Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Salary in Texas
SOC 47-2081 · Texas · BLS OEWS May 2025
Median Annual Salary
$47,590
$22.88/hr
19.2% lower than the US national median ($58,926)
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Is this a competitive Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers salary in Texas in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS August 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$35K
P25$40K
P50$48K
P75$58K
P90$61K
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Demand: ACTIVE. Demand is active -- manufacturing openings are at 4.0% (JOLTS, August 2026). A balanced market where the median is a solid, competitive anchor.
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Merit budget: Wages in manufacturing are rising about 3.3% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.9-3.4% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $47,590 to $58,427 (market median to the 75th percentile). The median-to-P75 range keeps offers competitive.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 1.4% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, trailing the 3.3% wage growth of Manufacturing (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · MODERATE
Manufacturing is running a 4.0% job-openings rate with quits at 1.6% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has held near 4.0% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 2.7 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is wider than typical, so expect large pay differences by experience, employer size, and geography; build generous ranges and differentiate strongly.
What changed recently
Sep 29, 2026JOLTS August 2026: sector openings eased to 4.0% (down 54K) after July's durable-goods jump, which held at 4.4% on revision. Quits rose to 1.6%, led by nondurable goods.
Sep 1, 2026JOLTS July 2026: sector openings jumped to 4.4% (up 79K), all of it in durable goods, the biggest sector move this release. Quits eased to 1.4%.
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback. Quits steady at 1.5%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS August 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The median salary for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers in Texas is $47,590 per year ($22.88/hr). This is 19.2% lower than the national median of $58,926.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Apply plasterboard or other wallboard to ceilings or interior walls of buildings. Apply or mount acoustical tiles or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings and walls of buildings to reduce or reflect sound. Materials may be of decorative quality. Includes lathers who fasten wooden, metal, or rockboard lath to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings to provide support base for plaster, fireproofing, or acoustical material.
Wage Percentiles: Texas
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours) · National adjusted
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
vs National
P10Entry level
$16.95
$35,256
-8.3%
P25
$19.28
$40,102
-15.5%
P50MEDIAN
$22.88
$47,590
-19.2%
P75
$28.09
$58,427
-21.3%
P90Top earners
$29.34
$61,027
-40.2%
How Texas compares for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
Computed from this state's own BLS distribution against national
Pay for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers in Texas sits below the national range at every level: -8.3% at entry, -19.2% at the median and -40.2% at the top. The gap is larger at entry than at the top.
An offer at the national median of $58,926 would sit at about the 77th percentile in Texas.
The top of the range earns 1.73 times the bottom here against 2.65 times nationally, so pay for this role is more compressed between entry and senior levels in Texas.
Texas employs 5,760 people in this role, 6.9% of the national total.
Get the full percentile report
P10–P90 breakdown, career outlook, industry wages, and JOLTS market signal for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
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Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.2%
Faster than average
Annual openings
8K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
103K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
6% from new growth94% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 2 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Building Finishing Contractors
NAICS 238300
66K
$58,810
Nonresidential Building Construction
NAICS 236200
7K
$67,180
Wage range across top 5 industries: $58,810 to $67,180 (14% spread)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median drywall and ceiling tile installers salary in Texas?
The median (P50) annual salary for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers in Texas is approximately $47,590, based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. This is 19.2% lower than the national median of $58,926. For the full P10–P90 breakdown and market context, open CompSignal.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.
