Skilled Wages

Drywall installer salary in Illinois

Median $30.38 an hour for 740 drywall installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$30.38/hrMedian hourly wageIllinois, May data
$63,180/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$20.13 – $53.1810th to 90th percentilehourly range
740Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Drywall installer pay in Illinois: the full range

Wage percentiles, IllinoisMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$0$20$40$60/hrIllinois: 10th $20.13 · 25th $24.78 · median $30.38 · 75th $49.27 · 90th $53.18Illinois$30.38$20.13$53.18United States: 10th $18.49 · 25th $22.81 · median $28.33 · 75th $35.69 · 90th $49.04United States$28.33
Hourly wage percentiles for drywall installers: Illinois vs United States, May 2025.

Illinois ranks 8th of 49 states for median drywall installer pay, and 11th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $30.38). 740 drywall installers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.6× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$20.13 – $24.78$41,870 – $51,540roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$24.78 – $49.27$51,540 – $102,480the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$49.27 – $53.18$102,480 – $110,620the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Drywall installer pay by metro in Illinois

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrChicago: $33.23Chicago$33.23St. Louis: $28.97St. Louis$28.97Davenport: $27.57Davenport$27.57
Median hourly wage for drywall installers by metro area in Illinois, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Chicago$22.76$33.23$32.08$53.245409% above
St. Louis$22.27$28.97$30.46$44.442505% below
Davenport$17.67$27.57$30.94$48.27409% below

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Drywall installer wages in Illinois over time

Illinois, 1999-2025IllinoisUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$30.38Illinois$28.33United States
Median hourly wage for drywall installers, Illinois vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIllinois $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$23.07$44.58$15.345,240
2000$23.46$43.86$15.803,740
2001$21.88$39.77$15.874,890
2002$23.08$41.30$16.213,940
2003$20.96$36.67$16.194,320
2004$19.66$33.51$16.364,080
2005$22.26$36.69$16.702,380
2006$26.51$42.33$17.382,910
2007$28.13$43.68$17.563,000
2008$34.37$51.39$18.122,940
2009$28.91$43.38$17.881,790
2010$19.75$29.16$17.941,430
2011$18.54$26.54$17.78—
2012$18.53$25.98$17.892,390
2013$31.04$42.90$17.892,060
2014$20.71$28.16$18.321,310
2015$25.86$35.13$18.851,810
2016$26.35$35.35$19.751,760
2017$28.67$37.66$20.602,280
2018$20.09$25.76$21.031,900
2019$20.90$26.32$21.971,730
2020$21.87$27.20$22.821,540
2021$22.66$26.92$23.091,070
2022$23.39$25.73$24.25890
2023$22.64$23.92$26.781,090
2024$33.56$34.44$27.95750
2025$30.38$30.38$28.33740

In today's dollars, the median drywall installer wage in Illinois changed by -13.5% over the last ten years of data and by +15.4% since 2019.

Are there more drywall installer jobs in Illinois?

0.1Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.2× the US share, 48th of 49 states

BLS counted 740 drywall installers in Illinois in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 20%. 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 Illinois

+4.4%Projected growth in Illinois2024–2034, state agency
60Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
870Jobs in 2024910 projected for 2034
+2.5%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Illinois's labor market agency projects the number of drywall installers in the state to change by +4.4% between 2024 and 2034, from 870 to 910, with about 60 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.5% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 740 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: Illinois labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Union scale and prevailing wage for drywall installers in Illinois

On federally funded construction in Illinois, contractors must pay drywall installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 41 of the 41 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $47.63 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $30.38.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, ILAdams: n/aAlexander: $47.63 (union)Bond: n/aBoone: n/aBrown: n/aBureau: n/aCalhoun: n/aCarroll: n/aCass: n/aChampaign: $47.63 (union)Christian: $47.63 (union)Clark: $47.63 (union)Clay: $47.63 (union)Clinton: n/aColes: $47.63 (union)Cook: n/aCrawford: $47.63 (union)Cumberland: $47.63 (union)DeKalb: n/aDe Witt: $47.63 (union)Douglas: $47.63 (union)DuPage: n/aEdgar: $47.63 (union)Edwards: $47.63 (union)Effingham: $47.63 (union)Fayette: $47.63 (union)Ford: $47.63 (union)Franklin: $47.63 (union)Fulton: n/aGallatin: $47.63 (union)Greene: n/aGrundy: n/aHamilton: $47.63 (union)Hancock: n/aHardin: $47.63 (union)Henderson: n/aHenry: n/aIroquois: $47.63 (union)Jackson: $47.63 (union)Jasper: $47.63 (union)Jefferson: $47.63 (union)Jersey: n/aJo Daviess: n/aJohnson: $47.63 (union)Kane: n/aKankakee: n/aKendall: n/aKnox: n/aLake: n/aLaSalle: n/aLawrence: $47.63 (union)Lee: n/aLivingston: n/aLogan: n/aMcDonough: n/aMcHenry: n/aMcLean: n/aMacon: n/aMacoupin: n/aMadison: n/aMarion: $47.63 (union)Marshall: n/aMason: n/aMassac: $47.63 (union)Menard: n/aMercer: n/aMonroe: n/aMontgomery: n/aMorgan: n/aMoultrie: $47.63 (union)Ogle: n/aPeoria: n/aPerry: $47.63 (union)Piatt: $47.63 (union)Pike: n/aPope: $47.63 (union)Pulaski: $47.63 (union)Putnam: n/aRandolph: n/aRichland: $47.63 (union)Rock Island: n/aSt. Clair: n/aSaline: $47.63 (union)Sangamon: n/aSchuyler: n/aScott: n/aShelby: $47.63 (union)Stark: n/aStephenson: n/aTazewell: n/aUnion: $47.63 (union)Vermilion: $47.63 (union)Wabash: $47.63 (union)Warren: n/aWashington: n/aWayne: $47.63 (union)White: $47.63 (union)Whiteside: n/aWill: n/aWilliamson: $47.63 (union)Winnebago: n/aWoodford: n/aUnion / prevailing package, $/hrn/a
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for drywall installers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AlexanderUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
ChampaignUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
ChristianUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
ClarkUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
ClayUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
ColesUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
CrawfordUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
CumberlandUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
De WittUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
DouglasUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
EdgarUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
EdwardsUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
EffinghamUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
FayetteUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002
FordUnion PAIN0156-007 2023-04-01$27.55$20.08$47.63IL20260002

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Illinois prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Illinois?

268.8kConstruction jobsIllinois, 2026-09
+6.5%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026150k200k250k300k350k19901995200020052010201520202025269kSep 2026
Construction employment in Illinois (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Drywall installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Illinois

More on Illinois

Questions this page answers

How much do drywall installers make in Illinois?

The median drywall installer in Illinois earned $30.38 an hour ($63,180 a year) in May 2025, 7% above the national median of $28.33. The middle half earn $24.78–$49.27; the top 10% earn more than $53.18.

Where does Illinois rank for drywall installer pay?

Illinois ranks 8th of 49 states for drywall installer pay, with a median of $30.38 an hour, and 11th after adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (BEA price parity 100.0, US = 100).

What is the union drywall installer rate in Illinois?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for drywall installers in 41 counties, with a typical package of $47.63 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many drywall installers work in Illinois?

BLS counted 740 drywall installers in Illinois in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.23; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is drywall installer work growing in Illinois?

Illinois's labor market agency projects +4.4% growth for drywall installers between 2024 and 2034, from 870 to 910 jobs.

How many drywall installer openings a year are there in Illinois?

Illinois projects about 60 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, Illinois 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: Illinois labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.