How much do drywall installers make in Georgia in 2026?

The median drywall installer in Georgia earns $58,260 a year, which works out to roughly $28.01 an hour based on a 2,080-hour work year. That's the middle of the road — half the installers in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working in a slower market, expect to land closer to the 25th percentile at $51,210 annually ($24.62/hr). Experienced hands on busy commercial or multifamily crews can push up to the 75th percentile at $62,050 a year ($29.83/hr).

The spread between the bottom quarter and the top quarter is about $10,840 per year. That gap is meaningful. It represents the difference between an entry-level worker hanging board on straightforward residential jobs and a seasoned installer running a fast-paced commercial project with tight tolerances and high square-footage demands. Speed, consistency, and the ability to read blueprints and handle metal framing all push your number toward the higher end.

Georgia's construction activity is concentrated heavily in the Atlanta metro, which drives significant demand for drywall labor. Large mixed-use developments, hotels, healthcare facilities, and school construction projects keep crews busy. Outside the metro — in markets like Savannah, Augusta, Macon, and Columbus — work is steadier than it used to be but still thinner than the Atlanta pipeline. Where you work in the state matters almost as much as how well you work.

The type of employer shapes your pay as well. General contractors on large commercial projects tend to pay more per hour than small residential subcontractors, partly because the job specs are tighter and the pace is faster. Specialty drywall subcontractors who focus on high-end finishes or Level 5 work often pay a premium because those skills are genuinely harder to find. Finishing — taping, mudding, and sanding — is a separate skill set from hanging, and finishers who do both competently command stronger wages.

No union scale data is available for drywall installers in Georgia through BLS OEWS. The state does not have the same level of unionization in this trade that you see in some northeastern or midwestern markets, so most wage negotiation happens directly between workers and employers or subcontractors.

Hours matter too. Drywall work is tied closely to construction schedules, which means periods of heavy overtime followed by slower stretches. An installer working 50-hour weeks during a busy push earns meaningfully more than the annual figures above suggest, since overtime pay kicks in after 40 hours. Tracking your actual hours and effective hourly rate across a full year gives you a clearer picture of what you're really making.

If you're looking to move up from the 25th to the 75th percentile, the most direct path is building speed without sacrificing quality, picking up metal stud framing skills alongside wood frame, and getting comfortable on commercial jobs where the volume is higher. Certification through the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI) can also signal competence to employers who have a choice between candidates.

All figures on this page come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. BLS OEWS collects data from employer payroll records and covers the full range of workers in each occupation, making it one of the most reliable benchmarks available for trades pay.