Skilled Wages

Drywall installer salary in Indiana

Median $23.95 an hour for 680 drywall and ceiling tile installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$23.95/hrMedian hourly wageIndiana, May data
$49,810/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$21.02 – $33.5810th to 90th percentilehourly range
680Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Drywall installer pay in Indiana: the full range

Wage percentiles, IndianaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrIndiana: 10th $21.02 · 25th $22.04 · median $23.95 · 75th $30.49 · 90th $33.58Indiana$23.95$21.02$33.58United 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: Indiana vs United States, May 2025.

Indiana ranks 31st of 49 states for median drywall installer pay, and 31st once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $25.67). 680 drywall and ceiling tile installers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$21.02 – $22.04$43,730 – $45,850roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$22.04 – $30.49$45,850 – $63,410the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$30.49 – $33.58$63,410 – $69,850the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Drywall installer pay by metro in Indiana

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrChicago: $33.23Chicago$33.23Indianapolis: $29.45Indianapolis$29.45Cincinnati: $26.67Cincinnati$26.67Evansville: $25.89Evansville$25.89Fort Wayne: $23.89Fort Wayne$23.89Louisville: $22.11Louisville$22.11
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers by metro area in Indiana, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Chicago$22.76$33.23$53.2454039% above
Indianapolis$22.04$29.45$36.5416023% above
Cincinnati$18.85$26.67$35.2429011% above
Evansville$20.65$25.89$31.87508% above
Fort Wayne$18.77$23.89$32.0140about the same as
Louisville$11.07$22.11$29.242308% below

Drywall installer wages in Indiana over time

Indiana, 1999-2025IndianaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$28.33United States$23.95Indiana
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers, Indiana vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIndiana $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$22.46$43.40$15.341,420
2000$19.57$36.59$15.801,200
2001$19.32$35.12$15.871,230
2002$19.94$35.68$16.211,780
2003$19.83$34.70$16.191,670
2004$18.71$31.89$16.362,100
2005$17.75$29.26$16.702,070
2006$16.76$26.76$17.381,810
2007$16.07$24.95$17.561,250
2008$17.48$26.14$18.121,050
2009$17.33$26.01$17.881,130
2010$18.59$27.45$17.941,010
2011$17.68$25.30$17.781,010
2012$19.11$26.80$17.891,110
2013$17.62$24.35$17.891,120
2014$22.52$30.63$18.321,240
2015$19.42$26.38$18.851,090
2016$21.42$28.73$19.751,030
2017$20.27$26.62$20.60920
2018$21.55$27.63$21.03910
2019$21.94$27.63$21.971,080
2020$21.10$26.25$22.821,100
2021$22.74$27.02$23.091,440
2022$23.50$25.85$24.251,170
2023$24.19$25.56$26.78940
2024$25.18$25.84$27.95640
2025$23.95$23.95$28.33680

In today's dollars, the median drywall installer wage in Indiana changed by -9.2% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for drywall installers in Indiana

On federally funded construction in Indiana, contractors must pay drywall installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 64 of the 66 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $73.06 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $19.13). 2 of the 66 counties still use a survey rate dated 1995 or earlier (for example Jefferson County at $19.13). The market median for the state is $23.95.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, INAdams: $73.06 (union)Allen: $73.06 (union)Bartholomew: $73.06 (union)Benton: $73.06 (union)Blackford: $73.06 (union)Boone: $73.06 (union)Brown: —Carroll: $73.06 (union)Cass: $73.06 (union)Clark: —Clay: $48.75 (union)Clinton: $73.06 (union)Crawford: —Daviess: —Dearborn: —Decatur: —DeKalb: $73.06 (union)Delaware: $73.06 (union)Dubois: $49.69 (union)Elkhart: $73.06 (union)Fayette: —Floyd: —Fountain: $73.06 (union)Franklin: —Fulton: $73.06 (union)Gibson: $48.75 (union)Grant: $73.06 (union)Greene: $48.75 (union)Hamilton: $73.06 (union)Hancock: $73.06 (union)Harrison: —Hendricks: $73.06 (union)Henry: —Howard: $73.06 (union)Huntington: $73.06 (union)Jackson: —Jasper: $73.06 (union)Jay: $73.06 (union)Jefferson: $19.13 (survey)Jennings: —Johnson: $73.06 (union)Knox: $53.07 (union)Kosciusko: $73.06 (union)LaGrange: $73.06 (union)Lake: $72.26 (union)LaPorte: $72.26 (union)Lawrence: —Madison: $73.06 (union)Marion: $73.06 (union)Marshall: $73.06 (union)Martin: —Miami: $73.06 (union)Monroe: $73.06 (union)Montgomery: $73.06 (union)Morgan: $73.06 (union)Newton: $73.06 (union)Noble: $73.06 (union)Ohio: —Orange: —Owen: $48.75 (union)Parke: $48.75 (union)Perry: —Pike: $49.69 (union)Porter: $72.26 (union)Posey: $48.75 (union)Pulaski: $73.06 (union)Putnam: $48.75 (union)Randolph: —Ripley: —Rush: —St. Joseph: $72.26 (union)Scott: $19.13 (survey)Shelby: $73.06 (union)Spencer: —Starke: $73.06 (union)Steuben: $73.06 (union)Sullivan: $48.75 (union)Switzerland: —Tippecanoe: $73.06 (union)Tipton: $73.06 (union)Union: —Vanderburgh: $48.75 (union)Vermillion: $48.75 (union)Vigo: $48.75 (union)Wabash: $73.06 (union)Warren: $73.06 (union)Warrick: $48.75 (union)Washington: —Wayne: —Wells: $73.06 (union)White: $73.06 (union)Whitley: $73.06 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$48.75n/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 (union)$0$20$40$60$80/hrAllen (Fort Wayne): market median $23.89, prevailing (union) $73.06, gap +$49.17Allen (Fort Wayne)+$49.17Bartholomew (Indiana): market median $23.95, prevailing (union) $73.06, gap +$49.11Bartholomew (Indiana)+$49.11Boone (Indianapolis): market median $29.45, prevailing (union) $73.06, gap +$43.61Boone (Indianapolis)+$43.61Jasper (Chicago): market median $33.23, prevailing (union) $73.06, gap +$39.83Jasper (Chicago)+$39.83Posey (Evansville): market median $25.89, prevailing (union) $48.75, gap +$22.86Posey (Evansville)+$22.86
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for drywall installers, metro counties in Indiana.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AdamsUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
AllenUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
BartholomewUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
BentonUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
BlackfordUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
BooneUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
CarrollUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
CassUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
ClintonUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
DeKalbUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
DelawareUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
ElkhartUnion PAIN0460-001 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260005
FountainUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
FultonUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002
GrantUnion PAIN0460-002 2025-06-01$41.80$31.26$73.06IN20260002

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

Is construction work growing in Indiana?

187.2kConstruction jobsIndiana, 2026-08
+2.5%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202650k100k150k200k19901995200020052010201520202025187kAug 2026
Construction employment in Indiana (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Drywall installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Indiana

Questions this page answers

How much do drywall installers make in Indiana?

The median drywall installer in Indiana earned $23.95 an hour ($49,810 a year) in May 2025, 15% below the national median of $28.33. The middle half earn $22.04–$30.49; the top 10% earn more than $33.58.

Where does Indiana rank for drywall installer pay?

Indiana ranks 31st of 49 states for drywall installer pay, with a median of $23.95 an hour, and 31st after adjusting for Indiana's cost of living (BEA price parity 93.3, US = 100).

What is the union drywall installer rate in Indiana?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for drywall installers in 64 counties, with a typical package of $73.06 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many drywall installers work in Indiana?

BLS counted 680 drywall and ceiling tile installers in Indiana in May 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.40; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Indiana 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.