Do tapers make more than drywall hangers?

Yes, by $3.93 an hour at the median in Phoenix, $29.06 against $25.13, roughly $8,160 a year at full time (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The federal survey treats hanging and taping as two occupations because they are two skills. Taping is judged on a finished surface under light, which is harder to fake and slower to learn than hanging board.

Is there a shortage of drywall tapers in Phoenix?

The workforce is small. Phoenix employs about 1,930 drywall and ceiling tile installers against roughly 610 tapers, the better-paid half of the trade is the scarcer half by about three to one. That ratio is the practical argument for learning to tape: the work pays more and fewer people can do it.

Does drywall pay less in Phoenix than nationally?

Yes, on both sides of the trade. Phoenix drywall installers earn a $25.13 median against $28.33 nationally, and Phoenix tapers earn $29.06 against $32.82 nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025). As with roofing, a deep local labour pool means heavy construction demand does not automatically translate into a higher local wage.

Can you get a drywall job in Phoenix with no experience?

Yes, on the hanging side. The 10th percentile for drywall installers is $18.01, close to where general construction labour starts, which tells you the trade takes people at the bottom rather than requiring a transfer from another trade. Hanging board is physical and learnable on site; taping is the part that takes seasons.

How do I get on a drywall crew in Phoenix?

Say whether you hang or tape, because they are different hires. Then name the part of the Valley you can reach and be reachable by phone. Drywall crews work to a builder’s schedule and fill a gap by calling somebody before any listing is written. Being findable before the vacancy exists is the whole mechanism.

What is the highest-paying drywall work in Phoenix?

Taping, and then supervision. The top 10% of Phoenix tapers earn $36.84 an hour against $33.59 for installers, and first-line construction supervisors earn a $38.38 median. Within hanging, commercial and high-ceiling work generally pays above tract residential because the pace and the access are harder.

Trade worker guide

Drywall Pay in Phoenix: Tapers Earn $3.93 More Than Hangers

The FindAZPros TeamPhoenix, AZ contractor directorySeptember 1, 20269 min read

Key takeaways

Drywall and ceiling tile installers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro earn a median of $25.13 an hour, about $52,270 a year at full time, with the top 10% at $33.59 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
Tapers are a separate federal occupation and earn more: a $29.06 median in Phoenix, about $60,430 a year, with the top 10% at $36.84.
That is $3.93 an hour between hanging and taping the same wall, roughly $8,160 a year at full time.
Phoenix employs about 1,930 drywall installers and only 610 tapers, so the better-paid half of the trade is also the scarcer half by roughly three to one.
Phoenix pays drywall below the national trade, a $25.13 median against $28.33 nationally, and $29.06 against $32.82 for tapers.
Drywall hanging starts at $18.01 at the 10th percentile, close enough to general construction labour that it is a realistic first trade rather than a step up from one.

Two men finish the same wall. The one hanging the board earns a $25.13 median in Phoenix. The one taping it earns $29.06. The federal wage survey counts them as two different occupations, and there are only about 610 tapers in the entire metro.

What does drywall work pay in Phoenix?

Drywall and ceiling tile installers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro earn a median of $25.13 an hour, about $52,270 a year at full time, with the 10th percentile at $18.01 and the top 10% at $33.59, per BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Tapers, counted separately, earn a $29.06 median and about $60,430 a year. Both numbers describe work on the same wall, on the same day, often for the same contractor.

Do tapers earn more than hangers?

Yes, by $3.93 an hour at the median, roughly $8,160 a year at full time. The reason the federal survey splits them is that they are genuinely two skills. Hanging is measured by whether the board is up, square and screwed off; it is heavy, fast, and visible. Taping is measured by whether a wall looks flat under a light after paint, which is a judgment about mud, feathering and timing that cannot be rushed into somebody. The second one is harder to fake, so it is harder to hire, so it pays more.


Tapers	$19.94	$29.06	$36.84	610
Drywall & ceiling tile installers	$18.01	$25.13	$33.59	1,930
Construction laborers	$17.68	$22.56	$29.93	29,230

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro, May 2025. Note the employment column: the better-paid half of the trade is also the scarcer half, by roughly three to one.

Does drywall pay less in Phoenix than elsewhere?

Yes, on both sides. Phoenix drywall installers earn $25.13 against a $28.33 national median, and Phoenix tapers earn $29.06 against $32.82 nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This is the same pattern that shows up in Phoenix roofing, a metro with enormous construction volume paying its finishing trades below the national rate, because the local labour pool is deep enough that crews fill without bidding wages up. It is a reason to aim at the scarce end of a trade rather than to leave the trade.

Can you start in drywall with no experience?

On the hanging side, yes. The 10th percentile for drywall installers is $18.01 an hour, only thirty-three cents above where general construction labour starts, which is the clearest signal in the data that this trade takes people at the bottom rather than requiring a transfer from somewhere else. Hanging board is learnable on site in days; what takes seasons is the taping. If you are starting cold, the general version is in construction jobs in Phoenix with no experience.

Who is hiring drywall crews in Phoenix?

Tract residential subcontractors working builder schedules, where volume is steady and the same detail repeats house after house. Commercial interior contractors doing offices, medical and tenant improvement, where ceilings are higher, access is harder and the pace is set by an inspection. And repair and remodel outfits patching occupied homes, which pays per job rather than per house and demands more finish skill for less volume. The three want different things from a hand, and only the first will train you fast.

How do you get on a drywall crew in Phoenix?

Say which half of the trade you do. “Drywall” is ambiguous to a foreman who is short a taper, and answering it precisely is the difference between a callback and a shrug. After that it is the same as every trade here: name the part of the Valley you can reach, be reachable by phone, and be findable before the vacancy exists, because crews fill gaps by calling somebody rather than posting. The mechanics are in how to get on a construction crew in Phoenix, and you can see open drywall jobs on the board before calling anyone.

Listing yourself on FindAZPros takes about two minutes, costs nothing and needs no login, and for drywall in particular, saying hang or tape is what makes the listing useful.

How do you earn more than the drywall median?

Learn to tape, and do it where somebody can watch. It is the cheapest $3.93 an hour in the trade because you are already on the wall, and the employment numbers say the market wants tapers roughly three times more urgently than it wants another hanger. Beyond that the ladder runs the same way it does everywhere: commercial and high-access work pays above tract residential, and first-line construction supervisors earn a $38.38 median. Both routes are laid out in helper to journeyman pay in Phoenix and the highest-paying trades in Phoenix.

Sources

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro, May 2025 . All Phoenix figures, retrieved via the BLS public data API for occupations 47-2081, 47-2082 and 47-2061.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, national, May 2025 , the $28.33 and $32.82 national medians.

Frequently asked questions

How much do drywall workers make in Phoenix?: Drywall and ceiling tile installers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro earn a median of $25.13 an hour, about $52,270 a year at full time, with the 10th percentile at $18.01 and the top 10% at $33.59, per BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. Tapers are counted separately and earn a $29.06 median.
Do tapers make more than drywall hangers?: Yes, by $3.93 an hour at the median in Phoenix, $29.06 against $25.13, roughly $8,160 a year at full time (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The federal survey treats hanging and taping as two occupations because they are two skills. Taping is judged on a finished surface under light, which is harder to fake and slower to learn than hanging board.
Is there a shortage of drywall tapers in Phoenix?: The workforce is small. Phoenix employs about 1,930 drywall and ceiling tile installers against roughly 610 tapers, the better-paid half of the trade is the scarcer half by about three to one. That ratio is the practical argument for learning to tape: the work pays more and fewer people can do it.
Does drywall pay less in Phoenix than nationally?: Yes, on both sides of the trade. Phoenix drywall installers earn a $25.13 median against $28.33 nationally, and Phoenix tapers earn $29.06 against $32.82 nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025). As with roofing, a deep local labour pool means heavy construction demand does not automatically translate into a higher local wage.
Can you get a drywall job in Phoenix with no experience?: Yes, on the hanging side. The 10th percentile for drywall installers is $18.01, close to where general construction labour starts, which tells you the trade takes people at the bottom rather than requiring a transfer from another trade. Hanging board is physical and learnable on site; taping is the part that takes seasons.
How do I get on a drywall crew in Phoenix?: Say whether you hang or tape, because they are different hires. Then name the part of the Valley you can reach and be reachable by phone. Drywall crews work to a builder’s schedule and fill a gap by calling somebody before any listing is written. Being findable before the vacancy exists is the whole mechanism.
What is the highest-paying drywall work in Phoenix?: Taping, and then supervision. The top 10% of Phoenix tapers earn $36.84 an hour against $33.59 for installers, and first-line construction supervisors earn a $38.38 median. Within hanging, commercial and high-ceiling work generally pays above tract residential because the pace and the access are harder.