Skilled Wages

Drywall installer salary in Kansas

Median $19.18 an hour for 650 drywall and ceiling tile installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$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 2026-09-28

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 and ceiling tile 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 and ceiling tile installers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$17.25 – $17.25$35,880 – $35,880roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$17.25 – $26.89$35,880 – $55,930the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$26.89 – $29.52$55,930 – $61,410the 75th–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 and ceiling tile installers by metro area in Kansas, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Wichita$18.43$23.39$28.9915022% above
Kansas City$17.25$22.46$44.1253017% above

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 and ceiling tile 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.

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: —Chase: —Chautauqua: $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: —Douglas: —Edwards: $20.01 (survey)Elk: $20.01 (survey)Ellis: $20.01 (survey)Ellsworth: $20.01 (survey)Finney: —Ford: $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: —Haskell: $20.01 (survey)Hodgeman: $20.01 (survey)Jackson: —Jefferson: —Jewell: $20.01 (survey)Johnson: $31.62 (survey)Kearny: —Kingman: $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: —McPherson: $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: —Osborne: $20.01 (survey)Ottawa: —Pawnee: $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: —Scott: $20.01 (survey)Sedgwick: —Seward: $20.01 (survey)Shawnee: —Sheridan: $20.01 (survey)Sherman: $20.01 (survey)Smith: $20.01 (survey)Stafford: $20.01 (survey)Stanton: $20.01 (survey)Stevens: $20.01 (survey)Sumner: —Thomas: $20.01 (survey)Trego: $20.01 (survey)Wabaunsee: —Wallace: $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 2026-09-28. 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?

79.3kConstruction jobsKansas, 2026-08
+4.9%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k100k1990199520002005201020152020202579kAug 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

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 and ceiling tile installers in Kansas in May 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.85; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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