Skilled Wages

Drywall installer salary in South Dakota

Median $23.49 an hour for 360 drywall installers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$23.49/hrMedian hourly wageSouth Dakota, May data
$48,850/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$20.39 – $28.5510th to 90th percentilehourly range
360Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Drywall installer pay in South Dakota: the full range

Wage percentiles, South DakotaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrSouth Dakota: 10th $20.39 · 25th $23.07 · median $23.49 · 75th $27.92 · 90th $28.55South Dakota$23.49$20.39$28.55United 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: South Dakota vs United States, May 2025.

South Dakota ranks 33rd of 49 states for median drywall installer pay, and 26th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $26.51). 360 drywall installers work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.4× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$20.39 – $23.07$42,400 – $47,980roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$23.07 – $27.92$47,980 – $58,080the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$27.92 – $28.55$58,080 – $59,380the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Drywall installer pay by metro in South Dakota

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrSioux Falls: $23.83Sioux Falls$23.83Sioux City: $23.49Sioux City$23.49Rapid City: $23.07Rapid City$23.07
Median hourly wage for drywall installers by metro area in South Dakota, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Sioux Falls$21.90$23.83$26.30$28.412201% above
Sioux City$18.94$23.49$27.16$28.9670about the same as
Rapid City$18.50$23.07$25.86$28.03602% below

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

Drywall installer wages in South Dakota over time

South Dakota, 1999-2025South DakotaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$28.33United States$23.49South Dakota
Median hourly wage for drywall installers, South Dakota vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearSouth Dakota $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$12.92$24.97$15.34280
2000$12.27$22.94$15.80260
2001$11.73$21.32$15.87280
2002$12.55$22.46$16.21330
2003$12.30$21.52$16.19350
2004$13.38$22.80$16.36390
2005$14.06$23.18$16.70430
2006$14.20$22.68$17.38350
2007$14.78$22.95$17.56310
2008$14.30$21.38$18.12360
2009$15.18$22.78$17.88360
2010$15.28$22.56$17.94360
2011$15.65$22.40$17.78370
2012$14.70$20.61$17.89370
2013$14.90$20.59$17.89350
2014$14.70$19.99$18.32390
2015$15.41$20.93$18.85450
2016$16.16$21.68$19.75470
2017$15.85$20.82$20.60410
2018$15.78$20.23$21.03450
2019$17.13$21.57$21.97380
2020$18.07$22.48$22.82340
2021$18.74$22.27$23.09310
2022$18.76$20.64$24.25220
2023$22.09$23.34$26.78260
2024$23.21$23.82$27.95400
2025$23.49$23.49$28.33360

In today's dollars, the median drywall installer wage in South Dakota changed by +12.2% over the last ten years of data and by +8.9% since 2019.

Are there more drywall installer jobs in South Dakota?

0.8Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.5× the US share, 9th of 49 states

BLS counted 360 drywall installers in South Dakota in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 13%. 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 South Dakota

+9.8%Projected growth in South Dakota2024–2034, state agency
40Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
490Jobs in 2024540 projected for 2034
+2.5%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

South Dakota's labor market agency projects the number of drywall installers in the state to change by +9.8% between 2024 and 2034, from 490 to 540, with about 40 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.5% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 360 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for drywall installers in South Dakota

On federally funded construction in South Dakota, contractors must pay drywall installers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 25 of the 42 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $53.49 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $16.68). 17 of the 42 counties still use a survey rate dated 2014 or earlier (for example Butte County at $16.68). The market median for the state is $23.49.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, SDAurora: n/aBeadle: $53.49 (union)Bennett: n/aBon Homme: n/aBrookings: $53.49 (union)Brown: $53.49 (union)Brule: n/aBuffalo: $53.49 (union)Butte: $16.68 (survey)Campbell: $16.68 (survey)Charles Mix: n/aClark: $53.49 (union)Clay: n/aCodington: $53.49 (union)Corson: $16.68 (survey)Custer: $18.19 (survey)Davison: n/aDay: $53.49 (union)Deuel: $53.49 (union)Dewey: $16.68 (survey)Douglas: n/aEdmunds: $53.49 (union)Fall River: n/aFaulk: $53.49 (union)Grant: $53.49 (union)Gregory: n/aHaakon: $16.68 (survey)Hamlin: $53.49 (union)Hand: $53.49 (union)Hanson: n/aHarding: $16.68 (survey)Hughes: $16.68 (survey)Hutchinson: n/aHyde: $53.49 (union)Jackson: n/aJerauld: $53.49 (union)Jones: n/aKingsbury: $53.49 (union)Lake: n/aLawrence: $16.68 (survey)Lincoln: $53.49 (union)Lyman: n/aMcCook: $53.49 (union)McPherson: $53.49 (union)Marshall: $53.49 (union)Meade: $18.19 (survey)Mellette: n/aMiner: n/aMinnehaha: $53.49 (union)Moody: n/aOglala Lakota: n/aPennington: $18.19 (survey)Perkins: $16.68 (survey)Potter: $16.68 (survey)Roberts: $53.49 (union)Sanborn: n/aSpink: $53.49 (union)Stanley: $16.68 (survey)Sully: $16.68 (survey)Todd: n/aTripp: n/aTurner: $53.49 (union)Union: $53.49 (union)Walworth: $16.68 (survey)Yankton: n/aZiebach: $16.68 (survey)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$32.31n/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)Prevailing (survey)$0$20$40$60/hrUnion (Sioux City): market median $23.49, prevailing (union) $53.49, gap +$30.00Union (Sioux City)+$30.00Lincoln (Sioux Falls): market median $23.83, prevailing (union) $53.49, gap +$29.66Lincoln (Sioux Falls)+$29.66Custer (Rapid City): market median $23.07, prevailing (survey) $18.19, gap −$4.88Custer (Rapid City)−$4.88
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for drywall installers, metro counties in South Dakota.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BeadleUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260021
BrookingsUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260005
BrownUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260006
BuffaloUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260007
ClarkUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260021
CodingtonUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260011
DayUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260021
DeuelUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260021
EdmundsUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260021
FaulkUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260021
GrantUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260021
HamlinUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260021
HandUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260021
HydeUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260021
JerauldUnion CARP0587-001 2025-06-01$36.34$17.15$53.49SD20260021

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

Is construction work growing in South Dakota?

32.1kConstruction jobsSouth Dakota, 2026-09
+3.2%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k10k20k30k40k1990199520002005201020152020202532kSep 2026
Construction employment in South Dakota (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Drywall installer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in South Dakota

More on South Dakota

Questions this page answers

How much do drywall installers make in South Dakota?

The median drywall installer in South Dakota earned $23.49 an hour ($48,850 a year) in May 2025, 17% below the national median of $28.33. The middle half earn $23.07–$27.92; the top 10% earn more than $28.55.

Where does South Dakota rank for drywall installer pay?

South Dakota ranks 33rd of 49 states for drywall installer pay, with a median of $23.49 an hour, and 26th after adjusting for South Dakota's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.6, US = 100).

What is the union drywall installer rate in South Dakota?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for drywall installers in 25 counties, with a typical package of $53.49 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many drywall installers work in South Dakota?

BLS counted 360 drywall installers in South Dakota in May 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.49; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is drywall installer work growing in South Dakota?

South Dakota's labor market agency projects +9.8% growth for drywall installers between 2024 and 2034, from 490 to 540 jobs.

How many drywall installer openings a year are there in South Dakota?

South Dakota projects about 40 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, South Dakota 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: South Dakota labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.