Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers in Arkansas
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$36,786
after federal, FICA and Arkansas tax
Tax takes
$7,764
17.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$42,523
Arkansas costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Arkansas — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$44,550
Kept after tax
$36,786
Worth in national money
$42,523
State rank
45
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- The nominal figure here is modest. Arkansas pays drywall and ceiling tile installers a middle wage of $44,550, 45 of 49 states and about 24.4% below the national middle. Hold that thought until the adjusted numbers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 489 occupations Arkansas reports figures for, this is number 297.
- Arkansas is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $44,550 the take-home is $36,786; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $42,523 would nationally. The average lands at $43,410, below the middle of the range.
- Arkansas's $44,550 median for drywall and ceiling tile installers places it 45 of 49 states, about 24.4% below national. Because both the tax and price adjustments tend to favor lower-nominal states, this ranking is the least stable of the three reported here.
- In Arkansas's occupational distribution, drywall and ceiling tile installers sits at 297 of 489 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for drywall and ceiling tile installers in Arkansas, on $44,550, is $36,786 — equivalent to $42,523 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $43,410 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
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Pay band: Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $34,520 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $44,550 |
| Top tenth earn over | $48,800 |
| This salary | $44,550 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Arkansas | $36,786 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $37,976 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,443 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $43,069 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,165 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 87 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of drywall and ceiling tile installers in Arkansas earn under $44,550 and half over. The published range runs $34,520 at the tenth percentile to $48,800 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Arkansas the take-home figure of $36,786, from $44,550, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 297 of 489 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Arkansas, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $42,523, the adjusted value of that $44,550 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 297 of 489 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for drywall and ceiling tile installers in Arkansas, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $34,520 to $48,800; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Arkansas is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $36,786 from $44,550. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 297 of 489 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Arkansas, so $42,523 — the adjusted value of that $44,550 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 297 of 489 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $34,520 and the top tenth $48,800, so most people doing this work in Arkansas sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Arkansas sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $42,523 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Arkansas then takes its own share, leaving $36,786.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 49 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($34,520 to $48,800) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Arkansas rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Arkansas's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $42,523 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $36,786 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Arkansas income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.