OverviewSalaryAboutEducationWhere are the jobsEmploymentGenderRace/Origin
Overview
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.
Explore Pathways
Titles for this career often contain these words
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Responsibilities and activities
Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers typically do the following:
- Measure, mark, and cut drywall panels according to design plans
- Fasten panels and tiles to support structures
- Patch, trim, and smooth rough spots and edges
- Apply tape and sealing compound to cover joints between wallboards
- Add coats of sealing compound to create an even surface
- Sand all joints and holes for a smooth, seamless finish
Drywall and ceiling tile installers place panels over the walls and ceilings of interior rooms in buildings. The panels cover insulation, electrical wires, and pipes; dampen sound; and provide fire resistance. Tapers prepare the drywall for finishing.
Workers may use mechanical lifts or stand on stilts, ladders, or scaffolds to hang and prepare ceilings. After hanging wallboards, workers use trowels to spread coats of sealing compound over cracks, indentations, and other imperfections. Some workers use a mechanical applicator, a tool that spreads sealing compound on the wall joint while dispensing and setting tape at the same time.
Drywall installers are also called drywallers or hangers. They cut and hang the panels of wallboard. The tools they use include tape measures, straightedges, utility knives, and power saws.
Ceiling tile installers hang ceiling tiles and create suspended ceilings. Tiles may be applied directly to the ceiling, attached to furring strips, or suspended on runners that are connected by wire to the ceiling. Workers are sometimes called acoustical carpenters, because they also install tiles that block sound.
Tapers, also called finishers, prepare the drywall for covering by paint and wallpaper. Tapers apply paper or fiberglass mesh tape to cover drywall seams. They also smooth the tape after affixing it and apply a finishing compound to the tape.
In addition to performing new installations, many installers and tapers make repairs such as fixing damaged drywall and replacing ceiling tiles. The wall coverings applied to the finished drywall are installed by painters, plasterers, and paperhangers.
Salary
Median salary: $47,460 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $37,140 and $61,980.
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
Number employed
About Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of drywall and ceiling tile installers who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
- Time Pressure (59%)
- Exposed to Contaminants (58%)
- Hazardous Equipment (53%)
- Responsible for Others' Health (47%)
- Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites (40%)
- High Places (33%)
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Ability to work at heights
Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers may be required to work on ladders, scaffolding, lifts, or stilts.
Attention to detail
Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers must take precise measurements, follow specific instructions, and be meticulous in their work.
Balance
Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers often wear stilts. They must be able to move around and use tools overhead without falling.
Dexterity
Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers work with hand tools on every job.
Math skills
Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers must be able to estimate the quantity of materials needed when cutting panels.
Physical stamina
Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers routinely lift and move heavy materials into place, so workers should be physically fit.
Physical strength
Drywall and ceiling tile installers must often lift heavy panels over their heads to secure onto the ceiling and must carry heavy materials to work areas.
Injury and Illness
About 147 drywall and ceiling tile installers become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 88% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.
Sprains, strains, tears
Bruises and contusions
Fractures
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by drywall and ceiling tile installers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), drywall and ceiling tile installers typically hold no formal educational credential.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for drywall and ceiling tile installers
There are no educational credential requirements for becoming a drywall installer, ceiling tile installer, or taper, although some employers prefer to hire candidates who have a high school diploma or equivalent.
A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required for workers starting an apprenticeship.
Education level of Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers
Only 2% of drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Programs recommended by the Department of Education
The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click the program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.
Program
Number of degrees awarded in 2018
Education
Education level of awarded degrees
Assoc./Cert.
Bachelor's
Graduate
Gender
Gender of graduates
Men
Women
Race/Origin
Race/origin of graduates
White
Minority
International
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most drywall and ceiling tile installers? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as drywall and ceiling tile installers. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where drywall and ceiling tile installers earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
- In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
- Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers (ACS for all specialties)
Employment
12% of Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 12% part-time workers, this occupation has a higher percentage of part-time workers than 48% of careers.
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
Gender
Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers and gender
With 3% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 91% of careers.
Gender of Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers
Men (98%)
Women (3%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
Context: Salary inequity
The median (middle) salary for all full-time male workers
in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women
by 19%, and the difference
for drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers tops that, with the median salary for
men 29% higher than the median
salary for women.
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers.
Race/origin of drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers
White (68% )
Other (21% )
Black (4% )
Hispanic (3% )
American Indian (2% )
Multiracial (2% )
Asian (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
