SOC 47-2081 · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Salary in San Jose, CA

The average salary for drywall and ceiling tile installers in San Jose, California is $91,620 a year ($44.05 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $79,430: half of the 1,960 people in this job in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 44% more than the U.S. average for this job ($63,600).

$91,620average per year

$44.05 / hourMedian $79,430Take-home ≈ $68,856

  • $60K10th
  • $70K25th
  • $79KMedian
  • $120K75th
  • $135K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

1,960people in this job
+44%vs U.S. average
#2 of 22California metros
110cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers pay range in San Jose

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $60,200 a year or less, while the top 10% make $134,790 or more. The middle half of drywall and ceiling tile installers in San Jose earn between $70,110 and $120,460.

  • $60K10th
  • $70K25th
  • $79KMedian
  • $120K75th
  • $135K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$91,620$7,635$44.05
Median$79,430$6,619$38.19
Entry level (25th percentile)$70,110$5,842$33.71
Experienced (75th percentile)$120,460$10,038$57.91

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers pay in San Jose vs. California and the U.S.

Drywall and ceiling tile installers in San Jose earn 23% more than the California average ($74,680) and 44% more than the U.S. average ($63,600). At the median the gap is +35% against the U.S. median of $58,930.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
San Jose$91,620$79,430$60,200$134,7901,960
California$74,680$65,880$46,050$120,24027,280
United States$63,600$58,930$38,460$102,01083,080

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers salary after taxes in San Jose

On the average salary of $91,620, a single filer in San Jose takes home about $68,856 a year, or $5,738 a month and $2,648 every two weeks. Taxes take 25% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

California paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is San Jose a good place for drywall and ceiling tile installers? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the San Jose area are 10% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 110.4), so the average $91,620 buys what about $82,972 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.9 times the median wage of all jobs in San Jose ($84,050). A typical home costs $1,610,466, or 17.6 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $91,620 is worth in another city

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers salary in other California cities

San Jose ranks 2nd of 22 California metro areas for this job; Santa Rosa pays the most ($92,730).

All Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers salaries in California

Highest-paying cities for drywall and ceiling tile installers

Honolulu, HI pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($97,000).

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers salary by city

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Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers salary in San Jose: questions

How much do drywall and ceiling tile installers make an hour in San Jose?

$44.05 an hour on average, and $38.19 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level drywall and ceiling tile installers salary in San Jose?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $60,200 a year and the 25th percentile is $70,110, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the drywall and ceiling tile installers take-home pay in San Jose?

About $68,856 a year ($5,738 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $91,620. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

Do drywall and ceiling tile installers earn more in San Jose than elsewhere?

The average here is 44% more than the U.S. average for this job ($63,600).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 47-2081; area San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (41940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.7%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 3.24, this job is 3.2 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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