Drywall installer salary in Alabama
Median $23.08 an hour for 650 drywall installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.
Drywall installer pay in Alabama: the full range
Alabama ranks 36th of 49 states for median drywall installer pay, and 27th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $25.99). 650 drywall installers work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.6× what the bottom 10% earn.
| Career stage (approximate) | Hourly | Annual | Where it sits in the distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $17.92 – $20.04 | $37,280 – $41,670 | roughly the 10th to 25th percentile |
| Journeyman | $20.04 – $24.75 | $41,670 – $51,470 | the middle half, around the median |
| Master, foreman or specialist | $24.75 – $29.28 | $51,470 – $60,890 | the 75th to 90th percentile and above |
Where does your pay fall?
Drywall installer pay by metro in Alabama
| Metro | 10th | Median $/hr | Cost-of-living adjusted | 90th | Jobs | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | $18.94 | $23.44 | $25.59 | $29.26 | 270 | 2% above |
| Huntsville | $13.31 | $22.19 | $23.83 | $33.68 | 80 | 4% below |
| Tuscaloosa | $18.98 | $21.69 | $24.73 | $27.98 | 40 | 6% below |
Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).
Drywall installer wages in Alabama over time
Table
| Year | Alabama $/hr | In 2025 $ | US $/hr | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | $9.62 | $18.59 | $15.34 | 900 |
| 2000 | $11.04 | $20.64 | $15.80 | 1,040 |
| 2001 | $11.91 | $21.65 | $15.87 | 1,090 |
| 2002 | $12.61 | $22.57 | $16.21 | 1,130 |
| 2003 | $13.11 | $22.94 | $16.19 | 1,210 |
| 2004 | $13.34 | $22.74 | $16.36 | 1,300 |
| 2005 | $13.39 | $22.07 | $16.70 | 1,130 |
| 2006 | $13.20 | $21.08 | $17.38 | 1,240 |
| 2007 | $14.31 | $22.22 | $17.56 | 1,670 |
| 2008 | $14.92 | $22.31 | $18.12 | 1,530 |
| 2009 | $15.17 | $22.76 | $17.88 | 1,140 |
| 2010 | $14.47 | $21.36 | $17.94 | 870 |
| 2011 | $16.00 | $22.90 | $17.78 | 780 |
| 2012 | $17.12 | $24.01 | $17.89 | 600 |
| 2013 | $16.46 | $22.75 | $17.89 | 600 |
| 2014 | $16.00 | $21.76 | $18.32 | 580 |
| 2015 | $16.17 | $21.96 | $18.85 | 630 |
| 2016 | $16.91 | $22.68 | $19.75 | 550 |
| 2017 | $15.65 | $20.55 | $20.60 | 800 |
| 2018 | $15.83 | $20.30 | $21.03 | 780 |
| 2019 | $16.38 | $20.63 | $21.97 | 720 |
| 2020 | $16.98 | $21.12 | $22.82 | 380 |
| 2021 | $17.95 | $21.33 | $23.09 | 510 |
| 2022 | $19.80 | $21.78 | $24.25 | 550 |
| 2023 | $21.77 | $23.00 | $26.78 | 400 |
| 2024 | $22.54 | $23.13 | $27.95 | 640 |
| 2025 | $23.08 | $23.08 | $28.33 | 650 |
In today's dollars, the median drywall installer wage in Alabama changed by +5.1% over the last ten years of data and by +11.9% since 2019.
Are there more drywall installer jobs in Alabama?
BLS counted 650 drywall installers in Alabama in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 21%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.
Outlook for drywall installers in Alabama
Alabama's labor market agency projects the number of drywall installers in the state to change by +7.3% between 2024 and 2034, from 830 to 890, with about 70 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.5% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 650 counted by the BLS employer survey.
Source: Alabama labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).
Is construction work growing in Alabama?
Keep comparing
Drywall installer pay in neighbouring states
Other trades in Alabama
More on Alabama
Questions this page answers
How much do drywall installers make in Alabama?
The median drywall installer in Alabama earned $23.08 an hour ($48,000 a year) in May 2025, 19% below the national median of $28.33. The middle half earn $20.04–$24.75; the top 10% earn more than $29.28.
Where does Alabama rank for drywall installer pay?
Alabama ranks 36th of 49 states for drywall installer pay, with a median of $23.08 an hour, and 27th after adjusting for Alabama's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.8, US = 100).
What is the union drywall installer rate in Alabama?
Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a drywall installer classification for most Alabama counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.
How many drywall installers work in Alabama?
BLS counted 650 drywall installers in Alabama in May 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.58; 1.0 is the national average concentration).
Is drywall installer work growing in Alabama?
Alabama's labor market agency projects +7.3% growth for drywall installers between 2024 and 2034, from 830 to 890 jobs.
How many drywall installer openings a year are there in Alabama?
Alabama projects about 70 openings a year for drywall installers over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 6,600 a year.
Sources and notes
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Alabama and metro areas, SOC 47-2081. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
- BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
- SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
- BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
- State projection: Alabama labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.