# Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

US SOC code 47-2081. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/47-2081

Also called: Drywall installer, Drywall hanger, Ceiling tile installer, Wallboard installer, Drywall mechanic.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **83,080** US drywall and ceiling tile installers, with median pay of **$58,930** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **140,630**, in May 2006. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://hackaday.com/2022/08/22/a-brief-history-of-drywall-or-how-drywall-came-to-dominate-the-world-of-construction/) of **50,000** from 1950, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for drywall and ceiling tile installers: BIM coordination drawings and laser layout tools, 1990 to 2015.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 2.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=47-2081&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **2.1%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1917
- Latest US employment: 83,080 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $58,930 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: +2.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [17]

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1950 | 50,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Hackaday [1] |
| 1965 | 200,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Construction-Physics.com [2] |
| 1970 | n/a | $9,300 (estimate) | Est., Carpenters Local 308 (Cedar Rapids) [6] |
| 1979 | 280,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [3] |
| 2000 | 118,280 | $32,870 | BLS OEWS 2000 [4] |
| 2003 | 111,970 | $33,670 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 113,350 | $34,030 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 126,810 | $34,740 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 140,630 | $36,140 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 137,570 | $36,520 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 128,740 | $37,700 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 102,880 | $37,190 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 82,320 | $37,320 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 75,520 | $36,970 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 75,810 | $37,210 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 79,950 | $37,210 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 85,020 | $38,100 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 88,490 | $39,220 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 93,180 | $41,090 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 96,550 | $42,860 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 101,900 | $43,730 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 102,850 | $45,700 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 99,700 | $47,460 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 97,070 | $48,040 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 91,590 | $50,440 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 90,860 | $55,700 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 82,900 | $58,140 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 83,080 | $58,930 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (80)

### Employment series

1. [Hackaday — "A Brief History of Drywall" (drywall market share by mid-century and Levittown adoption)](https://hackaday.com/2022/08/22/a-brief-history-of-drywall-or-how-drywall-came-to-dominate-the-world-of-construction/), Hackaday
2. [Construction-Physics.com — "Why Levittown Didn't Revolutionize Homebuilding" (postwar drywall adoption and workforce scale)](https://www.construction-physics.com/p/why-levittown-didnt-revolutionize), Construction Physics (Brian Potter)
3. [Wikipedia — United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (merger with Wood, Wire and Metal Lathers, 1979)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Brotherhood_of_Carpenters_and_Joiners_of_America), Wikipedia
4. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [Carpenters Local 308 (Cedar Rapids) -- union wage history 1969-1982 (lather/drywall wage proxy)](https://carpenterslocal308.org/history), Carpenters Union Local 308
7. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

9. [USG -- "The Origins of USG Sheetrock Brand" (1917 commercial launch and early installation methods)](https://assemblies-tools.usg.com/content/usgcom/en/blog/usg-sheetrock-brand-history.html), USG Corporation
10. [Hackaday -- "A Brief History of Drywall" (nail-and-board era and wartime adoption)](https://hackaday.com/2022/08/22/a-brief-history-of-drywall-or-how-drywall-came-to-dominate-the-world-of-construction/), Hackaday
11. [Construction-Physics.com -- "Why Levittown Didn't Revolutionize Homebuilding" (postwar crew model and construction methods)](https://www.construction-physics.com/p/why-levittown-didnt-revolutionize), Construction Physics (Brian Potter)
12. [SENCO -- "The Evolution of Auto-Feed Screwdrivers" (screw gun history and drywall application)](https://www.senco.com/senco-blogs/the-evolution-of-auto-feed-screwdrivers/), SENCO
13. [USG -- "Evolution in Construction: USG Drywall and Suspension Systems" (Walls and Ceilings magazine)](https://www.wconline.com/articles/97456-evolution-in-construction-usg-drywall-and-suspension-systems), Walls and Ceilings / USG
14. [Dusty Robotics -- FieldPrint Platform: BIM-to-field automated workflow (describes the BIM coordination context drywall workers navigate)](https://www.dustyrobotics.com/fieldprint-platform), Dusty Robotics
15. [Canvas -- World's First Robotic Drywall Finishing Company Launches the 1200CX (BusinessWire, Jul 2024)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240710771518/en/Canvas-Worlds-First-Robotic-Drywall-Finishing-Company-Launches-the-1200CX), BusinessWire / Canvas
16. [Okibo EG7+ autonomous drywall finishing robot launch (Robotics 24/7, 2025)](https://www.robotics247.com/article/okibo_launches_autonomous_ai_guided_painting_and_drywall_finishing_eg7_robot), Robotics 24/7

### Forecasts and exposure studies

17. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 47-2081 Drywall and ceiling tile installers (2025: 102.2 thousand; 2035: 104.7 thousand; +2.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=47-2081&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
18. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 47-2081.00, human-rated β 0.021)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

19. [USG -- "The Origins of USG Sheetrock Brand" (1917 commercial launch)](https://assemblies-tools.usg.com/content/usgcom/en/blog/usg-sheetrock-brand-history.html), USG Corporation
20. [HISTORY -- "How Levittowns Shaped the Look of the Suburbs" (drywall adoption in the postwar housing boom)](https://www.history.com/articles/levittown-suburbs-tract-housing), HISTORY
21. [Hackaday -- "A Brief History of Drywall" (50% market share by mid-1950s)](https://hackaday.com/2022/08/22/a-brief-history-of-drywall-or-how-drywall-came-to-dominate-the-world-of-construction/), Hackaday
22. [Wikipedia -- United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (Lathers merger, 1979)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Brotherhood_of_Carpenters_and_Joiners_of_America), Wikipedia
23. [SENCO -- "The Evolution of Auto-Feed Screwdrivers" (DuraSpin launch 2001)](https://www.senco.com/senco-blogs/the-evolution-of-auto-feed-screwdrivers/), SENCO
24. [BLS Monthly Labor Review -- "The 2007-09 Recession: Construction" (specialty trade employment collapse)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2011/04/art4full.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics
25. [Canvas -- World's First Robotic Drywall Finishing Company Launches the 1200CX (BusinessWire, Jul 2024)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240710771518/en/Canvas-Worlds-First-Robotic-Drywall-Finishing-Company-Launches-the-1200CX), BusinessWire / Canvas

### Predecessors & successors

26. [Wikipedia -- United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (Lathers merger history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Brotherhood_of_Carpenters_and_Joiners_of_America), Wikipedia
27. [Hackaday -- "A Brief History of Drywall" (carpenters cross-trained into drywall as plaster declined)](https://hackaday.com/2022/08/22/a-brief-history-of-drywall-or-how-drywall-came-to-dominate-the-world-of-construction/), Hackaday

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers (47-2081.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/47-2081.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OOH — Drywall Installers, Ceiling Tile Installers, and Tapers (2024-2034 outlook)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/drywall-and-ceiling-tile-installers-and-tapers.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Canvas — World's First Robotic Drywall Finishing Company Launches the 1200CX (BusinessWire, Jul 2024)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240710771518/en/Canvas-Worlds-First-Robotic-Drywall-Finishing-Company-Launches-the-1200CX), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Dusty Robotics — FieldPrint Platform and FieldPrinter 2 launch (Jan 2024)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dusty-robotics-unveils-second-generation-robot-and-comprehensive-bim-to-field-automated-workflow-302041417.html), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Togal.AI — The Best AI-Powered Takeoff Software for Drywall](https://www.togal.ai/trades/drywall), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Togal.AI — Drywall Takeoff Software: A Profitability Catalyst (case studies and productivity data)](https://www.togal.ai/blog/drywall-takeoff-software-a-profitability-catalyst), accessed 2026-06-22
- [Okibo EG7+ autonomous drywall finishing robot launch (Robotics 24/7, 2025)](https://www.robotics247.com/article/okibo_launches_autonomous_ai_guided_painting_and_drywall_finishing_eg7_robot), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Tech Briefs — Drywall Finishing Robots Accelerate Construction Schedules](https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/53533-drywall-finishing-robots-accelerate-construction-schedules), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.