Drywall Installers in the Merced area earn a median of $63,060 a year, 17% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #35 of 169 metros for drywall installers nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Modesto and San Jose, but less in Fresno.
It's one of 22 California metros with published pay for this trade; see drywall installer pay in California.
Drywall Installer pay in Merced at a glance
- Drywall installers in the Merced, CA metro earn a median $63,060 a year ($30.32 an hour), #35 of 169 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $45,120 and $76,800.
- After local prices, that median buys what $64,167 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,262 a month, 24% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among drywall installers in Merced.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for drywall installers here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and in the top 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (10.2%) and the population is growing faster than most (+5.1% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 214 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $57,154 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $78/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Merced scorecard for drywall installers Our calculation
Grades compare Merced with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($53,860).
Pay over time
The median pay for drywall installers in the Merced area went from $62,140 in 2020 to $63,060 in 2025, up 1.5%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -19.1% — a real pay cut. Some years are missing because BLS redrew or didn't publish this metro.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Merced Our calculation
Prices in the Merced area run 2% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $64,167 would in a typical place, ranking #27 of 168 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a cost-of-living budget for Merced from this pay, local rent and prices.
What drywall installers do
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.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
- Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
- Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
- Hang drywall panels on metal frameworks of walls and ceilings in offices, schools, or other large buildings, using lifts or hoists to adjust panel heights, when necessary.
- Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, drywall installer jobs are projected to grow 2.5% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 6,600 openings a year. About 19% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often drywall installers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for drywall installers.
Official California licensing site ↗
Requirements for drywall installers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, drywall installers have 187 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 2.2× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying CA metros for drywall installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| NapaCALIFORNIA · CA | $84,410 | $74,995 | 50 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $82,650 | $76,681 | 700 |
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $82,160 | $71,065 | 2,510 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $79,430 | $71,932 | 1,960 |
| El CentroCALIFORNIA · CA | $78,020 | $81,976 | 90 |
| San DiegoCALIFORNIA · CA | $76,290 | $68,185 | 3,220 |
| Santa CruzCALIFORNIA · CA | $74,740 | $68,010 | 120 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $73,650 | $67,543 | 160 |
| StocktonCALIFORNIA · CA | $73,520 | $69,960 | 450 |
| San Luis ObispoCALIFORNIA · CA | $67,060 | $61,752 | 180 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Merced area's unemployment rate was 10.2% in 2025 (all workers, not just drywall installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 10.3% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Merced area is 32 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 25% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 74% drive alone, 1% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Merced area's population grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025 (282,895 → 297,260), ranking #97 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +6,472) account for part of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Merced
The Merced area has about 92,947 homes. 38% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 10% were built in 2010 or later. 55% of households own their home, and the median home value is $397,800.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Merced are down 23% from 2021 to 2025 (1,017 → 780).
In 2025 the Merced area approved permits for 780 new homes (697 single-family), or 2.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #244 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 214 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $57,154 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Merced compares among the best cities to start a drywall installer business.
They compete with 73 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 359 workers in total). 71% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Licensed contractors
The Merced area has 24 active C-9 Drywall contractor licenses, about 0.8 per 10,000 residents (#14 of 25 California metros, where #1 is the most crowded). That's the competition you'd face bidding your own jobs.
California Contractors State License Board, License Master file, October 2026. Counted by the county in each license's address.
Working outdoors in Merced Government data
In an average year, Merced has 100 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 23 at 100°F or more, 28 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 27 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 94°F and winter nights 37°F. That matters for drywall installers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Merced Muni Airport, CA station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $63,060 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get drywall installer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Merced with another city →
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ToolMerced budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Merced metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Merced against every other metro for drywall installers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.