Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
47-2081 Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
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. Excludes “Carpenters” (47-2031), “Carpet Installers” (47-2041), and “Tile and Stone Setters” (47-2044).
National estimates for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
Industry profile for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
Geographic profile for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
National estimates for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 97,070 |
2.3 % |
$ 26.35 |
$ 54,810 |
1.1 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 14.64 |
$ 18.27 |
$ 23.09 |
$ 29.80 |
$ 45.96 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 30,460 |
$ 38,000 |
$ 48,040 |
$ 61,980 |
$ 95,600 |
Industry profile for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Building Finishing Contractors |
79,600 |
9.84 |
$ 26.14 |
$ 54,370 |
| Nonresidential Building Construction |
6,110 |
0.79 |
$ 31.11 |
$ 64,710 |
| Residential Building Construction |
5,760 |
0.69 |
$ 27.63 |
$ 57,460 |
| Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors |
2,450 |
0.26 |
$ 24.89 |
$ 51,770 |
| Employment Services |
950 |
0.03 |
$ 20.04 |
$ 41,670 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Building Finishing Contractors |
79,600 |
9.84 |
$ 26.14 |
$ 54,370 |
| Nonresidential Building Construction |
6,110 |
0.79 |
$ 31.11 |
$ 64,710 |
| Residential Building Construction |
5,760 |
0.69 |
$ 27.63 |
$ 57,460 |
| Other Wood Product Manufacturing |
800 |
0.34 |
$ 16.61 |
$ 34,550 |
| Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors |
2,450 |
0.26 |
$ 24.89 |
$ 51,770 |
Top paying industries for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nonresidential Building Construction |
6,110 |
0.79 |
$ 31.11 |
$ 64,710 |
| Building Equipment Contractors |
390 |
0.02 |
$ 28.16 |
$ 58,570 |
| Residential Building Construction |
5,760 |
0.69 |
$ 27.63 |
$ 57,460 |
| Building Finishing Contractors |
79,600 |
9.84 |
$ 26.14 |
$ 54,370 |
| Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors |
2,450 |
0.26 |
$ 24.89 |
$ 51,770 |
Geographic profile for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
29,820 |
1.80 |
2.62 |
$ 32.84 |
$ 68,310 |
| Texas |
7,180 |
0.59 |
0.85 |
$ 21.13 |
$ 43,960 |
| Florida |
6,600 |
0.77 |
1.11 |
$ 19.62 |
$ 40,800 |
| New York |
5,240 |
0.61 |
0.88 |
$ 25.84 |
$ 53,740 |
| Washington |
4,040 |
1.26 |
1.83 |
$ 32.46 |
$ 67,510 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Idaho |
1,390 |
1.84 |
2.67 |
$ 20.43 |
$ 42,500 |
| Nevada |
2,340 |
1.81 |
2.63 |
$ 21.45 |
$ 44,620 |
| California |
29,820 |
1.80 |
2.62 |
$ 32.84 |
$ 68,310 |
| Hawaii |
830 |
1.51 |
2.19 |
$ 38.75 |
$ 80,590 |
| Utah |
2,340 |
1.51 |
2.19 |
$ 21.13 |
$ 43,960 |
Top paying states for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hawaii |
830 |
1.51 |
2.19 |
$ 38.75 |
$ 80,590 |
| California |
29,820 |
1.80 |
2.62 |
$ 32.84 |
$ 68,310 |
| Washington |
4,040 |
1.26 |
1.83 |
$ 32.46 |
$ 67,510 |
| Oregon |
1,790 |
0.98 |
1.42 |
$ 31.18 |
$ 64,860 |
| Minnesota |
850 |
0.31 |
0.45 |
$ 29.34 |
$ 61,030 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
8,750 |
1.53 |
2.22 |
$ 32.42 |
$ 67,440 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
4,590 |
0.53 |
0.77 |
$ 27.40 |
$ 56,990 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
4,160 |
2.72 |
3.95 |
$ 28.84 |
$ 59,990 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
3,320 |
1.48 |
2.15 |
$ 39.69 |
$ 82,560 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
3,150 |
2.26 |
3.29 |
$ 33.83 |
$ 70,370 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
2,960 |
1.40 |
2.03 |
$ 23.48 |
$ 48,840 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
2,700 |
1.41 |
2.05 |
$ 34.77 |
$ 72,310 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
2,580 |
2.62 |
3.81 |
$ 29.74 |
$ 61,860 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
2,520 |
0.70 |
1.02 |
$ 21.85 |
$ 45,450 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
2,460 |
2.30 |
3.34 |
$ 41.53 |
$ 86,380 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| St. George, UT |
270 |
3.54 |
5.14 |
$ 19.41 |
$ 40,380 |
| Coeur d'Alene, ID |
200 |
3.13 |
4.54 |
$ 21.69 |
$ 45,110 |
| Visalia-Porterville, CA |
450 |
2.98 |
4.33 |
$ 23.73 |
$ 49,350 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
550 |
2.85 |
4.14 |
$ 37.72 |
$ 78,460 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL |
740 |
2.79 |
4.05 |
$ 18.71 |
$ 38,930 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
4,160 |
2.72 |
3.95 |
$ 28.84 |
$ 59,990 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
2,580 |
2.62 |
3.81 |
$ 29.74 |
$ 61,860 |
| Reno, NV |
590 |
2.50 |
3.63 |
$ 21.54 |
$ 44,790 |
| Yuba City, CA |
120 |
2.48 |
3.60 |
$ 25.66 |
$ 53,370 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
2,460 |
2.30 |
3.34 |
$ 41.53 |
$ 86,380 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
2,460 |
2.30 |
3.34 |
$ 41.53 |
$ 86,380 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
3,320 |
1.48 |
2.15 |
$ 39.69 |
$ 82,560 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
110 |
1.65 |
2.39 |
$ 39.16 |
$ 81,460 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
630 |
1.58 |
2.30 |
$ 38.93 |
$ 80,970 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
550 |
2.85 |
4.14 |
$ 37.72 |
$ 78,460 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
2,700 |
1.41 |
2.05 |
$ 34.77 |
$ 72,310 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA |
3,150 |
2.26 |
3.29 |
$ 33.83 |
$ 70,370 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
1,190 |
1.06 |
1.54 |
$ 33.46 |
$ 69,590 |
| Napa, CA |
60 |
0.91 |
1.32 |
$ 32.47 |
$ 67,540 |
| Salinas, CA |
220 |
1.27 |
1.85 |
$ 32.45 |
$ 67,490 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
