Skilled Wages

Drywall installer salary in Montana

Median $28.92 an hour for 170 drywall and ceiling tile installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$28.92/hrMedian hourly wageMontana, May data
$60,140/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$22.05 – $38.1010th to 90th percentilehourly range
170Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Drywall installer pay in Montana: the full range

Wage percentiles, MontanaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrMontana: 10th $22.05 · 25th $23.34 · median $28.92 · 75th $31.63 · 90th $38.10Montana$28.92$22.05$38.10United 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: Montana vs United States, May 2025.

Montana ranks 17th of 49 states for median drywall installer pay, and 10th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $30.57). 170 drywall and ceiling tile installers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$22.05 – $23.34$45,870 – $48,540roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$23.34 – $31.63$48,540 – $65,790the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$31.63 – $38.10$65,790 – $79,240the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Drywall installer pay by metro in Montana

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrMissoula: $24.67Missoula$24.67
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers by metro area in Montana, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Missoula$19.09$24.67$37.645015% below

Drywall installer wages in Montana over time

Montana, 1999-2025MontanaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$0$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$28.92Montana$28.33United States
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers, Montana vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearMontana $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$16.57$32.02$15.3480
2000$14.83$27.73$15.80—
2001$15.68$28.50$15.87250
2002$16.47$29.47$16.21190
2003$16.54$28.94$16.19190
2004$13.31$22.68$16.3690
2005$13.76$22.68$16.70—
2006$11.33$18.09$17.38270
2007$13.21$20.51$17.56190
2008$13.09$19.57$18.12160
2009$20.59$30.90$17.88—
2010$16.33$24.11$17.9480
2011$16.68$23.87$17.78110
2012$16.25$22.79$17.89120
2013$17.59$24.31$17.89160
2014$17.98$24.45$18.32210
2015$18.41$25.01$18.85280
2016$16.65$22.33$19.75240
2017$16.18$21.25$20.60200
2018$18.28$23.44$21.03190
2019$18.87$23.76$21.97170
2020$19.13$23.80$22.82190
2021$17.55$20.85$23.09230
2022$19.45$21.40$24.25120
2023$20.63$21.80$26.78190
2024$22.13$22.71$27.95150
2025$28.92$28.92$28.33170

In today's dollars, the median drywall installer wage in Montana changed by +15.6% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for drywall installers in Montana

On federally funded construction in Montana, contractors must pay drywall installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 10 of the 44 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $47.07 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $22.69). 34 of the 44 counties still use a survey rate dated 2011 or earlier (for example Big Horn County at $22.69). The market median for the state is $28.92.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, MTBeaverhead: $44.57 (union)Big Horn: $22.69 (survey)Blaine: $22.69 (survey)Broadwater: $47.07 (union)Carbon: —Carter: $22.69 (survey)Cascade: —Chouteau: $22.69 (survey)Custer: $22.69 (survey)Daniels: $22.69 (survey)Dawson: $22.69 (survey)Deer Lodge: $44.57 (union)Fallon: $22.69 (survey)Fergus: —Flathead: $47.07 (union)Gallatin: —Garfield: $22.69 (survey)Glacier: $22.69 (survey)Golden Valley: $22.69 (survey)Granite: $47.07 (union)Hill: $22.69 (survey)Jefferson: $47.07 (union)Judith Basin: $22.69 (survey)Lake: —Lewis and Clark: $24.14 (survey)Liberty: $22.69 (survey)Lincoln: —McCone: $22.69 (survey)Madison: $47.10 (union)Meagher: $47.07 (union)Mineral: —Missoula: —Musselshell: $22.69 (survey)Park: $47.10 (union)Petroleum: $22.69 (survey)Phillips: $22.69 (survey)Pondera: $22.69 (survey)Powder River: $22.69 (survey)Powell: $47.07 (union)Prairie: $22.69 (survey)Ravalli: —Richland: $22.69 (survey)Roosevelt: $22.69 (survey)Rosebud: $22.69 (survey)Sanders: —Sheridan: $22.69 (survey)Silver Bow: —Stillwater: $22.69 (survey)Sweet Grass: $22.69 (survey)Teton: $22.69 (survey)Toole: $22.69 (survey)Treasure: $22.69 (survey)Valley: $22.69 (survey)Wheatland: $22.69 (survey)Wibaux: $22.69 (survey)Yellowstone: —Union / prevailing package, $/hr$44.57n/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
MadisonUnion CARP0082-008 2025-06-01$32.05$15.05$47.10MT20260042
ParkUnion CARP0082-008 2025-06-01$32.05$15.05$47.10MT20260045
BroadwaterUnion CARP0082-003 2025-06-01$32.05$15.02$47.07MT20260027
FlatheadUnion CARP0028-010 2025-06-01$32.05$15.02$47.07MT20260032
GraniteUnion CARP0028-009 2025-06-01$32.05$15.02$47.07MT20260036
JeffersonUnion CARP0082-003 2025-06-01$32.05$15.02$47.07MT20260038
MeagherUnion CARP0082-006 2025-06-01$32.05$15.02$47.07MT20260059
PowellUnion CARP0082-010 2025-06-01$32.05$15.02$47.07MT20260048
BeaverheadUnion CARP0082-001 2024-06-01$30.24$14.33$44.57MT20260025
Deer LodgeUnion CARP0082-001 2024-06-01$30.24$14.33$44.57MT20260030
Lewis and ClarkSurvey SUMT2011-016 2011-01-04$24.14$0.00$24.14MT20260040
Big HornSurvey SUMT2011-032 2011-01-04$22.69$0.00$22.69MT20260056
BlaineSurvey SUMT2011-002 2011-01-04$22.69$0.00$22.69MT20260026
CarterSurvey SUMT2011-033 2011-01-04$22.69$0.00$22.69MT20260057
ChouteauSurvey SUMT2011-034 2011-01-04$22.69$0.00$22.69MT20260058

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

Is construction work growing in Montana?

39.8kConstruction jobsMontana, 2026-08
+0.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k10k20k30k40k50k1990199520002005201020152020202540kAug 2026
Construction employment in Montana (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Drywall installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Montana

Questions this page answers

How much do drywall installers make in Montana?

The median drywall installer in Montana earned $28.92 an hour ($60,140 a year) in May 2025, 2% above the national median of $28.33. The middle half earn $23.34–$31.63; the top 10% earn more than $38.10.

Where does Montana rank for drywall installer pay?

Montana ranks 17th of 49 states for drywall installer pay, with a median of $28.92 an hour, and 10th after adjusting for Montana's cost of living (BEA price parity 94.6, US = 100).

What is the union drywall installer rate in Montana?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for drywall installers in 10 counties, with a typical package of $47.07 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many drywall installers work in Montana?

BLS counted 170 drywall and ceiling tile installers in Montana in May 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.63; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

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