Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Career, Salary and Skills

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $58,930 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 83,080. Wage data is published for 219 locations.

Occupation description

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.

O*NET code

47-2081.00

Job zone

2

Typical education

Less than a High School Diploma

Experience

Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

National salary and employment

Median annual

$58,930

Hourly median

$28.33

Employment

83,080

Data year

2025

National salary distribution

$38,460
10th
$47,440
25th
$58,930
Median
$74,230
75th
$102,010
90th

Top skills

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Typical tasks

  • Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
  • Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
  • Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
  • Hang drywall panels on metal frameworks of walls and ceilings in offices, schools, or other large buildings, using lifts or hoists to adjust panel heights, when necessary.
  • Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws.
  • Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools.
  • Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks.
  • Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.
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Technology

  • Business management software
  • Construction Software Center EasyEst
  • DevWave Estimate Works
  • Job costing software
  • Logic Group Scanner Digitizing Software
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Microsoft Word
  • On Center Quick Bid
  • Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal
  • Wilhelm Publishing Threshold
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Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers salary by location

Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.

All 219 locations →

Related careers

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.