Skilled Wages

Drywall installer salary in New York

Median $29.46 an hour for 2,840 drywall and ceiling tile installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$29.46/hrMedian hourly wageNew York, May data
$61,280/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$22.53 – $56.9510th to 90th percentilehourly range
2,840Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Drywall installer pay in New York: the full range

Wage percentiles, New YorkMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$0$20$40$60$80/hrNew York: 10th $22.53 · 25th $25.22 · median $29.46 · 75th $36.34 · 90th $56.95New York$29.46$22.53$56.95United 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: New York vs United States, May 2025.

New York ranks 14th of 49 states for median drywall installer pay, and 24th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $27.30). 2,840 drywall and ceiling tile installers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$22.53 – $25.22$46,860 – $52,460roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$25.22 – $36.34$52,460 – $75,580the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$36.34 – $56.95$75,580 – $118,450the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Drywall installer pay by metro in New York

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrNew York City: $34.29New York City$34.29Rochester: $28.80Rochester$28.80Albany: $27.90Albany$27.90Syracuse: $26.01Syracuse$26.01
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers by metro area in New York, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
New York City$24.20$34.29$56.952,56016% above
Rochester$22.63$28.80$40.122002% below
Albany$21.33$27.90$49.931605% below
Syracuse$19.28$26.01$49.3516012% below

Drywall installer wages in New York over time

New York, 1999-2025New YorkUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30$35200020052010201520202025$29.46New York$28.33United States
Median hourly wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers, New York vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearNew York $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$29.53$57.06$15.343,840
2000$25.59$47.84$15.804,940
2001$23.20$42.17$15.873,540
2002$22.07$39.50$16.213,640
2003$20.91$36.59$16.193,310
2004$23.85$40.65$16.363,250
2005$25.71$42.38$16.704,100
2006$22.18$35.42$17.385,060
2007$23.07$35.82$17.565,130
2008$22.12$33.08$18.125,340
2009$23.21$34.83$17.884,900
2010$22.41$33.09$17.944,180
2011$20.12$28.80$17.783,540
2012$20.58$28.86$17.893,220
2013$23.54$32.53$17.893,360
2014$23.80$32.37$18.323,290
2015$27.06$36.76$18.852,950
2016$24.39$32.72$19.753,110
2017$22.89$30.06$20.603,720
2018$19.72$25.28$21.035,490
2019$22.39$28.20$21.975,730
2020$19.85$24.69$22.825,180
2021$22.70$26.97$23.095,240
2022$28.11$30.92$24.254,150
2023$29.65$31.33$26.783,590
2024$28.83$29.59$27.952,940
2025$29.46$29.46$28.332,840

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for drywall installers in New York

On federally funded construction in New York, contractors must pay drywall installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 41 of the 49 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $60.60 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $44.39). The market median for the state is $29.46.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, NYAlbany: $60.60 (union)Allegany: $44.39 (survey)Bronx: $84.38 (union)Broome: —Cattaraugus: $44.39 (survey)Cayuga: $73.72 (union)Chautauqua: $44.10 (survey)Chemung: —Chenango: $73.72 (union)Clinton: $50.53 (union)Columbia: $60.60 (union)Cortland: $73.72 (union)Delaware: $73.72 (union)Dutchess: $60.60 (union)Erie: $62.51 (union)Essex: $50.53 (union)Franklin: $50.53 (union)Fulton: $50.53 (union)Genesee: $44.39 (survey)Greene: $60.60 (union)Hamilton: $50.53 (union)Herkimer: —Jefferson: $56.26 (union)Kings: $84.38 (union)Lewis: —Livingston: $54.25 (union)Madison: $44.46 (union)Monroe: $54.25 (union)Montgomery: $50.53 (union)Nassau: $84.38 (union)New York: $84.38 (union)Niagara: $62.51 (union)Oneida: —Onondaga: $44.46 (union)Ontario: $54.25 (union)Orange: $60.60 (union)Orleans: $62.51 (union)Oswego: $44.46 (union)Otsego: $73.72 (union)Putnam: —Queens: $84.38 (union)Rensselaer: $60.60 (union)Richmond: $84.38 (union)Rockland: $63.80 (union)St. Lawrence: —Saratoga: $60.60 (union)Schenectady: $60.60 (union)Schoharie: $60.60 (union)Schuyler: $44.39 (survey)Seneca: $44.39 (survey)Steuben: $44.39 (survey)Suffolk: $84.38 (union)Sullivan: $60.60 (union)Tioga: —Tompkins: —Ulster: $60.60 (union)Warren: —Washington: $60.60 (union)Wayne: —Westchester: —Wyoming: $44.39 (survey)Yates: —Union / prevailing package, $/hr$44.46$54.65$60.60$73.72n/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)$20$40$60$80$100/hrBronx (New York City): market median $34.29, prevailing (union) $84.38, gap +$50.09Bronx (New York City)+$50.09Orleans (Rochester): market median $28.80, prevailing (union) $62.51, gap +$33.71Orleans (Rochester)+$33.71Erie (New York): market median $29.46, prevailing (union) $62.51, gap +$33.05Erie (New York)+$33.05Albany (Albany): market median $27.90, prevailing (union) $60.60, gap +$32.70Albany (Albany)+$32.70Madison (Syracuse): market median $26.01, prevailing (union) $44.46, gap +$18.45Madison (Syracuse)+$18.45
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for drywall installers, metro counties in New York.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BronxUnion PAIN1974-001 2025-06-28$48.47$35.91$84.38NY20260003
KingsUnion PAIN1974-001 2025-06-28$48.47$35.91$84.38NY20260003
NassauUnion PAIN1974-002 2025-06-28$48.47$35.91$84.38NY20260012
New YorkUnion PAIN1974-001 2025-06-28$48.47$35.91$84.38NY20260003
QueensUnion PAIN1974-001 2025-06-28$48.47$35.91$84.38NY20260003
RichmondUnion PAIN1974-001 2025-06-28$48.47$35.91$84.38NY20260003
SuffolkUnion PAIN1974-002 2025-06-28$48.47$35.91$84.38NY20260012
CayugaUnion CARP0279-003 2024-07-01$43.50$30.22$73.72NY20260101
ChenangoUnion CARP0279-003 2024-07-01$43.50$30.22$73.72NY20260103
CortlandUnion CARP0279-003 2024-07-01$43.50$30.22$73.72NY20260106
DelawareUnion CARP0279-003 2024-07-01$43.50$30.22$73.72NY20260107
OtsegoUnion CARP0279-003 2024-07-01$43.50$30.22$73.72NY20260113
RocklandUnion PAIN0155-004 2021-05-01$39.14$24.66$63.80NY20260020
ErieUnion PAIN0004-024 2025-05-01$34.00$28.51$62.51NY20260050
NiagaraUnion PAIN0004-010 2025-05-01$34.00$28.51$62.51NY20260019

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

Is construction work growing in New York?

396.0kConstruction jobsNew York, 2026-08
-1.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026100k200k300k400k500k19901995200020052010201520202025396kAug 2026
Construction employment in New York (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Drywall installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in New York

Questions this page answers

How much do drywall installers make in New York?

The median drywall installer in New York earned $29.46 an hour ($61,280 a year) in May 2025, 4% above the national median of $28.33. The middle half earn $25.22–$36.34; the top 10% earn more than $56.95.

Where does New York rank for drywall installer pay?

New York ranks 14th of 49 states for drywall installer pay, with a median of $29.46 an hour, and 24th after adjusting for New York's cost of living (BEA price parity 107.9, US = 100).

What is the union drywall installer rate in New York?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for drywall installers in 41 counties, with a typical package of $60.60 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many drywall installers work in New York?

BLS counted 2,840 drywall and ceiling tile installers in New York in May 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.55; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, New York 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.