Drywall Labor Cost in West Virginia
BLS publishes no drywall installer estimate for West Virginia, so this page works from its taper data: a median of $20.00 an hour, 39% below the US taper median of $32.82 and the lowest of the 27 states with a taper estimate.
- BLS May 2025 data
- Taper data only
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 West Virginia compares
- Closest median wages
- Mississippi $17.94 (installers), Kansas $19.18 (installers) and Idaho $21.05 (installers)
| State | Rank | Median | Against West Virginia |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 23 | $25.91 | $5.91 more |
| North Carolina | 24 | $21.67 | $1.67 more |
| Texas | 25 | $22.88 | $2.88 more |
| Indiana | 26 | $23.95 | $3.95 more |
| West Virginia | 27 | $20.00 | this state |
A 12 x 12 room in West Virginia
| Low end, $0.70/sq ft | $370 |
|---|---|
| High end, $1.45/sq ft | $766 |
| Mississippi | $396 to $818 | $26.40 more than West Virginia at the low end |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | $449 to $950 | $79.20 more than West Virginia at the low end |
| Idaho | $475 to $1,003 | $105.60 more than West Virginia at the low end |
Against the US range of $634 to $1,320, West Virginia labor for this room is $264.00 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 West Virginia
| Occupation | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tapers | $15.00 | $15.18 | $20.00 | $29.23 | $29.58 | $20.54 |
| Tapers, yearly | $31,200 | $31,574 | $41,600 | $60,798 | $61,526 | $42,730 |
| US tapers | $21.00 | $25.35 | $32.82 | $42.57 | $51.50 | $34.96 |
The 30 tapers counted in West Virginia earn between $15.18 and $29.23 an hour in the middle half, and $42,730 a year on average. From the 10th percentile, $15.00, to the 90th, $29.58, taper pay spans $14.58 an hour, 48% of the $30.50 national spread. Without an installer figure, the West Virginia labor estimate scales from tapers instead, whose US mean is $34.96 rather than $30.58 for installers.