Skilled Wages

Drywall installer salary in Iowa

Median $24.53 an hour for 290 drywall and ceiling tile installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$24.53/hrMedian hourly wageIowa, May data
$51,030/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$17.67 – $32.5310th to 90th percentilehourly range
290Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Drywall installer pay in Iowa: the full range

Wage percentiles, IowaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrIowa: 10th $17.67 · 25th $21.54 · median $24.53 · 75th $29.70 · 90th $32.53Iowa$24.53$17.67$32.53United 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: Iowa vs United States, May 2025.

Iowa ranks 27th of 49 states for median drywall installer pay, and 23rd once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $27.94). 290 drywall and ceiling tile installers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$17.67 – $21.54$36,750 – $44,800roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$21.54 – $29.70$44,800 – $61,770the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$29.70 – $32.53$61,770 – $67,650the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Drywall installer pay by metro in Iowa

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrDavenport: $27.57Davenport$27.57Omaha: $27.13Omaha$27.13Des Moines: $23.88Des Moines$23.88Sioux City: $23.49Sioux City$23.49
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers by metro area in Iowa, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Davenport$17.67$27.57$48.274012% above
Omaha$18.37$27.13$32.3344011% above
Des Moines$17.05$23.88$30.37803% below
Sioux City$18.94$23.49$28.96704% below

Drywall installer wages in Iowa over time

Iowa, 1999-2025IowaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$28.33United States$24.53Iowa
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers, Iowa vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIowa $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$14.49$28.00$15.34730
2000$16.00$29.91$15.80750
2001$16.53$30.05$15.87840
2002$16.11$28.83$16.211,640
2003$16.53$28.92$16.19900
2004$17.61$30.01$16.36880
2005$17.93$29.56$16.701,030
2006$18.00$28.74$17.381,160
2007$15.78$24.50$17.56980
2008$16.65$24.90$18.12930
2009$18.02$27.04$17.88930
2010$18.14$26.78$17.94870
2011$18.53$26.52$17.78720
2012$17.08$23.95$17.89720
2013$17.02$23.52$17.89650
2014$17.52$23.83$18.32870
2015$17.88$24.29$18.85790
2016$16.51$22.15$19.75970
2017$15.61$20.50$20.601,210
2018$16.37$20.99$21.03900
2019$17.32$21.81$21.97850
2020$20.75$25.81$22.82610
2021$22.47$26.70$23.09530
2022$24.28$26.71$24.25590
2023$23.95$25.31$26.78570
2024$24.01$24.64$27.95530
2025$24.53$24.53$28.33290

In today's dollars, the median drywall installer wage in Iowa changed by +1.0% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for drywall installers in Iowa

On federally funded construction in Iowa, contractors must pay drywall installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 23 of the 51 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $50.87 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $19.45). 28 of the 51 counties still use a survey rate dated 2016 or earlier (for example Buena Vista County at $19.45). The market median for the state is $24.53.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, IAAdair: —Adams: —Allamakee: —Appanoose: $50.87 (union)Audubon: —Benton: —Black Hawk: —Boone: —Bremer: —Buchanan: —Buena Vista: $19.45 (survey)Butler: —Calhoun: $19.45 (survey)Carroll: —Cass: —Cedar: $50.87 (union)Cerro Gordo: —Cherokee: $19.45 (survey)Chickasaw: —Clarke: —Clay: $19.45 (survey)Clayton: —Clinton: $50.87 (union)Crawford: —Dallas: $32.19 (survey)Davis: $50.87 (union)Decatur: —Delaware: —Des Moines: $50.87 (union)Dickinson: $19.45 (survey)Dubuque: —Emmet: $19.45 (survey)Fayette: —Floyd: —Franklin: —Fremont: —Greene: —Grundy: —Guthrie: $32.19 (survey)Hamilton: $19.45 (survey)Hancock: $19.45 (survey)Hardin: —Harrison: —Henry: $50.87 (union)Howard: —Humboldt: $19.45 (survey)Ida: $19.45 (survey)Iowa: $50.87 (union)Jackson: $50.87 (union)Jasper: $50.87 (union)Jefferson: $50.87 (union)Johnson: —Jones: —Keokuk: $50.87 (union)Kossuth: $19.45 (survey)Lee: $50.87 (union)Linn: —Louisa: $50.87 (union)Lucas: —Lyon: $19.45 (survey)Madison: $32.19 (survey)Mahaska: $50.87 (union)Marion: $50.87 (union)Marshall: $50.87 (union)Mills: —Mitchell: —Monona: —Monroe: $50.87 (union)Montgomery: —Muscatine: $50.87 (union)O'Brien: $19.45 (survey)Osceola: $19.45 (survey)Page: —Palo Alto: $19.45 (survey)Plymouth: $19.45 (survey)Pocahontas: $19.45 (survey)Polk: $31.57 (survey)Pottawattamie: —Poweshiek: $50.87 (union)Ringgold: —Sac: $19.45 (survey)Scott: $50.87 (union)Shelby: —Sioux: $19.45 (survey)Story: —Tama: $50.87 (union)Taylor: —Union: —Van Buren: $50.87 (union)Wapello: $50.87 (union)Warren: $32.19 (survey)Washington: —Wayne: —Webster: $19.45 (survey)Winnebago: $19.45 (survey)Winneshiek: —Woodbury: $24.23 (survey)Worth: —Wright: $19.45 (survey)Union / prevailing package, $/hrn/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)Prevailing (survey)$20$30$40$50$60/hrJasper (Des Moines): market median $23.88, prevailing (union) $50.87, gap +$26.99Jasper (Des Moines)+$26.99Scott (Davenport): market median $27.57, prevailing (union) $50.87, gap +$23.30Scott (Davenport)+$23.30Woodbury (Sioux City): market median $23.49, prevailing (survey) $24.23, gap +$0.74Woodbury (Sioux City)+$0.74
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for drywall installers, metro counties in Iowa.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AppanooseUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260032
CedarUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260036
ClintonUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260038
DavisUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260040
Des MoinesUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260041
HenryUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260061
IowaUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260045
JacksonUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260061
JasperUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260046
JeffersonUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260061
KeokukUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260061
LeeUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260047
LouisaUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260061
MahaskaUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260061
MarionUnion PAIN0676-001 2024-05-01$31.82$19.05$50.87IA20260048

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

Is construction work growing in Iowa?

93.8kConstruction jobsIowa, 2026-08
+3.9%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k100k120k1990199520002005201020152020202594kAug 2026
Construction employment in Iowa (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Drywall installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Iowa

Questions this page answers

How much do drywall installers make in Iowa?

The median drywall installer in Iowa earned $24.53 an hour ($51,030 a year) in May 2025, 13% below the national median of $28.33. The middle half earn $21.54–$29.70; the top 10% earn more than $32.53.

Where does Iowa rank for drywall installer pay?

Iowa ranks 27th of 49 states for drywall installer pay, with a median of $24.53 an hour, and 23rd after adjusting for Iowa's cost of living (BEA price parity 87.8, US = 100).

What is the union drywall installer rate in Iowa?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for drywall installers in 23 counties, with a typical package of $50.87 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many drywall installers work in Iowa?

BLS counted 290 drywall and ceiling tile installers in Iowa in May 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.35; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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