Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers vs Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters: $59K vs $48K Median Pay

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers vs Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters: 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 Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters if you would rather help brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, or tile and marble setters by performing duties requiring less skill. 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 Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters. 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

Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters

National median pay (2025): $47,550
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; One month or less 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: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Mix mortar, plaster, and grout, manually or using machines, according to standard formulas.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,100

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 11.7% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters brief

How the national numbers differ

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers has the edge on annual openings

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers is at 6,600 annual openings, compared with 1,100 annual openings for Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters.

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers has the edge on projected growth

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers is at 2.5% projected growth, compared with -11.7% projected growth for Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters.

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers has the edge on median pay

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers is at $58,930, compared with $47,550 for Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters.

54.4/ 100

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

27/ 100

Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters

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 Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters

Dimension	Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers	Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
Median pay (2025)	$58,930	$47,550
Pay percentile	45.7 percentile	25 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	2.5%	-11.7%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	6,600	1,100
2025 employment	102,200	14,100
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; One month or less 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.	One month or less 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 Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters brief

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers vs Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters

How the national numbers differ

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers has the edge on annual openings

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers has the edge on projected growth

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers has the edge on median pay

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers vs Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters

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