Best Cities for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installerss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where drywall and ceiling tile installerss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	HawaiiState	1.62	$104,830	$95,300	27%
2	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.28	$81,100	$75,232	27%
3	OregonState	1.21	$73,530	$71,388	26%
4	AlaskaState	1.20	$73,690	$70,652	22%
5	MissouriState	1.20	$62,580	$70,632	20%
6	Columbus, OHMetro	1.19	$65,450	$70,000	24%
7	New JerseyState	1.17	$75,080	$69,007	29%
8	WashingtonState	1.16	$73,130	$68,155	31%
9	OhioState	1.15	$61,420	$67,942	20%
10	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.12	$60,080	$65,877	24%
11	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	1.12	$79,430	$66,082	47%
12	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.12	$75,560	$66,107	35%
13	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.11	$60,600	$65,514	23%
14	IllinoisState	1.10	$63,180	$64,867	25%
15	WisconsinState	1.10	$59,970	$64,973	22%
16	MassachusettsState	1.09	$69,500	$64,055	39%
17	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	1.09	$64,080	$64,402	28%
18	MichiganState	1.07	$58,440	$63,315	23%
19	PennsylvaniaState	1.07	$61,160	$63,052	25%
20	GeorgiaState	1.06	$58,260	$62,377	29%
21	MinnesotaState	1.06	$61,290	$62,541	25%
22	MontanaState	1.06	$60,140	$62,386	23%
23	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	1.05	$59,670	$61,643	32%
24	MaineState	1.02	$60,080	$60,200	26%
25	CaliforniaState	1.01	$65,880	$59,512	41%
26	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.00	$61,280	$59,208	31%
27	ColoradoState	0.99	$61,780	$58,615	36%
28	New HampshireState	0.99	$61,960	$58,453	31%
29	New MexicoState	0.99	$53,900	$58,587	23%
30	VermontState	0.99	$59,820	$58,361	29%
31	IowaState	0.97	$51,030	$57,209	22%
32	ConnecticutState	0.95	$60,480	$56,208	31%
33	AlabamaState	0.94	$48,000	$55,109	24%
34	IndianaState	0.93	$49,810	$55,039	25%
35	KentuckyState	0.93	$48,340	$54,621	24%
36	New YorkState	0.92	$61,280	$54,471	36%
37	VirginiaState	0.92	$55,840	$53,952	34%
38	South DakotaState	0.91	$48,850	$53,800	24%
39	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	0.91	$62,800	$53,906	43%
40	NebraskaState	0.90	$48,620	$53,137	26%
41	LouisianaState	0.89	$47,420	$52,630	27%
42	NevadaState	0.89	$52,280	$52,176	33%
43	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	0.89	$50,640	$52,640	37%
44	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	0.89	$59,070	$52,367	41%
45	ArkansasState	0.88	$44,550	$51,622	24%
46	OklahomaState	0.88	$46,080	$52,068	25%
47	TennesseeState	0.88	$47,510	$51,923	32%
48	UtahState	0.86	$51,020	$50,918	35%
49	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	0.86	$46,550	$50,598	34%
50	ArizonaState	0.85	$50,290	$49,841	36%
51	MarylandState	0.85	$54,680	$50,073	37%
52	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	0.85	$46,720	$50,345	33%
53	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.85	$49,560	$50,315	42%
54	DelawareState	0.84	$50,170	$49,673	32%
55	South CarolinaState	0.84	$45,340	$49,283	33%
56	TexasState	0.84	$47,590	$49,780	35%
57	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	0.84	$48,220	$49,609	39%
58	North DakotaState	0.83	$45,110	$48,715	26%
59	FloridaState	0.82	$48,970	$48,246	42%
60	North CarolinaState	0.81	$45,080	$47,754	35%
61	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	0.81	$45,900	$47,912	39%
62	Rhode IslandState	0.80	$47,110	$46,876	38%
63	WyomingState	0.80	$43,990	$47,301	27%
64	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	0.78	$48,680	$46,011	41%
65	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.78	$50,170	$46,240	49%
66	IdahoState	0.77	$43,790	$45,378	33%
67	KansasState	0.75	$39,890	$44,322	31%
68	MississippiState	0.75	$37,310	$43,998	29%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).