Drywall Labor Cost in Mississippi
No state in the BLS data pays drywall installers less than Mississippi, where the median is $17.94 an hour, 37% below the US median of $28.33. Kansas, one place higher, pays $1.24 more an hour.
- BLS May 2025 data
- 49th of 49 by median wage
Your estimate
4' x 8' sheets · 10% waste allowance4' x 8' drywall
Area
Materials
Cost breakdown
Quantities include a 10% waste allowance and standard deductions of 21 sq ft per door, 15 sq ft per window and 112 sq ft per garage door. The sheet count comes from laying the board out wall by wall, plus 10% as spare sheets. Round up when in doubt, an extra sheet costs less than a second trip.
How Mississippi compares
- Closest median wages
- West Virginia $20.00 (tapers), Kansas $19.18 and Idaho $21.05
| State | Rank | Median | Against Mississippi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 45 | $21.42 | $3.48 more |
| Wyoming | 46 | $21.15 | $3.21 more |
| Idaho | 47 | $21.05 | $3.11 more |
| Kansas | 48 | $19.18 | $1.24 more |
| Mississippi | 49 | $17.94 | this state |
A 12 x 12 room in Mississippi
| Low end, $0.75/sq ft | $396 |
|---|---|
| High end, $1.55/sq ft | $818 |
| West Virginia | $370 to $766 | $26.40 less than Mississippi at the low end |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | $449 to $950 | $52.80 more than Mississippi at the low end |
| Idaho | $475 to $1,003 | $79.20 more than Mississippi at the low end |
Against the US range of $634 to $1,320, Mississippi labor for this room is $237.60 less at the low end, scaled from wages rather than bids (method). Also see the room's sheet count and its paint estimate.
What drywall workers earn in Mississippi
| Occupation | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installers | $13.51 | $14.46 | $17.94 | $21.42 | $25.43 | $18.86 |
| Installers, yearly | $28,101 | $30,077 | $37,315 | $44,554 | $52,894 | $39,240 |
| US installers | $18.49 | $22.81 | $28.33 | $35.69 | $49.04 | $30.58 |
Half of the installers in Mississippi earn between $14.46 and $21.42 an hour, for a mean of $39,240 a year. Only 110 installers are on payrolls in Mississippi, the 3rd smallest count among 49 states. Installers are a thin slice of the workforce in Mississippi, with a location quotient of 0.17: their share of jobs is 17% of the national share. The mean, $18.86, and the median, $17.94, sit within 5% of each other. From the 10th percentile, $13.51, to the 90th, $25.43, installer pay spans $11.92 an hour, 39% of the $30.55 national spread. BLS publishes no taper estimate for Mississippi.