Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
What Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Do
Apply plasterboard or other wallboard to ceilings or interior walls of buildings. Apply or mount acoustical tiles or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings and walls of buildings to reduce or reflect sound. Materials may be of decorative quality. Includes lathers who fasten wooden, metal, or rockboard lath to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings to provide support base for plaster, fireproofing, or acoustical material.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 19.5%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Building and Constructionimportance 4.5/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.5/5
- Mechanicalimportance 3.3/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.2/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.1/5
- Designimportance 3.0/5
- English Languageimportance 3.0/5
- Engineering and Technologyimportance 2.7/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Spend Time Standing4.9/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.7/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4/5
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.1/5
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions4.1/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers95% skill match
- Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers95% skill match
- Glaziers94% skill match
- Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic94% skill match
- Roofers92% skill match
- Terrazzo Workers and Finishers92% skill match
- Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters91% skill match
- Foundry Mold and Coremakers91% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.6/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.5/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 2.5/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 2.5/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 2.5/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Business management software
- Construction Software Center EasyEst
- DevWave Estimate Works
- Job costing software
- Logic Group Scanner Digitizing Software
- On Center Quick Bid
- Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal
- Wilhelm Publishing Threshold
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cautiousness
- Perseverance
- Stress Tolerance
- Self-Confidence
- Achievement Orientation
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- ArtisticLow
- InvestigativeLow
- SocialLow
- EnterprisingLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where drywall and ceiling tile installers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1St. George, UT7.79× national avg
- 2Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA6.34× national avg
- 3Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL4.88× national avg
- 4Logan, UT-ID4.44× national avg
- 5Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA4.33× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- TapersLateral Move
- CarpentersLateral Move
- RoofersLateral Move
- Tile and Stone SettersLateral Move
See the full career path from Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.