Tapers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$68,270
United States, 2025
Employment
12,840
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surface for painting or papering.
- O*NET code
- 47-2082.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- Press paper tape over joints to embed tape into sealing compound and to seal joints.
- Spread and smooth cementing material over tape, using trowels or floating machines to blend joints with wall surfaces.
- Spread sealing compound between boards or panels or over cracks, holes, nail heads, or screw heads, using trowels, broadknives, or spatulas.
- Work on high ceilings, using scaffolding or other tools, such as stilts.
- Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surfaces for painting or papering.
- Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth.
- Countersink nails or screws below surfaces of walls before applying sealing compounds, using hammers or screwdrivers.
- Mix sealing compounds by hand or with portable electric mixers.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$43,670
25th percentile
$52,730
75th percentile
$88,540
90th percentile
$107,110
Most important skills
- Monitoring2.9
- Active Listening2.8
- Time Management2.8
- Speaking2.6
- Coordination2.6
- Social Perceptiveness2.6
- Critical Thinking2.5
- Reading Comprehension2.1
- Quality Control Analysis2.1
- Judgment and Decision Making2.1
- Learning Strategies2.0
- Service Orientation2.0
What skills do you need?
No skill ratings are recorded for this occupation in the current O*NET release.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $46,170
Compare with TapersSupplemental
National median $47,550
Compare with TapersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| IL | $113,180 | 320 | 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | $113,180 | 290 | 2025 |
| HI | $95,490 | 170 | 2025 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $95,490 | 160 | 2025 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $95,010 | 50 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $92,810 | 480 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $92,490 | 360 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $84,840 | 470 | 2025 |
| PA | $82,240 | 60 | 2025 |
| St. Louis, MO | $81,400 | 130 | 2025 |
| Kansas City, MO | $81,040 | 50 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $81,000 | — | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $80,340 | 1,120 | 2025 |
| WA | $79,040 | 1,550 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $78,090 | 210 | 2025 |
| MN | $78,090 | 220 | 2025 |
| NY | $77,790 | — | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $76,720 | 420 | 2025 |
| Stockton, CA | $75,850 | 90 | 2025 |
| KS | $74,120 | 30 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Tapers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.