Drywall Labor Cost in Florida
Ranked 32nd of 49, Florida pays drywall installers a median of $23.54 an hour, 17% below the US median of $28.33. One rung up, Indiana pays $0.41 more an hour; one rung down, South Dakota pays $0.05 less.
- BLS May 2025 data
- 32nd 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 Florida compares
- Closest median wages
- South Dakota $23.49, Nebraska $23.38 and Kentucky $23.24
| State | Rank | Median | Against Florida |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 30 | $24.12 | $0.58 more |
| Indiana | 31 | $23.95 | $0.41 more |
| Florida | 32 | $23.54 | this state |
| South Dakota | 33 | $23.49 | $0.05 less |
| Nebraska | 34 | $23.38 | $0.16 less |
A 12 x 12 room in Florida
| Low end, $0.90/sq ft | $475 |
|---|---|
| High end, $1.90/sq ft | $1,003 |
| South Dakota | $502 to $1,056 | $26.40 more than Florida at the low end |
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | $502 to $1,056 | $26.40 more than Florida at the low end |
| Kentucky | $475 to $1,003 | same low end as Florida |
Against the US range of $634 to $1,320, Florida 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 Florida
| Occupation | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Installers | $16.09 | $18.87 | $23.54 | $26.31 | $29.58 | $23.51 |
| Tapers | $18.76 | $19.11 | $23.75 | $25.42 | $26.00 | $22.73 |
| Installers, yearly | $33,467 | $39,250 | $48,963 | $54,725 | $61,526 | $48,900 |
| 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 Florida earn between $18.87 and $26.31 an hour, for a mean of $48,900 a year. With 6,000 installers on payrolls, Florida has the 2nd largest drywall installer workforce of any state. A location quotient of 1.13 puts installers 13% above their national share of jobs in Florida. The mean, $23.51, and the median, $23.54, sit within a fraction of a percent of each other. From the 10th percentile, $16.09, to the 90th, $29.58, installer pay spans $13.49 an hour, 44% of the $30.55 national spread. Tapers, who tape and finish the joints, earn a median of $23.75 in Florida, 1% more than installers.