Skilled Wages

Drywall installer salary in Kansas

Median $19.18 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.

$19.18/hrMedian hourly wageKansas, May data
$39,890/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$17.25 – $29.5210th to 90th percentilehourly range
650Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Drywall installer pay in Kansas: the full range

Wage percentiles, KansasMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrKansas: 10th $17.25 · 25th $17.25 · median $19.18 · 75th $26.89 · 90th $29.52Kansas$19.18$17.25$29.52United 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: Kansas vs United States, May 2025.

Kansas ranks 48th of 49 states for median drywall installer pay, and 48th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $21.29). 650 drywall installers work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.7× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$17.25 – $17.25$35,880 – $35,880roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$17.25 – $26.89$35,880 – $55,930the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$26.89 – $29.52$55,930 – $61,410the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Drywall installer pay by metro in Kansas

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrWichita: $23.39Wichita$23.39Kansas City: $22.46Kansas City$22.46
Median hourly wage for drywall installers by metro area in Kansas, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Wichita$18.43$23.39$26.31$28.9915022% above
Kansas City$17.25$22.46$24.28$44.1253017% above

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

Drywall installer wages in Kansas over time

Kansas, 1999-2025KansasUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$28.33United States$19.18Kansas
Median hourly wage for drywall installers, Kansas vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearKansas $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$15.02$29.03$15.341,080
2000$15.11$28.25$15.80800
2001$14.71$26.74$15.87690
2002$15.23$27.26$16.21600
2003$14.87$26.02$16.19590
2004$16.11$27.46$16.36480
2005$16.67$27.48$16.701,090
2006$16.10$25.71$17.381,020
2007$16.12$25.03$17.561,380
2008$16.17$24.18$18.121,070
2009$16.10$24.16$17.88950
2010$17.25$25.47$17.94680
2011$16.63$23.80$17.78760
2012$15.21$21.33$17.89790
2013$16.94$23.41$17.89760
2014$16.86$22.93$18.32800
2015$17.60$23.91$18.85860
2016$18.29$24.53$19.75910
2017$17.24$22.64$20.60840
2018$18.84$24.15$21.03740
2019$19.00$23.93$21.97660
2020$20.30$25.25$22.82580
2021$22.87$27.17$23.09540
2022$24.18$26.60$24.25740
2023$20.90$22.08$26.78980
2024$23.12$23.73$27.95630
2025$19.18$19.18$28.33650

In today's dollars, the median drywall installer wage in Kansas changed by -19.8% over the last ten years of data and by -19.8% since 2019.

Are there more drywall installer jobs in Kansas?

0.5Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.8× the US share, 20th of 49 states

BLS counted 650 drywall installers in Kansas 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 Kansas

+4.7%Projected growth in Kansas2024–2034, state agency
60Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
790Jobs in 2024830 projected for 2034
+2.5%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Kansas's labor market agency projects the number of drywall installers in the state to change by +4.7% between 2024 and 2034, from 790 to 830, 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 650 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for drywall installers in Kansas

On federally funded construction in Kansas, contractors must pay drywall installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 3 of the 88 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $42.42 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $20.01). 85 of the 88 counties still use a survey rate dated 2015 or earlier (for example Allen County at $20.01). The market median for the state is $19.18.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, KSAllen: $20.01 (survey)Anderson: $20.01 (survey)Atchison: $20.01 (survey)Barber: $20.01 (survey)Barton: $20.01 (survey)Bourbon: $20.01 (survey)Brown: $20.01 (survey)Butler: n/aChase: n/aChautauqua: $20.01 (survey)Cherokee: $20.01 (survey)Cheyenne: $20.01 (survey)Clark: $20.01 (survey)Clay: $20.01 (survey)Cloud: $20.01 (survey)Coffey: $20.01 (survey)Comanche: $20.01 (survey)Cowley: $20.01 (survey)Crawford: $20.01 (survey)Decatur: $20.01 (survey)Dickinson: $20.01 (survey)Doniphan: n/aDouglas: n/aEdwards: $20.01 (survey)Elk: $20.01 (survey)Ellis: $20.01 (survey)Ellsworth: $20.01 (survey)Finney: n/aFord: $20.01 (survey)Franklin: $31.62 (survey)Geary: $42.42 (union)Gove: $20.01 (survey)Graham: $20.01 (survey)Grant: $20.01 (survey)Gray: $20.01 (survey)Greeley: $20.01 (survey)Greenwood: $20.01 (survey)Hamilton: $20.01 (survey)Harper: $20.01 (survey)Harvey: n/aHaskell: $20.01 (survey)Hodgeman: $20.01 (survey)Jackson: n/aJefferson: n/aJewell: $20.01 (survey)Johnson: $31.62 (survey)Kearny: n/aKingman: $20.01 (survey)Kiowa: $20.01 (survey)Labette: $20.01 (survey)Lane: $20.01 (survey)Leavenworth: $31.62 (survey)Lincoln: $20.01 (survey)Linn: $31.62 (survey)Logan: $20.01 (survey)Lyon: n/aMcPherson: $20.01 (survey)Marion: $20.01 (survey)Marshall: $20.01 (survey)Meade: $20.01 (survey)Miami: $31.62 (survey)Mitchell: $20.01 (survey)Montgomery: $20.01 (survey)Morris: $20.01 (survey)Morton: $20.01 (survey)Nemaha: $20.01 (survey)Neosho: $20.01 (survey)Ness: $20.01 (survey)Norton: $20.01 (survey)Osage: n/aOsborne: $20.01 (survey)Ottawa: n/aPawnee: $20.01 (survey)Phillips: $20.01 (survey)Pottawatomie: $42.42 (union)Pratt: $20.01 (survey)Rawlins: $20.01 (survey)Reno: $20.01 (survey)Republic: $20.01 (survey)Rice: $20.01 (survey)Riley: $42.42 (union)Rooks: $20.01 (survey)Rush: $20.01 (survey)Russell: $20.01 (survey)Saline: n/aScott: $20.01 (survey)Sedgwick: n/aSeward: $20.01 (survey)Shawnee: n/aSheridan: $20.01 (survey)Sherman: $20.01 (survey)Smith: $20.01 (survey)Stafford: $20.01 (survey)Stanton: $20.01 (survey)Stevens: $20.01 (survey)Sumner: n/aThomas: $20.01 (survey)Trego: $20.01 (survey)Wabaunsee: n/aWallace: $20.01 (survey)Washington: $20.01 (survey)Wichita: $20.01 (survey)Wilson: $20.01 (survey)Woodson: $20.01 (survey)Wyandotte: $31.62 (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.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
GearyUnion CARP0918-002 2024-05-01$28.34$14.08$42.42KS20260049
PottawatomieUnion CARP0918-002 2024-05-01$28.34$14.08$42.42KS20260055
RileyUnion CARP0918-002 2024-05-01$28.34$14.08$42.42KS20260056
FranklinSurvey SUKS2015-029 2015-07-08$30.00$1.62$31.62KS20260060
JohnsonSurvey SUKS2015-021 2015-07-08$30.00$1.62$31.62KS20260052
LeavenworthSurvey SUKS2015-022 2015-07-08$30.00$1.62$31.62KS20260053
LinnSurvey SUKS2015-023 2015-07-08$30.00$1.62$31.62KS20260054
MiamiSurvey SUKS2015-029 2015-07-08$30.00$1.62$31.62KS20260060
WyandotteSurvey SUKS2015-029 2015-07-08$30.00$1.62$31.62KS20260060
AllenSurvey SUKS2015-013 2015-07-08$17.92$2.09$20.01KS20260044
AndersonSurvey SUKS2015-013 2015-07-08$17.92$2.09$20.01KS20260044
AtchisonSurvey SUKS2015-013 2015-07-08$17.92$2.09$20.01KS20260044
BarberSurvey SUKS2015-013 2015-07-08$17.92$2.09$20.01KS20260044
BartonSurvey SUKS2015-013 2015-07-08$17.92$2.09$20.01KS20260044
BourbonSurvey SUKS2015-013 2015-07-08$17.92$2.09$20.01KS20260044

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

Is construction work growing in Kansas?

78.5kConstruction jobsKansas, 2026-09
+5.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k100k1990199520002005201020152020202578kSep 2026
Construction employment in Kansas (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Drywall installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Kansas

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Questions this page answers

How much do drywall installers make in Kansas?

The median drywall installer in Kansas earned $19.18 an hour ($39,890 a year) in May 2025, 32% below the national median of $28.33. The middle half earn $17.25–$26.89; the top 10% earn more than $29.52.

Where does Kansas rank for drywall installer pay?

Kansas ranks 48th of 49 states for drywall installer pay, with a median of $19.18 an hour, and 48th after adjusting for Kansas's cost of living (BEA price parity 90.1, US = 100).

What is the union drywall installer rate in Kansas?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for drywall installers in 3 counties, with a typical package of $42.42 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many drywall installers work in Kansas?

BLS counted 650 drywall installers in Kansas in May 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.85; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is drywall installer work growing in Kansas?

Kansas's labor market agency projects +4.7% growth for drywall installers between 2024 and 2034, from 790 to 830 jobs.

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

Kansas 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, Kansas 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: Kansas labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.