Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers vs Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles: $59K vs $56K Median Pay

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers vs Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles: what changes?

Consider Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers if you want to apply plasterboard or other wallboard to ceilings or interior walls of buildings. Consider Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles if you would rather apply blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing, sound-deadening, or decorative coverings to floors. Both list no formal educational credential; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers and Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

National median pay (2025): $58,930
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 6,600

Know before you choose

Long periods of standing are part of the normal workday.

See the full Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers brief

Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

National median pay (2025): $56,460
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Sweep, scrape, sand, or chip dirt and irregularities to clean base surfaces, correcting imperfections that may show through the covering.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,200

Know before you choose

The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.

See the full Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles brief

How the national numbers differ

Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles has the edge on projected growth

Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles is at 9% projected growth, compared with 2.5% projected growth for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers.

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers has the edge on annual openings

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers is at 6,600 annual openings, compared with 2,200 annual openings for Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles.

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers has the edge on median pay

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers is at $58,930, compared with $56,460 for Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles.

54.4/ 100

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

57.1/ 100

Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers vs Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

Dimension	Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers	Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
Median pay (2025)	$58,930	$56,460
Pay percentile	45.7 percentile	41.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	2.5%	9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	6,600	2,200
2025 employment	102,200	29,800
How you qualify	No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	No formal educational credential; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers brief Read Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles brief

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers vs Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

How the national numbers differ

Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles has the edge on projected growth

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers has the edge on annual openings

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers has the edge on median pay

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers vs Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

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