Mark where each board goes
Read the plan, then carry its measurements over with a tape measure and square, marking each board's spot.
Career profile
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer
Drywall installers hang boards on a building's open frame to make finished walls and ceilings.
Enjoy getting pieces to line up neatly? Here you get to watch a bare space turn into a room, one board at a time.
A day in the life
Cut an opening for an outlet
Outline the hole, then saw it out with a keyhole saw so the outlet box stays reachable.
Screw boards onto the frame
Hold each board on the frame and drive in screws, working alongside finishers who hide the joints.
Hang a grid, trim edge tiles
Hang the ceiling grid on wire, and once part is up, trim border tiles to the room's edges.
Quick facts
Learn on the job
United States · 2025
$58,930/year
United States · May 2025
2.5% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Learn on the jobNo formal educational credential is typically needed to enter; employer requirements vary.
Pay
$58,930/yearNational median, equivalent to $28.33 an hour.
Outlook
2.5% projected growthAbout 6,600 openings a year are projected nationally, including replacement openings.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy checking a fit before fastening pieces together.
- You can keep measurements accurate through repetitive work.
- You like coordinating hands-on work with other people.
Things to weigh
- Heavy panels, repeated bending and overhead reaching make this physically demanding.
- Ceiling work can mean working from ladders, scaffolds or lifts.
Where AI may help
Digital layout tools can transfer wall positions from plans to the floor. On suitably equipped projects, drilling robots can mark and drill overhead holes.
What people still lead
You still need to fit the actual building, resolve installation problems and coordinate work around other people.
What we can’t predict yet
How much setup and repetitive layout or drilling shifts to machines will depend on the project and equipment. Learning these tools may become part of the work.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median is a midpoint across workers, not a starting offer.
The national spread
The median was $58,930 a year, or $28.33 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% earned $38,460 or less; the highest-paid 10% earned $102,010 or more. Those groups are not beginner and experienced pay bands.
Employer setting matters
A historical comparison shows annual mean wages of $72,180 in nonresidential building construction and $53,310 in residential building construction. These May 2023 averages describe different worker groups; they are not current offers or guaranteed premiums.
Openings include replacing workers
Employment is projected to grow 2.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,600 openings annually. Openings include replacements as well as growth; they do not indicate how many jobs are available near you today.
Getting started
Start as a helper
- What the route involves
- Carry materials and clean up, then learn measuring, cutting and installation.
- What it can lead to
- You gradually take on more of the installation.
- What to check
- Some employers prefer a high school diploma or equivalent.
Enter an apprenticeship
Typically 2–4 years.
- What the route involves
- Combine jobsite training with technical instruction.
- What it can lead to
- You develop trade skills through a structured training program.
- What to check
- A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required; check the sponsor's entry requirements.
Most installers learn beside experienced workers.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get consistent
Practice accurate cuts and secure installation before taking on more difficult areas.
Build your range
Develop layout and metal-framing skills, then learn more demanding ceiling systems with unusual shapes or details.
Lead or estimate
With experience, you could move into supervising crews or estimating project costs.
Where you can work
Large building projects
In schools or offices, you may hang panels on metal framing and use lifts to reach ceiling height.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Occupied offices and public buildings
Interior renovation adds people and furnishings to work around. Protecting furniture and adjusting schedules to limit disruption become part of installing walls and ceilings.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Draw a wall on graph paper with a door and an outlet. Use paper rectangles as wallboard panels and plan the cuts. Notice whether you enjoy measuring carefully and solving awkward fits.
Stay safe: Keep this a tabletop paper exercise; it does not require cutting wallboard or opening a wall.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wages: Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Drywall Installers, Ceiling Tile Installers, and Tapers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. Interior Systems. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Carpenters International Training Fund. List of All CITF Training Programs. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Hilti USA. BIM-to-Field Solutions. Accessed 2026-10-03.