Drywall Installers in the Portland area earn a median of $81,100 a year, 51% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #6 of 169 metros for drywall installers nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Salem.
It's one of 6 Oregon metros with published pay for this trade; see drywall installer pay in Oregon.
Drywall Installer pay in Portland at a glance
- Drywall installers in the Portland, OR metro earn a median $81,100 a year ($38.99 an hour), #6 of 169 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $39,010 and $119,250.
- After local prices, that median buys what $76,930 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,633 a month, 24% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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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 (4.9%) and the population is growing slowly (+1.0% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 2,918 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $67,849 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $94/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Portland scorecard for drywall installers Our calculation
Grades compare Portland 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 Portland area went from $60,230 in 2020 to $81,100 in 2025, up 34.7%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +7.4% — 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 Portland Our calculation
Prices in the Portland area run 5% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $76,930 would in a typical place, ranking #4 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 Portland 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 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 Portland area's unemployment rate was 4.9% in 2025 (all workers, not just drywall installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.9% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Portland area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 14% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 63% drive alone, 3% take transit and 20% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Portland area's population grew 1.0% from 2020 to 2025 (2,517,518 → 2,542,282), ranking #251 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +10,189) account for part of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Portland
The Portland area has about 1,087,272 homes. 44% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 17% were built in 2010 or later. 61% of households own their home, and the median home value is $584,800.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Portland are down 45% from 2021 to 2025 (15,023 → 8,318).
In 2025 the Portland area approved permits for 8,318 new homes (6,133 single-family), or 3.3 per 1,000 residents, ranking #204 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 2,918 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $67,849 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Portland compares among the best cities to start a drywall installer business.
They compete with 1,744 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 11,761 workers in total). 69% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Portland Government data
In an average year, Portland has 16 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), including 1 at 100°F or more, 28 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 101 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 79°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, Portland Troutdale Airport, OR 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 $81,100 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 Portland with another city →
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ToolPortland budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Portland 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 Portland against every other metro for drywall installers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.