Drywall Labor Cost in Texas
Ranked 37th of 49, Texas pays drywall installers a median of $22.88 an hour, 19% below the US median of $28.33. One rung up, Alabama pays $0.20 more an hour; one rung down, Tennessee pays $0.04 less.
- BLS May 2025 data
- 37th 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 Texas compares
| State | Rank | Median | Against Texas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 35 | $23.24 | $0.36 more |
| Alabama | 36 | $23.08 | $0.20 more |
| Texas | 37 | $22.88 | this state |
| Tennessee | 38 | $22.84 | $0.04 less |
| Louisiana | 39 | $22.80 | $0.08 less |
A 12 x 12 room in Texas
| Low end, $0.95/sq ft | $502 |
|---|---|
| High end, $1.95/sq ft | $1,030 |
| Tennessee | $502 to $1,030 | same low end as Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | $475 to $1,003 | $26.40 less than Texas at the low end |
| Alabama | $475 to $1,003 | $26.40 less than Texas at the low end |
Against the US range of $634 to $1,320, Texas labor for this room is $132.00 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 Texas
| Occupation | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installers | $16.95 | $19.28 | $22.88 | $28.09 | $29.34 | $23.58 |
| Tapers | $17.73 | $19.33 | $21.00 | $22.89 | $22.89 | $21.36 |
| Installers, yearly | $35,256 | $40,102 | $47,590 | $58,427 | $61,027 | $49,040 |
| US installers | $18.49 | $22.81 | $28.33 | $35.69 | $49.04 | $30.58 |
| US tapers | $21.00 | $25.35 | $32.82 | $42.57 | $51.50 | $34.96 |
Half of the installers in Texas earn between $19.28 and $28.09 an hour, for a mean of $49,040 a year. With 5,760 installers on payrolls, Texas has the 3rd largest drywall installer workforce of any state. The location quotient of 0.77 means installers hold a smaller share of jobs in Texas than nationally, 77% of it. The mean, $23.58, and the median, $22.88, sit within 3% of each other. From the 10th percentile, $16.95, to the 90th, $29.34, installer pay spans $12.39 an hour, 41% of the $30.55 national spread. Tapers, who tape and finish the joints, earn a median of $21.00 in Texas, 8% less than installers.