Drywall Installers in the Seattle area earn a median of $75,560 a year, 40% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #11 of 169 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Portland, but less in Bremerton.
Seattle scorecard for drywall installers Our calculation
Grades compare Seattle with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Seattle Our calculation
Prices in Seattle run 11% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $67,991 would in a typical place, ranking #18 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.
Licensing in Washington Official source
The main state licensing office in Washington is the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. It can point you to the right license for drywall installers.
Official Washington 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 WA metros for drywall installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| SeattleWASHINGTON · WA | $75,560 | $67,991 | 1,840 |
| Mount VernonWASHINGTON · WA | $67,730 | $66,115 | 70 |
| KennewickWASHINGTON · WA | $63,870 | $63,820 | 190 |
| BremertonWASHINGTON · WA | $63,550 | $60,176 | 50 |
| WenatcheeWASHINGTON · WA | $62,400 | $60,084 | 30 |
| BellinghamWASHINGTON · WA | $61,980 | $59,980 | 80 |
| YakimaWASHINGTON · WA | $58,950 | $61,699 | 50 |
See every metro in Washington.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Seattle 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 5.0% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Seattle area is 30 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 22% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 60% drive alone, 6% take transit and 18% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Seattle are down 49% from 2021 to 2025 (30,743 → 15,659).
In 2025 the Seattle area approved permits for 15,659 new homes (6,136 single-family), or 3.9 per 1,000 residents, ranking #169 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 5,027 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $78,423 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 2,959 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 21,186 workers in total). 72% 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 $75,560 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
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 Seattle with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- 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.
- 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.