Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers in the U.S. is $58,930 ($28.33 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $58,930
- Mean annual wage
- $63,600
- Median hourly wage
- $28.33
- Employment
- 83,080
83,080 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,460 | $18.49 |
| 25th percentile | $47,440 | $22.81 |
| Median (50th) | $58,930 | $28.33 |
| 75th percentile | $74,230 | $35.69 |
| 90th percentile | $102,010 | $49.04 |
Highest-paying states for drywall and ceiling tile installers
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $104,830 | 800 |
| New Jersey | $75,080 | 1,340 |
| Alaska | $73,690 | 100 |
| Oregon | $73,530 | 1,680 |
| Washington | $73,130 | 2,670 |
| Massachusetts | $69,500 | 590 |
| California | $65,880 | 27,280 |
| Illinois | $63,180 | 740 |
| Missouri | $62,580 | 550 |
| New Hampshire | $61,960 | 370 |
Lowest-paying states
- Mississippi: $37,310 median annual wage
- Kansas: $39,890 median annual wage
- Idaho: $43,790 median annual wage
- Wyoming: $43,990 median annual wage
- Arkansas: $44,550 median annual wage
About this occupation
Apply plasterboard or other wallboard to ceilings or interior walls of buildings. Apply or mount acoustical tiles or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings and walls of buildings to reduce or reflect sound. Materials may be of decorative quality. Includes lathers who fasten wooden, metal, or rockboard lath to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings to provide support base for plaster, fireproofing, or acoustical material.
Typical tasks
- Nail channels or wood furring strips to surfaces to provide mounting for tile.
- Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.
- Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents.
- Coordinate work with drywall finishers who cover the seams between drywall panels.
- Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls.
- Trim rough edges from wallboard to maintain even joints, using knives.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: No formal educational credential
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 46.3% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 38.4% |
| Some college, no degree | 9.8% |
| Associate's degree | 2.9% |
| Bachelor's degree | 2.0% |
| Master's degree | 0.3% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.3% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
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- Carpenters$60,580
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- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$63,800
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance$49,400
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$57,020
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.