Drywall Installers in the Waco area earn a median of $49,160 a year, 9% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #109 of 169 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Austin, but less in Killeen.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for drywall installers here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (4.0%) and the population is growing faster than most (+4.2% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 593 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $66,943 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $65/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Waco scorecard for drywall installers Our calculation
Grades compare Waco 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 Waco area went from $39,610 in 2022 to $49,160 in 2025, up 24.1%. Prices rose 10% over the same period, so after inflation that's +12.8% — a real raise.
BLS OEWS, May 2022–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 Waco Our calculation
Prices in the Waco area run 7% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $53,117 would in a typical place, ranking #98 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 Texas Official source
The main state licensing office in Texas is the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Plumbers are licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. It can point you to the right license for drywall installers.
Official Texas 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 TX metros for drywall installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| AustinTEXAS · TX | $50,500 | $51,496 | 710 |
| WacoTEXAS · TX | $49,160 | $53,117 | 130 |
| OdessaTEXAS · TX | $49,040 | $52,228 | 40 |
| DallasTEXAS · TX | $48,220 | $46,775 | 1,870 |
| HoustonTEXAS · TX | $47,610 | $48,272 | 1,640 |
| San AntonioTEXAS · TX | $46,550 | $49,147 | 290 |
| El PasoTEXAS · TX | $44,050 | $48,992 | 190 |
| TylerTEXAS · TX | $43,740 | $47,463 | 80 |
| KilleenTEXAS · TX | $40,100 | $44,002 | 80 |
See every metro in Texas.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Waco area's unemployment rate was 4.0% in 2025 (all workers, not just drywall installers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.0% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Waco area is 21 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 7% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 77% drive alone, 0% take transit and 9% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Waco area's population grew 4.2% from 2020 to 2025 (296,386 → 308,807), ranking #119 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +9,813) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Waco
The Waco area has about 128,431 homes. 44% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 19% were built in 2010 or later. 63% of households own their home, and the median home value is $277,100.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Waco are up 32% from 2021 to 2025 (1,107 → 1,460).
In 2025 the Waco area approved permits for 1,460 new homes (786 single-family), or 4.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #142 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 593 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $66,943 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 63 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 500 workers in total). 60% 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 $49,160 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 Waco 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.