How much do drywall installers make in the US in 2026?

Which state is best for drywall installers?

Different states win on different measures — here's the top on each. Pick the one that matters to you.

Across 25 states: $45,080–$75,080 (median $58,440).

Drywall Installer pay by state

Where is the union premium biggest for Drywall Installers?

Named locals and the premium over the BLS all-worker median.

We don't have union scale data for Drywall Installer across our states yet — these states are predominantly non-union, or we haven't added IBEW/UA data. Submitting your pay helps build complete data for Drywall Installer.

Union landscape

TradesPays does not have union scale data for drywall installers in any of the 25 states we currently cover. That's a straightforward gap, not a judgment on how the trade is organized. Some drywall installers are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and if that applies to you, your local is the only reliable source for current scale rates, benefit contributions, and apprenticeship wage steps. We're not in a position to tell you whether union work pays more or less than the BLS figures shown here — that depends entirely on the agreement in your jurisdiction, the type of work (commercial, residential, light industrial), and what the current contract cycle looks like. Don't try to back-calculate union pay from a statewide median; those figures include both union and non-union workers and won't reflect your actual scale. Go to your local directly and ask for the current wage schedule. That's the only number worth building a decision on.

What we don't track yet

Two things are missing from the TradesPays drywall data that we want to be upfront about. First, we don't have metro-level breakdowns. The state figures — like New Jersey's $75,080 or North Carolina's $45,080 — are statewide averages. A drywall installer working in a high-cost metro inside one of those states could see meaningfully different numbers, and right now we can't show you that split. Second, we don't carry experience-tier data for this trade beyond what union scale would provide (which, as noted, we don't have). There's no apprentice, journeyman, or foreman wage split in our current dataset. What you see is the full-workforce distribution at the state level. Both of these are things we're working to fix. If you're a drywall installer, contractor, or estimator sitting on real payroll data — rates by tier, by city, by project type — we want it. Submit what you know through the data contribution form. Specific, sourced numbers help every worker who looks this trade up.

Drywall Installer pay: FAQ

What is the national median wage for drywall installers?

The national median is $58,930 per year, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. That's the midpoint — half of drywall installers earn more, half earn less.

What does the pay range look like across the middle of the workforce?

The 25th percentile is $47,440 and the 75th percentile is $74,230. If you're somewhere in that band, you're in the middle half of earners nationally. Workers below $47,440 or above $74,230 are at the tails of the distribution.

Which states pay drywall installers the most in the TradesPays dataset?

Among the 25 states TradesPays currently covers, New Jersey leads at $75,080, followed by Washington at $73,130 and Massachusetts at $69,500.

Which state in the dataset has the lowest drywall installer wages?

North Carolina is the lowest in our current 25-state set at $45,080. Keep in mind we don't yet have data for all 50 states, so this reflects only the states we cover.

Does TradesPays have pay data broken down by city or metro area for drywall installers?

Not yet. All figures are statewide. A drywall installer working in a major metro may earn differently than the state average suggests, but we can't show that split right now. It's on the list of data we're building toward.

Are there wage tiers for apprentice, journeyman, or foreman drywall installers on TradesPays?

No. The current dataset covers the full workforce at the state level without experience-tier breakdowns. If you're covered by a collective bargaining agreement, contact your local for the current wage schedule by tier — that's the only accurate source for those numbers.

How current is the drywall installer pay data on TradesPays?

The figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. That's the most recent national dataset available from BLS at the time this page was published.

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