Across U.S. metros, drywall installers typically earn $6,220 more a year than painters (13%). In the 168 metros where BLS publishes both, drywall installers earn more in 140 and painters in 28.
| Drywall Installer | Painter | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical metro median pay | $53,860 | $47,640 |
| Lowest metro median | $28,420 | $23,180 |
| Highest metro median | $105,910 | $84,370 |
| Job growth 2025–35 (U.S.) | +2.5% | +3.0% |
| Openings per year (U.S.) | 6,600 | 24,900 |
| Self-employed | 19% | 31% |
| Typical education | No formal educational credential | No formal educational credential |
| Typical training | Moderate-term on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
| Injury rate per 10k workers (U.S.) | 187 | 124 |
| Metros with pay data | 169 | 359 |
On safety, drywall installers report more injuries that cause missed work (187 vs. 124 per 10,000 full-time workers, national 2023–24).
Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 (typical = median across metros). Growth, openings, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Injuries: BLS SOII 2023–24.
Where drywall installers out-earn painters the most Our calculation
Gap in median yearly pay, same metro.
Where painters out-earn drywall installers the most
Gap in median yearly pay, same metro.
State by state Government data
Using statewide pay, drywall installers earn more in 41 states and painters in 8. The gap favors drywall installers most in Hawaii ($36,610) and painters most in North Dakota ($9,760).
BLS OEWS statewide medians, May 2025.
How the work differs Government data
The biggest differences: Outdoors, in all kinds of weather: often for drywall installers, sometimes for painters. Loud noise: often for drywall installers, sometimes for painters.
| Drywall Installer | Painter | |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoors, in all kinds of weather | Often | Sometimes |
| Indoors with heating and air conditioning | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Very hot or cold conditions | Often | Sometimes |
| Working at heights | Very often | Often |
| Climbing ladders, scaffolds or poles | Often | Often |
| Cramped spaces and awkward positions | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Loud noise | Often | Sometimes |
| Hazardous conditions | Occasionally | Sometimes |
| Standing, bending, kneeling and walking | Often | Often |
| Sitting | Rarely | Rarely |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, national.
What each trade does
Drywall Installer
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.
Painter
Paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. May remove old paint to prepare surface prior to painting. May mix colors or oils to obtain desired color or consistency.
Compare one trade across two cities →