How much do drywall installers make in Wisconsin in 2026?

The median drywall installer in Wisconsin earns $59,970 a year, which works out to about $28.83 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the midpoint — half of Wisconsin's drywall installers earn more, half earn less. If you're trying to figure out where you stand or what to aim for, those two numbers are your starting point.

The bottom quarter of earners — the 25th percentile — brings in $47,940 annually, or roughly $23.05 an hour. These are typically workers who are newer to the trade, still building speed and technique, or picking up work in slower local markets. The top quarter clears $69,520 a year, about $33.42 an hour. At that level, you're usually looking at experienced hands who can hang, tape, and finish to a high standard, manage a crew, or work on commercial and multi-unit jobs that demand consistent quality and output.

That spread between the 25th and 75th percentile is more than $21,500 a year. That gap doesn't close on its own — it reflects real differences in skill, efficiency, and the type of work you're landing.

Wisconsin's drywall market is driven heavily by new residential construction and commercial build-outs, with the Milwaukee metro, Madison, and the Fox Cities (Appleton, Oshkosh, Green Bay corridor) generating steady work. Workers in those denser markets tend to push toward the upper end of the range because more projects compete for experienced labor. In rural parts of the state, work can be more sporadic, which affects both hours and rates.

Seasonality matters in Wisconsin more than in warmer states. Exterior work and new construction slow down during hard winters, which can cut hours from November through February. Drywall work is interior, which gives it more year-round stability than some trades — but if a framing crew or general contractor slows a project, you slow with it. The practical effect is that your annual income depends not just on your hourly rate but on how consistently you're working full weeks through the year.

Overtime is a real factor during busy stretches. A drywall installer at the median rate of $28.83 an hour earns $43.25 for every overtime hour (at 1.5x). A worker putting in 10 hours of overtime per week for 20 weeks adds over $8,650 to their annual gross — that alone can shift someone from the median toward the 75th percentile in total earnings, even without a rate increase.

The fastest way to raise your pay is to get faster and more versatile. Crews that can hang board, tape, apply finish coats, and texture command higher rates than those who only hang. Metal framing, fire-rated assemblies, and level 4 or level 5 finish work are skills that push you into commercial and high-end residential jobs where pay is better. Estimating and small-crew supervision also open doors to contractor or foreman pay that typically exceeds the BLS figures shown here.

Some workers in Wisconsin may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

One thing to understand about these BLS figures: they capture base wages reported by employers. They don't include the full picture of per diem pay, tool allowances, employer contributions to health insurance, or retirement benefits. Your total compensation package can be meaningfully higher than the wage numbers alone suggest, depending on your employer.

All figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release.