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Median $68,270
Occupation · SOC 47-2081
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers: pay and where the jobs are
What drywall and ceiling tile installers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$58,930 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $63,600
- Median hourly wage
- $28.33
- Mean hourly wage
- $30.58
- Employment
- 83,080
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2081.
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See where your pay falls among drywall and ceiling tile installers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do drywall and ceiling tile installers make?
The median annual wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers was $58,930 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $38,460 and the highest-paid 10% more than $102,010. As an hourly rate, the median is $28.33. About 83,080 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Hawaii ($104,830), New Jersey ($75,080) and Alaska ($73,690). Hawaii also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for drywall and ceiling tile installers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,460 | $18.49 | $3,205 | $2,757 |
| 25th percentile | $47,440 | $22.81 | $3,953 | $3,358 |
| Median | $58,930 | $28.33 | $4,911 | $4,128 |
| 75th percentile | $74,230 | $35.69 | $6,186 | $5,088 |
| 90th percentile | $102,010 | $49.04 | $8,501 | $6,716 |
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers: pay by state
50 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$69,144 take-home in national prices
2
$59,008 take-home in national prices
3
$55,561 take-home in national prices
Where a median drywall and ceiling tile installer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 800 | $104,830 | $50,230 | $119,660 | $76,025 | $69,144 |
| New Jersey | 1,340 | $75,080 | $37,990 | $118,200 | $58,543 | $53,805 |
| Alaska | 100 | $73,690 | $46,800 | $88,300 | $60,400 | $59,008 |
| Oregon | 1,680 | $73,530 | $36,460 | $114,670 | $55,163 | $53,369 |
| Washington | 2,670 | $73,130 | $50,360 | $127,970 | $59,263 | $55,379 |
| Massachusetts | 590 | $69,500 | $34,220 | $93,810 | $54,149 | $51,201 |
| California | 27,280 | $65,880 | $46,050 | $120,240 | $52,213 | $47,158 |
| Illinois | 740 | $63,180 | $41,870 | $110,620 | $49,963 | $49,984 |
| Missouri | 550 | $62,580 | $46,310 | $91,780 | $50,459 | $55,561 |
| New Hampshire | 370 | $61,960 | $44,180 | $102,130 | $51,965 | $49,887 |
| Colorado | 1,560 | $61,780 | $44,520 | $79,460 | $49,538 | $48,071 |
| Ohio | 1,680 | $61,420 | $42,410 | $74,400 | $50,285 | $54,202 |
| Minnesota | 1,050 | $61,290 | $45,570 | $91,520 | $48,513 | $49,191 |
| New York | 2,840 | $61,280 | $46,860 | $118,450 | $48,410 | $44,857 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,690 | $61,160 | $39,410 | $77,980 | $49,402 | $50,631 |
| Connecticut | 300 | $60,480 | $45,690 | $82,480 | $47,897 | $46,228 |
| Montana | 170 | $60,140 | $45,870 | $79,240 | $48,433 | $51,173 |
| Maine | 150 | $60,080 | $49,070 | $71,220 | $47,776 | $49,229 |
| Wisconsin | 1,140 | $59,970 | $38,490 | $85,340 | $48,298 | $51,329 |
| Vermont | 90 | $59,820 | $47,590 | $71,280 | $48,675 | $49,690 |
| Michigan | 1,050 | $58,440 | $42,640 | $76,960 | $46,904 | $48,748 |
| Georgia | 690 | $58,260 | $34,180 | $78,990 | $46,833 | $48,636 |
| Virginia | 2,480 | $55,840 | $39,040 | $71,330 | $44,651 | $44,163 |
| Maryland | 1,470 | $54,680 | $39,400 | $73,230 | $43,884 | $41,811 |
| New Mexico | 580 | $53,900 | $37,440 | $77,150 | $44,121 | $47,847 |
| Nevada | 2,980 | $52,280 | $41,430 | $101,780 | $44,187 | $44,196 |
| Iowa | 290 | $51,030 | $36,750 | $67,650 | $41,895 | $47,737 |
| Utah | 2,610 | $51,020 | $37,160 | $68,920 | $41,444 | $41,920 |
| Arizona | 2,590 | $50,290 | $37,470 | $66,750 | $41,725 | $41,444 |
| Delaware | 350 | $50,170 | $35,720 | $62,390 | $40,183 | $40,261 |
| Indiana | 680 | $49,810 | $43,730 | $69,850 | $40,762 | $43,676 |
| Florida | 6,000 | $48,970 | $33,460 | $61,520 | $41,527 | $40,156 |
| South Dakota | 360 | $48,850 | $42,400 | $59,380 | $41,431 | $46,769 |
| Nebraska | 770 | $48,620 | $37,140 | $62,580 | $39,914 | $44,298 |
| Kentucky | 490 | $48,340 | $23,020 | $68,760 | $39,447 | $43,753 |
| Alabama | 650 | $48,000 | $37,280 | $60,890 | $38,767 | $43,645 |
| Texas | 5,760 | $47,590 | $35,260 | $61,030 | $40,419 | $41,644 |
| Tennessee | 1,150 | $47,510 | $37,220 | $65,650 | $40,354 | $43,925 |
| Louisiana | 310 | $47,420 | $28,310 | $77,740 | $39,246 | $44,493 |
| Rhode Island | 440 | $47,110 | $38,090 | $79,510 | $38,365 | $37,510 |
| Oklahoma | 280 | $46,080 | $41,860 | $49,790 | $37,677 | $42,891 |
| South Carolina | 340 | $45,340 | $32,340 | $68,600 | $37,920 | $40,449 |
| North Dakota | 130 | $45,110 | $37,340 | $57,510 | $38,426 | $43,195 |
| North Carolina | 1,520 | $45,080 | $31,420 | $60,180 | $37,112 | $39,344 |
| Arkansas | 240 | $44,550 | $34,520 | $48,800 | $36,815 | $42,347 |
| Wyoming | 140 | $43,990 | $39,470 | $55,470 | $37,526 | $40,485 |
| Idaho | 920 | $43,790 | $29,580 | $64,820 | $36,153 | $37,859 |
| Kansas | 650 | $39,890 | $35,880 | $61,410 | $32,805 | $36,423 |
| Mississippi | 110 | $37,310 | $28,100 | $52,900 | $31,398 | $36,109 |
| Puerto Rico | 320 | $28,420 | $22,010 | $48,930 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2081. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.