Skilled Wages

Drywall installer salary in Arizona

Median $24.18 an hour for 2,590 drywall and ceiling tile installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$24.18/hrMedian hourly wageArizona, May data
$50,290/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.01 – $32.0910th to 90th percentilehourly range
2,590Jobs countedemployer survey

Drywall installer pay in Arizona: the full range

Wage percentiles, ArizonaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrArizona: 10th $18.01 · 25th $20.00 · median $24.18 · 75th $28.26 · 90th $32.09Arizona$24.18$18.01$32.09United States: 10th $18.49 · 25th $22.81 · median $28.33 · 75th $35.69 · 90th $49.04United States$28.33
Hourly wage percentiles for drywall and ceiling tile installers: Arizona vs United States, May 2025.

Arizona ranks 29th of 49 states for median drywall installer pay, and 40th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $24.01). 2,590 drywall and ceiling tile installers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$18.01 – $20.00$37,470 – $41,610roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$20.00 – $28.26$41,610 – $58,770the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$28.26 – $32.09$58,770 – $66,750the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Drywall installer pay by metro in Arizona

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrYuma: $26.15Yuma$26.15Phoenix: $25.13Phoenix$25.13Lake Havasu City: $23.45Lake Havasu City$23.45Tucson: $23.16Tucson$23.16Prescott Valley: $22.52Prescott Valley$22.52
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers by metro area in Arizona, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Yuma$22.82$26.15$30.29508% above
Phoenix$18.01$25.13$33.591,9304% above
Lake Havasu City$18.46$23.45$28.71603% below
Tucson$17.25$23.16$30.673404% below
Prescott Valley$17.91$22.52$29.38907% below

Drywall installer wages in Arizona over time

Arizona, 1999-2025ArizonaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$28.33United States$24.18Arizona
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers, Arizona vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearArizona $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$12.02$23.23$15.345,460
2000$13.08$24.45$15.805,630
2001$13.00$23.63$15.875,590
2002$13.06$23.37$16.215,430
2003$13.45$23.53$16.195,620
2004$13.42$22.87$16.367,430
2005$13.77$22.70$16.707,950
2006$14.29$22.82$17.388,890
2007$14.42$22.39$17.568,050
2008$15.41$23.04$18.126,380
2009$15.63$23.46$17.883,990
2010$16.39$24.20$17.942,850
2011$16.56$23.70$17.783,080
2012$16.02$22.46$17.892,850
2013$16.99$23.48$17.893,260
2014$17.05$23.19$18.322,890
2015$17.44$23.69$18.853,590
2016$17.97$24.10$19.754,140
2017$18.58$24.40$20.604,130
2018$19.35$24.81$21.034,040
2019$20.32$25.59$21.973,810
2020$20.78$25.85$22.824,010
2021$23.02$27.35$23.094,000
2022$22.99$25.29$24.254,040
2023$23.63$24.97$26.784,310
2024$23.14$23.75$27.953,420
2025$24.18$24.18$28.332,590

In today's dollars, the median drywall installer wage in Arizona changed by +2.1% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for drywall installers in Arizona

On federally funded construction in Arizona, contractors must pay drywall installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 7 of the 12 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $34.54 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $22.47). The market median for the state is $24.18.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, AZApache: $34.54 (union)Cochise: $22.47 (survey)Coconino: —Gila: $34.54 (union)Graham: $34.54 (union)Greenlee: $34.54 (union)La Paz: $34.54 (union)Maricopa: $20.02 (survey)Mohave: —Navajo: $34.54 (union)Pima: $22.47 (survey)Pinal: $20.02 (survey)Santa Cruz: $34.54 (union)Yavapai: —Yuma: $22.47 (survey)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$22.47$27.30n/asurvey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for drywall installers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (survey)$18$20$22$24$26$28/hrPima (Tucson): market median $23.16, prevailing (survey) $22.47, gap −$0.69Pima (Tucson)−$0.69Cochise (Arizona): market median $24.18, prevailing (survey) $22.47, gap −$1.71Cochise (Arizona)−$1.71Yuma (Yuma): market median $26.15, prevailing (survey) $22.47, gap −$3.68Yuma (Yuma)−$3.68Maricopa (Phoenix): market median $25.13, prevailing (survey) $20.02, gap −$5.11Maricopa (Phoenix)−$5.11
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for drywall installers, metro counties in Arizona.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
ApacheUnion PAIN0086-006 2021-06-30$27.05$7.49$34.54AZ20260022
GilaUnion PAIN0086-006 2021-06-30$27.05$7.49$34.54AZ20260024
GrahamUnion PAIN0086-006 2021-06-30$27.05$7.49$34.54AZ20260025
GreenleeUnion PAIN0086-006 2021-06-30$27.05$7.49$34.54AZ20260029
La PazUnion PAIN0086-006 2021-06-30$27.05$7.49$34.54AZ20260029
NavajoUnion PAIN0086-006 2021-06-30$27.05$7.49$34.54AZ20260027
Santa CruzUnion PAIN0086-006 2021-06-30$27.05$7.49$34.54AZ20260028
CochiseSurvey SUAZ2019-001 2023-06-12$22.47$0.00$22.47AZ20260038
PimaSurvey SUAZ2019-003 2023-06-12$22.47$0.00$22.47AZ20260040
YumaSurvey SUAZ2019-005 2023-06-12$22.47$0.00$22.47AZ20260042
MaricopaSurvey SUAZ2019-002 2023-06-12$20.02$0.00$20.02AZ20260039
PinalSurvey SUAZ2019-004 2023-06-12$20.02$0.00$20.02AZ20260041

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Arizona prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Arizona?

230.3kConstruction jobsArizona, 2026-08
+3.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k100k200k300k19901995200020052010201520202025230kAug 2026
Construction employment in Arizona (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Drywall installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Arizona

Questions this page answers

How much do drywall installers make in Arizona?

The median drywall installer in Arizona earned $24.18 an hour ($50,290 a year) in May 2025, 15% below the national median of $28.33. The middle half earn $20.00–$28.26; the top 10% earn more than $32.09.

Where does Arizona rank for drywall installer pay?

Arizona ranks 29th of 49 states for drywall installer pay, with a median of $24.18 an hour, and 40th after adjusting for Arizona's cost of living (BEA price parity 100.7, US = 100).

What is the union drywall installer rate in Arizona?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for drywall installers in 7 counties, with a typical package of $34.54 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many drywall installers work in Arizona?

BLS counted 2,590 drywall and ceiling tile installers in Arizona in May 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.49; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Arizona and metro areas, SOC 47-2081.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.