Skilled Wages

Drywall installer salary in Missouri

Median $30.09 an hour for 550 drywall and ceiling tile installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 2000.

$30.09/hrMedian hourly wageMissouri, May data
$62,580/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$22.27 – $44.1210th to 90th percentilehourly range
550Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Drywall installer pay in Missouri: the full range

Wage percentiles, MissouriMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrMissouri: 10th $22.27 · 25th $25.36 · median $30.09 · 75th $38.74 · 90th $44.12Missouri$30.09$22.27$44.12United 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: Missouri vs United States, May 2025.

Missouri ranks 9th of 49 states for median drywall installer pay, and 5th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $33.14). 550 drywall and ceiling tile installers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$22.27 – $25.36$46,310 – $52,760roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$25.36 – $38.74$52,760 – $80,570the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$38.74 – $44.12$80,570 – $91,780the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Drywall installer pay by metro in Missouri

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrSt. Louis: $28.97St. Louis$28.97Springfield: $27.19Springfield$27.19Kansas City: $22.46Kansas City$22.46
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers by metro area in Missouri, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
St. Louis$22.27$28.97$44.442504% below
Springfield$18.91$27.19$38.526010% below
Kansas City$17.25$22.46$44.1253025% below

Drywall installer wages in Missouri over time

Missouri, 2000-2025MissouriUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30$35200020052010201520202025$30.09Missouri$28.33United States
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers, Missouri vs United States, 2000–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearMissouri $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
2000$18.51$34.61$15.802,500
2001$19.51$35.47$15.872,430
2002$19.60$35.08$16.212,280
2003$18.35$32.11$16.192,200
2004$18.70$31.87$16.361,920
2005$19.62$32.34$16.701,820
2006$21.67$34.61$17.381,850
2007$21.88$33.97$17.562,220
2008$20.93$31.30$18.121,920
2009$21.36$32.05$17.881,670
2010$26.32$38.86$17.941,330
2011$29.12$41.68$17.781,230
2012$27.61$38.72$17.891,280
2013$21.81$30.14$17.891,260
2014$20.81$28.30$18.321,320
2015$19.47$26.45$18.851,060
2016$18.21$24.43$19.75770
2017$18.98$24.93$20.60850
2018$19.37$24.83$21.03—
2019$23.98$30.20$21.97670
2020$28.57$35.54$22.82730
2021$22.24$26.42$23.091,220
2022$23.44$25.79$24.25720
2023$27.22$28.76$26.78630
2024$28.39$29.14$27.95480
2025$30.09$30.09$28.33550

In today's dollars, the median drywall installer wage in Missouri changed by +13.8% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for drywall installers in Missouri

On federally funded construction in Missouri, contractors must pay drywall installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 29 of the 29 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $52.11 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $30.09.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, MOAdair: —Andrew: —Atchison: —Audrain: —Barry: $41.14 (union)Barton: $41.14 (union)Bates: —Benton: $41.14 (union)Bollinger: —Boone: —Buchanan: —Butler: —Caldwell: —Callaway: —Camden: $51.11 (union)Cape Girardeau: —Carroll: —Carter: —Cass: —Cedar: $41.14 (union)Chariton: —Christian: —Clark: —Clay: —Clinton: —Cole: —Cooper: $43.15 (union)Crawford: $52.11 (union)Dade: $52.11 (union)Dallas: —Daviess: —DeKalb: —Dent: $52.11 (union)Douglas: $52.11 (union)Dunklin: —Franklin: —Gasconade: $52.11 (union)Gentry: —Greene: —Grundy: —Harrison: —Henry: $52.11 (union)Hickory: $52.11 (union)Holt: —Howard: —Howell: —Iron: —Jackson: —Jasper: —Jefferson: —Johnson: $64.46 (union)Knox: —Laclede: $52.11 (union)Lafayette: —Lawrence: $51.00 (union)Lewis: —Lincoln: —Linn: —Livingston: —McDonald: —Macon: —Madison: —Maries: $52.11 (union)Marion: —Mercer: —Miller: $52.11 (union)Mississippi: —Moniteau: —Monroe: —Montgomery: $52.11 (union)Morgan: $52.11 (union)New Madrid: —Newton: —Nodaway: —Oregon: —Osage: —Ozark: $52.11 (union)Pemiscot: —Perry: —Pettis: $43.15 (union)Phelps: $52.11 (union)Pike: —Platte: —Polk: —Pulaski: $51.11 (union)Putnam: —Ralls: —Randolph: —Ray: —Reynolds: —Ripley: —St. Charles: —St. Clair: $52.11 (union)Ste. Genevieve: —St. Francois: —St. Louis: —Saline: —Schuyler: —Scotland: —Scott: —Shannon: —Shelby: —Stoddard: —Stone: $52.11 (union)Sullivan: —Taney: $52.11 (union)Texas: —Vernon: $41.14 (union)Warren: —Washington: —Wayne: —Webster: —Worth: —Wright: $41.14 (union)St. Louis: —Union / prevailing package, $/hr$42.35$52.11n/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
JohnsonUnion CARP0005-014 2024-05-01$42.06$22.40$64.46MO20260012
CrawfordUnion PAIN1185-009 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260056
DadeUnion PAIN1185-011 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260032
DentUnion PAIN1185-010 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260033
DouglasUnion PAIN1185-011 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260032
GasconadeUnion PAIN1185-010 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260033
HenryUnion PAIN1185-011 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260032
HickoryUnion PAIN1185-011 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260032
LacledeUnion PAIN1185-011 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260032
MariesUnion PAIN1185-010 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260033
MillerUnion PAIN1185-010 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260033
MontgomeryUnion PAIN1185-010 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260033
MorganUnion PAIN1185-010 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260033
OzarkUnion PAIN1185-011 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260032
PhelpsUnion PAIN1185-012 2025-04-01$34.90$17.21$52.11MO20260018

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

Is construction work growing in Missouri?

165.4kConstruction jobsMissouri, 2026-08
+6.7%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202650k100k150k200k19901995200020052010201520202025165kAug 2026
Construction employment in Missouri (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Drywall installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Missouri

Questions this page answers

How much do drywall installers make in Missouri?

The median drywall installer in Missouri earned $30.09 an hour ($62,580 a year) in May 2025, 6% above the national median of $28.33. The middle half earn $25.36–$38.74; the top 10% earn more than $44.12.

Where does Missouri rank for drywall installer pay?

Missouri ranks 9th of 49 states for drywall installer pay, with a median of $30.09 an hour, and 5th after adjusting for Missouri's cost of living (BEA price parity 90.8, US = 100).

What is the union drywall installer rate in Missouri?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for drywall installers in 29 counties, with a typical package of $52.11 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many drywall installers work in Missouri?

BLS counted 550 drywall and ceiling tile installers in Missouri 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, Missouri 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.