Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers in Montana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$48,433
after federal, FICA and Montana tax
Tax takes
$11,707
19.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$53,669
Montana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Montana — 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
$60,140
Kept after tax
$48,433
Worth in national money
$53,669
State rank
17
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Montana sits in the middle of the pack for drywall and ceiling tile installers. The median is $60,140, ranking 17 of 49 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Drywall and ceiling tile installers ranks 209 among 475 occupations Montana publishes pay for.
- Here is where Montana does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $60,140 you keep $48,433, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $53,669 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $59,910, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Montana occupies the middle band for drywall and ceiling tile installers: a median of $60,140, ranking 17 of 49. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Position 209 of 475 in Montana places drywall and ceiling tile installers in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- After federal, FICA and Montana income tax, retained pay for drywall and ceiling tile installers on $60,140 is $48,433. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $53,669 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $59,910 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $45,870 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $60,140 |
| Top tenth earn over | $79,240 |
| This salary | $60,140 |
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 Montana | $48,433 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $50,502 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,698 |
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 | $57,564 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,053 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $60,140 as a midpoint for Montana, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $45,870 and the ninetieth is $79,240 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Montana the take-home figure of $48,433, from $60,140, 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 209 of 475 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Montana, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $53,669, the adjusted value of that $60,140 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 209 of 475 in the state.
- The Montana median of $60,140 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $45,870 to $79,240. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Montana is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $48,433 from $60,140. 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 209 of 475 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Montana, so $53,669 — the adjusted value of that $60,140 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 209 of 475 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $45,870 at the tenth percentile, $79,240 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Montana is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $53,669 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Montana adds its own income tax on top — which is why $48,433 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 49 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($45,870 to $79,240) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Montana rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Montana'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 $53,669 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 $48,433 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Montana 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.