Drywall Installers in the Albany area earn a median of $50,540 a year, 6% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #95 of 169 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Salem and Eugene, but less in Medford.
It's one of 6 Oregon metros with published pay for this trade; see drywall installers across Oregon.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for drywall installers here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (5.5%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+3.0% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 101 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $60,079 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $67/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Albany scorecard for drywall installers Our calculation
Grades compare Albany 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 Albany area went from $47,630 in 2023 to $50,540 in 2025, up 6.1%. Prices rose 6% over the same period, so after inflation that's +0.4% — roughly keeping pace.
BLS OEWS, May 2023–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 Albany Our calculation
Prices in Albany run 2% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $49,500 would in a typical place, ranking #132 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 Oregon Official source
The main state licensing office in Oregon is the Oregon Construction Contractors Board. It can point you to the right license for drywall installers.
Official Oregon 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 OR metros for drywall installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| PortlandOREGON · OR | $81,100 | $76,930 | 1,100 |
| BendOREGON · OR | $63,970 | $61,743 | 100 |
| SalemOREGON · OR | $62,400 | $60,203 | 200 |
| EugeneOREGON · OR | $59,240 | $58,325 | 70 |
| AlbanyOREGON · OR | $50,540 | $49,500 | 40 |
| MedfordOREGON · OR | $50,440 | $49,727 | 80 |
See every metro in Oregon.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Albany area's unemployment rate was 5.5% 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 Albany area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 14% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 80% drive alone, 0% take transit and 10% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Albany area's population grew 3.0% from 2020 to 2025 (128,950 → 132,843), ranking #172 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +4,494) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Albany
The Albany area has about 54,260 homes. 55% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 13% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 67% of households own their home, and the median home value is $417,300.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Albany are down 70% from 2021 to 2025 (620 → 189).
In 2025 the Albany area approved permits for 189 new homes (140 single-family), or 1.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking #337 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 101 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $60,079 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Albany compares among the best cities to start a drywall installer business.
They compete with 57 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 326 workers in total). 63% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Albany Government data
In an average year, Albany has 16 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), including 1 at 100°F or more, 55 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 117 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 79°F and winter nights 34°F. That matters for drywall installers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Foster Dam, OR station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
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 $50,540 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 Albany 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.