Drywall Installers in the San Francisco area earn a median of $82,160 a year, 53% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #5 of 169 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Napa and Santa Rosa, but less in Santa Cruz.
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 (4.4%) and the population is shrinking (-2.4% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 4,712 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $61,465 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $95/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
San Francisco scorecard for drywall installers Our calculation
Grades compare San Francisco with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers.
Pay over time
The median pay for drywall installers in the San Francisco area went from $68,790 in 2020 to $82,160 in 2025, up 19.4%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -4.7% — a real pay cut.
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 Francisco Our calculation
Prices in San Francisco run 16% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $71,065 would in a typical place, ranking #11 of 168 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. 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.
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 Francisco area's unemployment rate was 4.4% in 2025 (all workers, not just drywall installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.6% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the San Francisco area is 33 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 27% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 53% drive alone, 11% take transit and 19% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The San Francisco area's population shrank 2.4% from 2020 to 2025 (4,745,853 → 4,630,041), ranking #368 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -166,068).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in San Francisco
The San Francisco area has about 1,908,554 homes. 66% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 9% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 55% of households own their home, and the median home value is $1,132,900.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in San Francisco are down 43% from 2021 to 2025 (13,606 → 7,750).
In 2025 the San Francisco area approved permits for 7,750 new homes (2,713 single-family), or 1.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #318 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 4,712 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $61,465 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 1,895 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 18,084 workers in total). 63% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $82,160 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. 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 Francisco with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.