How much does a drywall installer make per hour in Indianapolis?

The BLS 2025 survey puts the Indianapolis median wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers at $29.45 an hour. The 25th percentile is $22.97 and the 75th percentile is $32.49, with a mean of $28.42 across 160 employed workers. That is what the worker is paid, not what a homeowner is billed. A contractor's price per labor hour sits well above it because the wage carries no payroll taxes, insurance, vehicles, tools or profit.

How much do drywall contractors charge per hour in Indianapolis?

Applying an assumed overhead multiplier of 2.0 to 3.0 to the $29.45 median wage gives $58.90 to $88.35 per installer hour. The multiplier is an assumption, not a measured figure. Using the 25th and 75th percentile wages widens the span to $45.94 at the low end and $97.47 at the high end. A quoted labor rate inside that span is consistent with federal wage data.

Is drywall labor more expensive in Indianapolis than the national average?

At the median, yes, slightly. Indianapolis is $29.45 against $28.33 nationally, a gap of $1.12 or 4.0%. At the 75th percentile Indianapolis is lower, $32.49 against $35.69, which is $3.20 or 9.0% less. The Indianapolis mean is $28.42 against $30.58 nationally, 7.1% lower. So the metro is near the national middle but has fewer very high earners.

How much does it cost to replace drywall in Indianapolis?

It depends on crew-hours, which only the job decides. A 40 crew-hour job at the median wage and a 2.0 to 3.0 multiplier has a labor cost of $2,356 to $3,534. The worked example on this page, with two installers, a supervisor and a $600 assumed materials allowance, totals $3,955.10 at a 2.5 multiplier. Change the hours and the allowance to match your own scope.

How do I know if my drywall quote is fair?

Ask how many labor hours the quote contains, then divide the labor line by those hours. Compare the result with $29.45, the Indianapolis median wage. A result between about $59 and $88 an hour is a multiplier of 2.0 to 3.0 on that wage, which is the usual working assumption for small residential contractors. Above $88.35 an hour, ask what else is inside the labor line.

Have drywall material prices gone up in 2026?

Only slightly, by the federal index. The BLS producer price index for gypsum products was 484.844 in August 2026 against 484.016 a year earlier, up 0.2%. Insulation materials rose from 285.999 to 289.038, up 1.1%. These are index points, not dollars, so they show direction and speed of change only. They do not tell you what a sheet of drywall costs at a local supplier.

Drywall Installer Hourly Rates in Indianapolis

Indianapolis drywall installers earn a median $29.45 an hour, according to the BLS 2025 wage survey. A homeowner billed by a small contractor should expect roughly $59 to $88 per installer hour, which is that wage times an assumed 2.0 to 3.0 overhead multiplier. Across the 25th to 75th percentile wages, the same assumption gives about $46 to $97.

This page does not survey contractors or collect quotes. It starts from federal wage data, multiplies in full view, and gives you tables to find your own row.

Key points

The Indianapolis median wage for drywall and ceiling tile installers is $29.45 an hour, with a 25th to 75th percentile band of $22.97 to $32.49 (BLS OEWS, survey year 2025, 160 workers employed).
At an assumed 2.0 to 3.0 overhead multiplier, the median wage becomes a billed rate of $58.90 to $88.35 per installer hour; the multiplier is an assumption, not a measurement.
Indianapolis is 4.0% above the national median wage ($1.12 an hour) but 9.0% below the national 75th percentile ($3.20 an hour).
A 40 crew-hour job with a supervisor and a $600 assumed materials allowance works out to $3,955.10 at a 2.5 multiplier, and $2,565.68 to $5,190.92 across the low and high cases.
The gypsum products price index rose 0.2% in the twelve months to August 2026 and the insulation index rose 1.1%, so material direction is nearly flat.

Side view of male builder in summer wear reconstructing rooftop and sitting on wooden beams of aged building on background of scenic landscape in sunny day

What do drywall installers earn in Indianapolis?

The Indianapolis median is $29.45 an hour for drywall and ceiling tile installers (SOC 47-2081), from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for 2025. The series is OEUM002690000000047208108. The figures below are wages paid to workers, not prices billed to customers.

Bright white interior room with exposed electrical wiring and natural light.

Area	25th percentile	Median	75th percentile	Mean	Employed
Indianapolis, IN	$22.97	$29.45	$32.49	$28.42	160
Indiana statewide	$22.04	$23.95	$30.49	$26.15	680
United States	$22.81	$28.33	$35.69	$30.58	83,080

For crew supervision, the same source lists a median of $41.01 an hour for first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in Indianapolis. That is a broader occupation than drywall, so treat it as a stand-in for a lead or foreman rather than a drywall-specific figure.

Two cautions about the table. First, 160 employed workers is a small sample for a metro, so a few high or low earners move the percentiles. Second, the survey counts workers in a wide mix of employers, including commercial framing and finishing crews. A residential repair specialist can sit above or below these numbers.

The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entry describes the duties, entry requirements and national pay for the occupation if you want to see what the job covers.

How does Indianapolis compare with the national wage?

At the median, Indianapolis pays $1.12 an hour more than the national figure, a gap of 4.0%. At the top of the range, Indianapolis pays less. The table shows each gap in dollars and percent, working from the Indianapolis figure minus the national figure.

Spacious attic room featuring large skylights, a brown sofa, and wooden flooring.

Measure	Indianapolis	United States	Difference ($/hr)	Difference (%)
25th percentile	$22.97	$22.81	+$0.16	+0.7%
Median	$29.45	$28.33	+$1.12	+4.0%
Mean	$28.42	$30.58	-$2.16	-7.1%
75th percentile	$32.49	$35.69	-$3.20	-9.0%

Working for the median row: $29.45 - $28.33 = $1.12, and $1.12 / $28.33 = 0.0395, which rounds to 4.0%. For the 75th percentile: $32.49 - $35.69 = -$3.20, and $3.20 / $35.69 = 0.0897, or 9.0% lower.

The pattern is a narrower spread. The Indianapolis gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is $9.52 ($32.49 - $22.97), against $12.88 nationally ($35.69 - $22.81). Indianapolis has fewer very high earners than the national figure suggests, so a national average overstates what the upper half of the local trade is paid.

Against Indiana as a whole, the metro runs higher at every point:

Measure	Indianapolis	Indiana	Difference ($/hr)	Difference (%)
25th percentile	$22.97	$22.04	+$0.93	+4.2%
Median	$29.45	$23.95	+$5.50	+23.0%
Mean	$28.42	$26.15	+$2.27	+8.7%
75th percentile	$32.49	$30.49	+$2.00	+6.6%

If you use a statewide figure to judge an Indianapolis quote, you will judge it against a median that is 23.0% lower than the local one.

Why is a wage not the price you pay?

The worker’s wage is one input. What you are billed is that wage multiplied by a burden and overhead factor. That factor pays for payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, liability insurance, trucks and fuel, tools, office time, warranty reserve and profit. A contractor who pays an installer $29.45 an hour does not bill $29.45.

This page applies a multiplier of 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 to the wage. Treat that range as an assumption. It is the usual working assumption for small residential contractors, not a figure measured by BLS or by this site. A larger firm with efficient scheduling may land lower; a one-person shop carrying a full truck and insurance on few billable hours may land higher.

The multiplier also hides something else: unbilled hours. A crew paid for eight hours rarely installs for eight billable hours once driving, loading, supplier runs and estimating are counted. That sits inside the multiplier, which is one reason a bill that looks high against the wage is not automatically padded.

What hourly rate does each wage and multiplier produce?

The table crosses two axes: the wage percentile and the multiplier. Find the wage level you think applies, read across to the multiplier that fits the size of the shop, and you have a billed rate per installer hour. Each cell is wage × multiplier.

Wage basis (Indianapolis)	Wage	Multiplier 2.0	Multiplier 2.5	Multiplier 3.0
25th percentile	$22.97	$45.94	$57.43	$68.91
Mean	$28.42	$56.84	$71.05	$85.26
Median	$29.45	$58.90	$73.63	$88.35
75th percentile	$32.49	$64.98	$81.23	$97.47
US median (for comparison)	$28.33	$56.66	$70.83	$84.99

Working for one cell: $29.45 × 2.5 = $73.625, shown as $73.63. The 2.5 column for the 25th percentile is $22.97 × 2.5 = $57.425, shown as $57.43.

Reading the table: the lowest cell is $45.94 and the highest is $97.47, more than double. Most of that spread comes from two things you can ask about, who is doing the work (wage level) and how the business carries its costs (multiplier). The locale itself accounts for little. Moving from the national median to the Indianapolis median shifts the 2.5 column by only $2.80 an hour ($73.63 versus $70.83).

How much does labor cost at every project size?

Labor cost is crew-hours × median wage × multiplier. The table sweeps crew-hours from a half-day patch to a two-week job. Crew-hours are total installer hours across all workers, so two installers working 20 hours each is 40 crew-hours. The hours are assumptions; this page does not claim a hours-per-square-foot productivity figure because none is in the source data. Ask your contractor for their hours and read across.

Crew-hours	Multiplier 2.0 ($58.90/hr)	Multiplier 2.5 ($73.63/hr)	Multiplier 3.0 ($88.35/hr)
8	$471.20	$589.00	$706.80
16	$942.40	$1,178.00	$1,413.60
24	$1,413.60	$1,767.00	$2,120.40
40	$2,356.00	$2,945.00	$3,534.00
60	$3,534.00	$4,417.50	$5,301.00
80	$4,712.00	$5,890.00	$7,068.00

The 2.5 column uses the unrounded $73.625, so $73.625 × 8 = $589.00. All figures are labor only, at the median wage. They exclude materials, supervision, permits and disposal. To use the 25th percentile instead, scale any row by $22.97 / $29.45 = 0.78; for the 75th percentile, scale by $32.49 / $29.45 = 1.10.

What does a worked 40 crew-hour job cost?

Here is one job built line by line, so you can argue with each input. These are the assumptions:

Two installers working 20 hours each, 40 crew-hours, paid the Indianapolis median of $29.45.
A lead or supervisor on site for 4 hours, paid the $41.01 Indianapolis supervisor median.
A burden and overhead multiplier of 2.5, applied to all wages.
A materials allowance of $600. This is an assumption chosen for the example, not derived from the price index.

Line	Working	Result
Installer wages	40 hr × $29.45	$1,178.00
Supervisor wages	4 hr × $41.01	$164.04
Total wages	$1,178.00 + $164.04	$1,342.04
Burden and overhead (assumed 2.5×)	$1,342.04 × 2.5	$3,355.10
Materials allowance (assumed)	fixed input	$600.00
Estimated total	$3,355.10 + $600.00	$3,955.10

The labor line of $3,355.10 spread over 44 labor hours is $76.25 per hour billed. That is higher than the $73.63 installer-only rate because the supervisor hours cost more.

How far can it move? The next table keeps the same crew and hours and changes the wage level, multiplier and materials allowance. The supervisor stays at the median $41.01 in every case, because only the median is in the source data.

Case	Installer wage	Multiplier	Wages ($)	After multiplier	Materials	Total
Low	$22.97 (25th pct)	2.0	$1,082.84	$2,165.68	$400	$2,565.68
Base	$29.45 (median)	2.5	$1,342.04	$3,355.10	$600	$3,955.10
High	$32.49 (75th pct)	3.0	$1,463.64	$4,390.92	$800	$5,190.92

The high case is 2.02 times the low case ($5,190.92 / $2,565.68). The multiplier does the most work: holding wages at the median and varying only the multiplier gives labor of $2,684.08, $3,355.10 and $4,026.12 at 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0, and totals of $3,284.08, $3,955.10 and $4,626.12 once the $600 is added.

How many hours does your budget buy?

The reverse calculation: if you have a labor budget, crew-hours = budget ÷ billed hourly rate. This table shows the installer hours three budgets cover at the median wage.

Labor budget	At 2.0× ($58.90/hr)	At 2.5× ($73.63/hr)	At 3.0× ($88.35/hr)
$1,500	25.5 hr	20.4 hr	17.0 hr
$3,000	50.9 hr	40.7 hr	34.0 hr
$6,000	101.9 hr	81.5 hr	67.9 hr

Working for the middle cell: $3,000 / $73.625 = 40.75, shown as 40.7. The same budget buys 50.9 hours at 2.0× or 34.0 hours at 3.0×, a difference of nearly 17 hours.

The other reverse direction is more useful once you hold a quote. If a bid states an hourly labor rate, divide it by the $29.45 median wage to see the multiplier it implies:

Quoted labor rate	Implied multiplier on $29.45	Against the 2.0 to 3.0 assumption
$50/hr	1.70	Below the range
$60/hr	2.04	Inside
$70/hr	2.38	Inside
$80/hr	2.72	Inside
$90/hr	3.06	Just above
$100/hr	3.40	Above
$110/hr	3.74	Above
$120/hr	4.07	Well above

A rate above 3.0 is not proof of padding, since the multiplier is an assumption. It is a prompt to ask what the labor line contains.

Did material prices change over the past year?

Barely for gypsum, a little for insulation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price index tracks what producers receive. Levels are index points with 1982 = 100, not dollars, so the useful information is the direction and the rate.

Series	Aug 2025	Aug 2026	Change in points	Twelve-month change
Gypsum products (WPU137)	484.016	484.844	+0.828	+0.2%
Insulation materials (WPU1392)	285.999	289.038	+3.039	+1.1%

Gypsum products moved 0.828 points on a base of 484.016, which is 0.17% and rounds to 0.2%. Insulation moved 3.039 points on 285.999, or 1.06%, rounded to 1.1%.

What this means for a bid: as a rate, a 0.2% change applied to an assumed $600 materials allowance is $1.20. A bid that blames a large materials jump on the past year should be asked for the supplier invoice. The index does not show a jump at the producer level, though local retail prices, delivery fees and small-quantity premiums can differ. The wage series here is a single survey year (2025), so there is no wage year-over-year figure on this page.

What do people get wrong about drywall hourly rates?

Misconception 1: “The BLS wage is what the contractor charges.” It is the worker’s pay. At the median, $29.45 an hour becomes $73.63 at a 2.5 multiplier, a $44.18 gap per hour. Over 40 hours that is $1,767.00 of overhead and profit, the difference between $1,178.00 of wages and $2,945.00 billed.

Misconception 2: “Indianapolis is cheaper than the national average.” Only partly. The median is 4.0% above the national figure ($29.45 versus $28.33). The mean and the 75th percentile are 7.1% and 9.0% lower. Which comparison applies depends on whether you are hiring a typical installer or a top-paid one.

Misconception 3: “A statewide figure is a fair benchmark.” The Indiana median is $23.95, which is 23.0% below the Indianapolis median of $29.45. Using it would make a normal metro quote look about $5.50 an hour too high before any multiplier.

Misconception 4: “Material costs are the reason bids are up.” The gypsum index rose 0.2% in twelve months. Even the insulation index, at 1.1%, would move a $600 allowance by only $6.60.

When is this estimate wrong?

The calculation is a floor of understanding, not a quote. It misses in these concrete cases:

Very small jobs. A single patch can take 2 crew-hours, but a contractor has a minimum trip charge covering travel and setup. The hourly multiplier understates the real cost per hour on tiny jobs.
Finishing level. The wage is for installers and tapers combined under one occupation. A higher finish level for smooth walls under raking light needs more coats and more drying days, so the hours rise.
One-person shops. A sole proprietor with a truck, insurance and few billable hours can sit above a multiplier of 3.0.
Large firms with steady work. High crew utilization can push the multiplier toward or below 2.0.
Wage level outside the median. The 25th-to-75th percentile span is $22.97 to $32.49; a specialist outside it moves every cell by the ratio of their wage to $29.45.
Unusual jobs. Curved walls, vaulted ceilings and specialty ceiling tile work at height change hours, not wages.

What can this calculation not see?

It deals only with wages, an assumed multiplier and an assumed materials allowance. Several things sit outside it:

Permits and inspections. Fees and any required inspections vary by city and scope. Ask whether the contractor pulls them and whether the cost is in the quote.
Disposal. Hauling old board, dumpster rental and landfill fees are not wages. A full-room tear-out adds weight and a trip.
Code upgrades. Replacing board can trigger requirements for fire-rated assemblies, moisture-resistant board or added insulation once a wall is opened.
Access. Stairs, tight halls, upper floors without an elevator and furnished rooms add handling hours.
Difficulty factors. Ceiling height, roof pitch in attic or vaulted work, and tall stair walls need scaffolding or lifts and more time per sheet.
Season. Winter heating for drying joint compound and busy-season demand affect availability and price.
Emergency call-out. After a leak or storm, same-day work typically carries a premium. This page has no measured figure for it, so any premium in a quote is yours to ask about.
Paint and finishing trades. Painting is a separate trade with its own wages and is not in these tables.

How do you read a real quote against these numbers?

Start by asking that the quote be itemised. A usable drywall quote separates these lines:

Labor, with the number of workers and the hours.
Materials, with board thickness and type, joint compound, tape and fasteners.
Disposal or hauling.
Permits, if any.
Finish level and what is excluded, such as priming and painting.
Any supervision or project management charge.

Then ask the one question that exposes a padded bid: “How many labor hours are in this quote, and how many people?” Divide the labor line by the hours. Compare the result with the implied-multiplier table above. A labor rate between roughly $59 and $88 an hour is consistent with the federal median wage and a 2.0 to 3.0 multiplier. A rate near $120 is a multiplier of 4.07, and the contractor should be able to explain what is in it.

A lump sum with no hours cannot be checked this way. It may still be fair, but you have lost the one number that lets you test it.

What should you check before signing?

The quote states labor hours and crew size, and your division gives a rate you can place in the tables above.
Materials are listed separately from labor, and a materials line far above a plausible allowance has an invoice behind it.
Disposal, permits and cleanup are either included or explicitly excluded in writing.
The finish level is named, along with whether priming and painting are part of the price.
The quote says what happens if hidden damage, such as wet framing, is found once the board comes off.
Insurance and licensing status is stated, and you have confirmed it with your city or the issuing agency rather than by the contractor’s word alone.
The payment schedule ties payments to completed work, not a large deposit up front.
You hold at least two quotes built on the same scope, so the hours are comparable.

Wages in this article come from the BLS survey for 2025, index figures from August 2026, and the data was pulled on 2026-10-13. Every multiplier, crew-hour count and materials allowance is an assumption you can change.