63,088 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do paperhangers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.