Drywall Cost Calculator for Pennsylvania - Free 2026 Cost Estimates

Get accurate drywall cost estimates using Pennsylvania regional pricing data. Our free calculator adjusts for local labor rates and material costs specific to PA.

Pennsylvania Drywall Labor Costs — Verified from BLS OEWS (2025)

$29.80/hrDrywall & Ceiling Tile Installers — mean hourly wageBLS OEWS 2025
$61,980Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installers — mean annual wageBLS OEWS 2025
3%below national meanderived from two cited BLS figures

Every figure on this page is a published U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics value. Last verified 2026-06-20.

In Pennsylvania, drywall & ceiling tile installers — the core trade for drywall work — earn a mean wage of $29.80/hr ($61,980 per year) in the 2025 BLS OEWS release. That is 3% below the national average (national mean $63,600 per year). Pennsylvania employs about 1,690 drywall & ceiling tile installers statewide. Related trades that price into a typical drywall job include construction laborers ($54,330/yr), first-line supervisors of construction trades ($89,590/yr). Because labor is the largest variable cost on most drywall projects, these published state wage levels are the biggest single reason drywall costs differ between Pennsylvania and other states. Every figure here is a mean value published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and is refreshed automatically when BLS releases new OEWS data.

Across the trades that touch a typical drywall job in Pennsylvania, BLS reports mean wages of drywall & ceiling tile installers at $61,980 per year ($29.80/hr); construction laborers at $54,330 per year ($26.12/hr); first-line supervisors of construction trades at $89,590 per year ($43.07/hr). The spread between first-line supervisors of construction trades ($89,590) and construction laborers ($54,330) reflects differences in skill, certification, and supervisory responsibility on Pennsylvania job sites, and it is why a detailed, line-item estimate beats a single blended rate when you are budgeting drywall work.

Half of Pennsylvania drywall & ceiling tile installers earn less than the median of $61,160 per year — below the $61,980 mean, which a smaller number of higher earners pulls upward. For budgeting, the median is often the more realistic figure for routine drywall crews. BLS counts roughly 1,690 drywall & ceiling tile installers, 35,920 construction laborers, 26,860 first-line supervisors of construction trades employed across Pennsylvania, a measure of how deep the local drywall-trade labor pool is and how much competition for crews you can expect when scheduling work.

When you budget a drywall job in Pennsylvania, treat these BLS wage levels as the labor-rate floor: a crew's billed rate adds overhead, insurance, equipment, and margin on top of the $29.80/hr mean wage shown above. Because Pennsylvania's drywall & ceiling tile installers wages sit 3% below the national average, a drywall quote that comes in far below these published rates is worth a second look — labor that cheap usually signals a different scope, materials, or crew experience. Use the calculator on this page to combine these Pennsylvania labor rates with your project's material quantities for a complete estimate.

Pennsylvania construction wages by occupation — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2025. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
Occupation (SOC)Mean hourlyMean annualMedian annualEmployed in PA
Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installers 47-2081$29.80/hr$61,980$61,1601,690
Construction Laborers 47-2061$26.12/hr$54,330$49,40035,920
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades 47-1011$43.07/hr$89,590$81,54026,860

Wages are statewide means published by BLS and reflect labor cost only — not the total installed cost of a project. Use the calculator below for a full materials-and-labor estimate, and always obtain written bids from licensed Pennsylvania contractors.

Calculate Your Drywall Costs in Pennsylvania

Our free drywall calculator provides detailed estimates tailored to Pennsylvania pricing. Enter your project dimensions and specifications to get an instant breakdown of materials, labor, and total costs.

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Sources & Methodology

These figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — the official federal wage survey — for the 2025 reference release, the latest available. Wages shown are statewide mean values for Pennsylvania; actual pay varies by metro area, employer, union status, and experience. CostFlowAI re-checks the BLS public API on a quarterly recheck cadence and stamps each figure with the date it was last verified (2026-06-20). We publish the exact BLS series ID behind every number so any figure on this page can be independently confirmed at the source.

BLS series IDs behind every figure on this page12

Each ID resolves to the live U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics public-API record for that exact figure.

Frequently Asked Questions: Drywall in Pennsylvania

What do drywall crews cost in Pennsylvania in 2026?

Drywall & ceiling tile installers — the core drywall trade — earn a mean wage of $29.80/hr ($61,980 per year) in Pennsylvania, per 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data, 3% below the national average. Labor is the largest variable cost on most drywall jobs, so this is the single biggest driver of how Pennsylvania drywall pricing compares with other states. Use the free drywall calculator on this page for a full materials-and-labor estimate for your specific project.

Do I need a permit for drywall work in Pennsylvania?

Permit requirements for drywall work in Pennsylvania vary by municipality and project scope. Most cities and counties in Pennsylvania require building permits for structural work and projects exceeding certain cost thresholds. Contact your local Pennsylvania building department for specific requirements — always verify before starting work.

What factors affect drywall costs in Pennsylvania?

Key factors include local labor rates (drywall & ceiling tile installers average $29.80/hr in Pennsylvania per BLS OEWS), material availability and regional pricing, permit and inspection fees, site conditions specific to Pennsylvania, and project complexity. Wages are the largest variable cost on most drywall jobs, which is why Pennsylvania pricing tracks its published trade-wage levels. Getting multiple written quotes from licensed Pennsylvania contractors is recommended for the most accurate pricing.

What This Estimate Includes

  • Materials: drywall sheets, joint compound, tape, screws, corner bead at regional pricing
  • Labor: Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installers in Pennsylvania earn a mean wage of $29.80/hr (BLS OEWS 2025)
  • Waste factor: 10% standard waste allowance included

Not included: permits, demolition, site preparation beyond standard grading, inspections, or unforeseen site conditions.

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