Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
Also called: Drywall Finisher, Drywall Hanger, Drywall Installer, Drywall MechanicApply 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 24 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 5.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 97% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.12.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $48,000 | $41,670 to $51,470 | 650 |
| Alaska | $73,690 | $60,800 to $75,850 | 100 |
| Arizona | $50,290 | $41,610 to $58,770 | 2,590 |
| Arkansas | $44,550 | $37,070 to $47,100 | 240 |
| California | $65,880 | $55,810 to $85,180 | 27,280 |
| Colorado | $61,780 | $48,730 to $70,250 | 1,560 |
| Connecticut | $60,480 | $47,840 to $77,580 | 300 |
| Delaware | $50,170 | $39,110 to $61,280 | 350 |
| Florida | $48,970 | $39,260 to $54,730 | 6,000 |
| Georgia | $58,260 | $51,210 to $62,050 | 690 |
| Hawaii | $104,830 | $73,550 to $115,380 | 800 |
| Idaho | $43,790 | $35,580 to $57,570 | 920 |
| Illinois | $63,180 | $51,540 to $102,480 | 740 |
| Indiana | $49,810 | $45,850 to $63,410 | 680 |
| Iowa | $51,030 | $44,800 to $61,770 | 290 |
| Kansas | $39,890 | $35,880 to $55,930 | 650 |
| Kentucky | $48,340 | $41,430 to $57,730 | 490 |
| Louisiana | $47,420 | $33,290 to $60,730 | 310 |
| Maine | $60,080 | $52,350 to $64,450 | 150 |
| Maryland | $54,680 | $47,750 to $60,770 | 1,470 |
| Massachusetts | $69,500 | $61,390 to $80,280 | 590 |
| Michigan | $58,440 | $47,470 to $70,720 | 1,050 |
| Minnesota | $61,290 | $57,950 to $77,600 | 1,050 |
| Mississippi | $37,310 | $30,070 to $44,550 | 110 |
| Missouri | $62,580 | $52,760 to $80,570 | 550 |
| Montana | $60,140 | $48,540 to $65,790 | 170 |
| Nebraska | $48,620 | $45,010 to $59,690 | 770 |
| Nevada | $52,280 | $46,730 to $63,000 | 2,980 |
| New Hampshire | $61,960 | $55,690 to $74,880 | 370 |
| New Jersey | $75,080 | $53,680 to $115,270 | 1,340 |
| New Mexico | $53,900 | $43,690 to $75,010 | 580 |
| New York | $61,280 | $52,460 to $75,580 | 2,840 |
| North Carolina | $45,080 | $36,240 to $50,530 | 1,520 |
| North Dakota | $45,110 | $43,940 to $48,490 | 130 |
| Ohio | $61,420 | $49,190 to $70,940 | 1,680 |
| Oklahoma | $46,080 | $45,760 to $48,370 | 280 |
| Oregon | $73,530 | $50,670 to $105,950 | 1,680 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,160 | $48,430 to $70,740 | 1,690 |
| Puerto Rico | $28,420 | $25,220 to $29,540 | 320 |
| Rhode Island | $47,110 | $41,620 to $73,070 | 440 |
| South Carolina | $45,340 | $38,180 to $53,160 | 340 |
| South Dakota | $48,850 | $47,980 to $58,080 | 360 |
| Tennessee | $47,510 | $39,470 to $56,540 | 1,150 |
| Texas | $47,590 | $40,100 to $58,430 | 5,760 |
| Utah | $51,020 | $45,220 to $59,710 | 2,610 |
| Vermont | $59,820 | $48,000 to $64,480 | 90 |
| Virginia | $55,840 | $47,510 to $60,770 | 2,480 |
| Washington | $73,130 | $62,720 to $100,780 | 2,670 |
| Wisconsin | $59,970 | $47,940 to $69,520 | 1,140 |
| Wyoming | $43,990 | $43,680 to $54,310 | 140 |
Nationally: $58,930. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 24 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools. | Not published |
| Not much | 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. | Not published |
| Not much | Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws. | Not published |
| Not much | Trim rough edges from wallboard to maintain even joints, using knives. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices. | Not published |
| Not much | Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements. | Not published |
See all 24 tasks
| AI + software | Coordinate work with drywall finishers who cover the seams between drywall panels. | Not published |
| Not much | Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Install blanket insulation between studs and tack plastic moisture barriers over insulation. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks. | Not published |
| Not much | Scribe and cut edges of tile to fit walls where wall molding is not specified. | Not published |
| Not much | Fasten metal or rockboard lath to the structural framework of walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using nails, screws, staples, or wire-ties. | Not published |
| Not much | Hang dry lines to wall moldings to guide positioning of main runners. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove existing plaster, drywall, or paneling, using crowbars and hammers. | Not published |
| Not much | Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents. | Not published |
| Not much | Apply or mount acoustical tile or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings or walls of buildings to reduce reflection of sound or to decorate rooms. | Not published |
| Not much | Suspend angle iron grids or channel irons from ceilings, using wire. | Not published |
| Not much | Seal joints between ceiling tiles and walls. | Not published |
| Not much | Nail channels or wood furring strips to surfaces to provide mounting for tile. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect furrings, mechanical mountings, or masonry surfaces for plumbness and level, using spirit or water levels. | Not published |
| Not much | Mount tile, using adhesives, or by nailing, screwing, stapling, or wire-tying lath directly to structural frameworks. | Not published |
| Not much | Install metal lath where plaster applications will be exposed to weather or water, or for curved or irregular surfaces. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 24 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 24 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build structures | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Apply materials to fill gaps or imperfections |
Show all 10 activities
| Operate lifting or moving equipment | |||
| Direct construction or extraction activities |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for drywall and ceiling tile installers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 1,695 moves out
- 1 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 7%
- 2 Construction Managers High +9.1% 7%
- 3 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
- 4 Software Developers, Applications (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Where people moved in from
of 1,182 moves in
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 7%
- 2 Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers Low +4.7% 5%
- 3 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Painters, Construction and Maintenance Low +3.0% 4%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 42% less than high school
- 24% high school
- 19% postsecondary certificate
- 10% some college
- 5% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 44% less than high school
- 40% high school
- 12% some college
- 2% associate's
- 2% bachelor's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers” · 975 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers”
1 program: Drywall Installation/Drywaller.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
23.6% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 6.1% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 13.8% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 7 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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