Drywall Installers in the San Diego area earn a median of $76,290 a year, 42% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #10 of 169 metros for drywall installer pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in El Centro, but less in Los Angeles.
It's one of 22 California metros with published pay for this trade; see drywall installers across California.
Drywall Installer pay in San Diego at a glance
- Drywall installers in the San Diego, CA metro earn a median $76,290 a year ($36.68 an hour), #10 of 169 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $48,410 and $114,110.
- After local prices, that median buys what $68,185 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $2,335 a month, 37% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among drywall installers in San Diego.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for drywall installers here is in the top 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the top 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.6%) and the population is shrinking (-0.6% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 4,039 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $62,207 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $89/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
San Diego scorecard for drywall installers Our calculation
Grades compare San Diego 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 San Diego area went from $52,930 in 2020 to $76,290 in 2025, up 44.1%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +15.0% — a real raise.
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 San Diego Our calculation
Prices in the San Diego area run 12% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $68,185 would in a typical place, ranking #16 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 monthly budget for San Diego 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 San Diego area's unemployment rate was 4.6% in 2025 (all workers, not just drywall installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.4% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the San Diego area is 26 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 14% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 68% drive alone, 2% take transit and 16% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The San Diego area's population shrank 0.6% from 2020 to 2025 (3,301,110 → 3,282,248), ranking #322 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -75,253).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in San Diego
The San Diego area has about 1,271,828 homes. 48% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 10% were built in 2010 or later. 54% of households own their home, and the median home value is $914,700.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in San Diego are up 17% from 2021 to 2025 (10,048 → 11,707).
In 2025 the San Diego area approved permits for 11,707 new homes (3,506 single-family), or 3.6 per 1,000 residents, ranking #189 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 4,039 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $62,207 a year in revenue before expenses. See how San Diego compares among the best cities to start a drywall installer business.
They compete with 1,566 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 14,985 workers in total). 63% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Licensed contractors
The San Diego area has 364 active C-9 Drywall contractor licenses, about 1.1 per 10,000 residents (#4 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 San Diego Government data
In an average year, San Diego has 20 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), including 2 at 100°F or more, 0 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 22 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 79°F and winter nights 47°F. That matters for drywall installers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, San Diego Miramar Nas, 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 $76,290 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 San Diego with another city →
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ToolBest cities for drywall installersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in San DiegoSee where it falls among local drywall installers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolSan Diego budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the San Diego 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 San Diego against every other metro for drywall installers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.