Drywall Labor Cost in North Dakota
North Dakota is one of the lower-paying states for drywall work: its median installer wage of $21.69 an hour is 23% under the national median, 7th lowest of 49. One rung up, South Carolina pays $0.11 more an hour; one rung down, North Carolina pays $0.02 less.
- BLS May 2025 data
- 43rd 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 North Dakota compares
- Closest median wages
- North Carolina $21.67, South Carolina $21.80 and Arkansas $21.42
| State | Rank | Median | Against North Dakota |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 41 | $22.15 | $0.46 more |
| South Carolina | 42 | $21.80 | $0.11 more |
| North Dakota | 43 | $21.69 | this state |
| North Carolina | 44 | $21.67 | $0.02 less |
| Arkansas | 45 | $21.42 | $0.27 less |
A 12 x 12 room in North Dakota
| Low end, $0.90/sq ft | $475 |
|---|---|
| High end, $1.85/sq ft | $977 |
| North Carolina | $449 to $924 | $26.40 less than North Dakota at the low end |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | $475 to $1,003 | same low end as North Dakota |
| Arkansas | $422 to $898 | $52.80 less than North Dakota at the low end |
Against the US range of $634 to $1,320, North Dakota labor for this room is $158.40 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 North Dakota
| Occupation | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installers | $17.95 | $21.13 | $21.69 | $23.31 | $27.65 | $22.53 |
| Installers, yearly | $37,336 | $43,950 | $45,115 | $48,485 | $57,512 | $46,870 |
| US installers | $18.49 | $22.81 | $28.33 | $35.69 | $49.04 | $30.58 |
Half of the installers in North Dakota earn between $21.13 and $23.31 an hour, for a mean of $46,870 a year. Only 130 installers are on payrolls in North Dakota, the 4th smallest count among 49 states. The location quotient of 0.55 means installers hold a smaller share of jobs in North Dakota than nationally, 55% of it. The mean, $22.53, and the median, $21.69, sit within 4% of each other. From the 10th percentile, $17.95, to the 90th, $27.65, installer pay spans $9.70 an hour, 32% of the $30.55 national spread. BLS publishes no taper estimate for North Dakota.