Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Salary: $78,450 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 82,900 drywall and ceiling tile installers nationally earn a mean of $78,450. Employment in the series shown fell about 12% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.0% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers: what the data shows
Common questions about drywall and ceiling tile installers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a drywall and ceiling tile installers?
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 47-2081.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 82,900 workers.
What does a drywall and ceiling tile installers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a drywall and ceiling tile installers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $58,140 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $78,450 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,301 |
| 25th percentile | $59,725 |
| Median (50th) | $67,816 |
| 75th percentile | $96,269 |
| 90th percentile | $125,720 |
What education do you need?
For Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Coordination, Time Management, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Building and Construction, Mathematics, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is drywall and ceiling tile installers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.0% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -5.0%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -9.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 82,900.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do drywall and ceiling tile installerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 82,900 | 17.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 82,830 | 17.1% |
| Construction | 80,860 | 16.7% |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 70,850 | 14.7% |
| Building Finishing Contractors | 67,920 | 14.0% |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors | 65,140 | 13.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers workforce.
Employment Over Time
82,900 Workforce in 2023
The Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$78,450 Average Wage
In 2023, Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers earned an average of $78,450.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Salary distribution for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
102,338 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -5.0%
97,261 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -9.7%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-0.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 27,350 employees, $76,210 avg wage
- TX: 6,300 employees, $50,510 avg wage
- FL: 4,970 employees, $45,700 avg wage
- WA: 3,710 employees, $78,270 avg wage
- AZ: 3,420 employees, $50,240 avg wage
- NY: 2,940 employees, $66,580 avg wage
- NV: 2,930 employees, $56,690 avg wage
- NC: 1,860 employees, $49,190 avg wage
- UT: 1,830 employees, $51,270 avg wage
- VA: 1,800 employees, $54,380 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 7,690 employees, $73,730 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 3,520 employees, $64,960 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 3,100 employees, $76,300 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 2,920 employees, $90,340 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: 2,570 employees, $72,910 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 2,480 employees, $51,530 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 2,390 employees, $82,110 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2,190 employees, $51,380 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2,160 employees, $69,370 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: 2,070 employees, $94,620 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers in 2023 was 82,900 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers workers.
Education level distribution for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Skills
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Coordination, Time Management, Speaking.
Required skills for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers include Building and Construction, Mathematics, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers include Arm-Hand Steadiness, Extent Flexibility, Near Vision, Manual Dexterity, Trunk Strength.
Required abilities for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
Daily Activities
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers spend their time on activities such as Handling and Moving Objects, Getting Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.
About
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
The average yearly wage for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers was $78,450 in 2023.
SOC Code
47-2081 - Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers reports an average salary of $78,450.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 82,900 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.