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Drywall and Insulation Contractors

National industry · NAICS 238310

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Drywall and Insulation Contractors is a U.S. industry in the NAICS classification. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates about 245,680 workers across 95 detailed occupations in it. A typical worker earns around $62,071 a year (Singulariki estimate, see below).

This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in drywall, plaster work, and building insulation work. Plaster work includes applying plain or ornamental plaster, and installation of lath to receive plaster. The work performed may include new work, additions, alterations, maintenance, and repairs. Establishments primarily engaged in providing firestop services are included in this industry. Illustrative Examples: Acoustical ceiling tile and panel installation Lathing contractors Drop ceiling installation Plastering (i.e., ornamental, plain) contractors Drywall contractors Soundproofing contractors Firestop contractors Fresco (i.e., decorative plaster finishing) contractors Taping and finishing drywall Gypsum board installation Wall cavity and attic space insulation installation Cross-References. Establishments primarily engaged in--

Employment is national May 2024 OEWS. "Typical pay" is Singulariki's own figure — the employment-weighted average of each occupation's national median wage — a rough center of the industry, not an official BLS number.

How exposed this industry is to AI

Weighting every occupation in this industry by its employment and its unified AI-exposure index (the OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" human-rated task overlap folded with the Felten/Raj/Seamans AIOE index), this industry sits in the Low band — 8th percentile across all industries.

Exposure measures how much of the work overlaps with what today's AI can do, not a prediction of automation; high-exposure industries are where AI is most likely to reshape tasks. Employment-weighted across 81 occupations that carry an exposure score. Compare every industry on the AI exposure hub.

How AI is actually used in this industry

Among measured Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations mapped to O*NET task statements (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these patterns are most associated with the occupations in this industry, weighted by its employment mix. They are shares of observed AI conversations — not of worker time, revenue, or what could be automated — and reflect one AI assistant's consumer sample, not all AI.

Signal coverage 50.7% of employment · 51/85 occupations have AEI task data
Augmentation vs. automation 46.2% working with AI · 35.4% handed to AI
Most common pattern Directive · AI does it; you give the instruction
Typical AI autonomy 3.1 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently

Tasks driving the signal

The task families that account for the most AI activity across this industry's occupations (employment × observed usage), each attributed to the occupation it comes from.

Task Occupation How Share of signal
Troubleshoot problems involving office equipment, such as computer hardware and software. Office Clerks, General Feedback loop 56.8%
Use computers for various applications, such as database management or word processing. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Directive 5.2%
Conduct searches to find needed information, using such sources as the Internet. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Directive 4.8%
Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements. Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Directive 3.8%
Develop or maintain internal or external company Web sites. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Directive 3.6%
Process and prepare documents, such as business or government forms and expense reports. Office Clerks, General Directive 2.3%
Participate in the work of subordinates to facilitate productivity or to overcome difficult aspects of work. First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Iteration 1.8%
Complete work schedules, manage calendars, and arrange appointments. Office Clerks, General Directive 1.4%
Operate office machines, such as photocopiers and scanners, facsimile machines, voice mail systems, and personal computers. Office Clerks, General Learning 1.0%
Classify, record, and summarize numerical and financial data to compile and keep financial records, using journals and ledgers or computers. Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Directive 0.9%
Create, maintain, and enter information into databases. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Directive 0.8%
Review financial statements, sales or activity reports, or other performance data to measure productivity or goal achievement or to identify areas needing cost reduction or program improvement. General and Operations Managers Directive 0.8%

Occupations behind the signal

The occupations whose AI-touched tasks contribute most to this industry's signal, by employment here.

Occupation Workers Share How they use AI
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers 65,140 26.5% Directive
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers 19,650 8.0% Directive
Office Clerks, General 6,630 2.7% Feedback loop
General and Operations Managers 5,980 2.4% Iteration
Cost Estimators 5,420 2.2% Iteration
Construction Managers 4,950 2.0% Iteration
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 2,730 1.1% Directive
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 2,670 1.1% Directive
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers 1,270 0.5% Iteration
Accountants and Auditors 1,230 0.5% Directive
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 810 0.3% Directive
Sheet Metal Workers 560 0.2% Directive

This rollup is only as complete as the occupation-task matches available for the industry; the coverage figure above is shown so sparse industries do not look falsely precise. AI exposure is not the same as replacement.

Skill & tool metabolism

What this industry's work actually runs on. Each figure is the share of the industry's workers in occupations that significantly rely on a skill, knowledge area, or ability (O*NET importance ≥ 3 of 5), or that use a tool category — its employment reach. This is a measure of how widespread a requirement is across the workforce, not how intensively any one worker uses it. Shares are independent and need not add to 100%.

Based on 95.5% of this industry's employment that maps to a detailed occupation with an O*NET skill profile.

Skills

Skill Employment reach Workers
Critical Thinking 80.9% 198,750
Active Listening 64.0% 157,170
Speaking 55.4% 136,170
Time Management 47.3% 116,200
Coordination 43.9% 107,970
Reading Comprehension 38.5% 94,580
Monitoring 38.1% 93,540
Judgment and Decision Making 33.3% 81,700
Complex Problem Solving 32.5% 79,740
Active Learning 31.9% 78,330
Quality Control Analysis 29.5% 72,570
Writing 23.6% 57,910

Knowledge areas

Knowledge area Employment reach Workers
Building and Construction 83.4% 204,790
Administration and Management 69.9% 171,640
Mechanical 69.8% 171,490
Mathematics 61.8% 151,900
Public Safety and Security 59.7% 146,580
Customer and Personal Service 58.3% 143,170
Design 34.0% 83,600
English Language 32.5% 79,860
Education and Training 19.5% 47,830
Engineering and Technology 19.1% 46,880
Physics 14.4% 35,430
Administrative 12.3% 30,240

Abilities

Abilitie Employment reach Workers
Near Vision 95.5% 234,670
Oral Expression 91.4% 224,480
Oral Comprehension 84.6% 207,820
Manual Dexterity 80.5% 197,800
Arm-Hand Steadiness 80.3% 197,170
Selective Attention 79.7% 195,690
Information Ordering 77.5% 190,290
Problem Sensitivity 77.0% 189,210
Deductive Reasoning 74.9% 184,080
Multilimb Coordination 72.2% 177,440
Trunk Strength 71.9% 176,690
Control Precision 71.4% 175,450

Tool categories

Tool category Employment reach Workers
Office suite software 96.0% 235,940
Project management software 95.2% 233,910
Operating system software 86.0% 211,270
Word processing software 80.1% 196,800
Data base user interface and query software 73.0% 179,370
Accounting software 65.5% 160,850
Spreadsheet software 65.5% 161,020
Electronic mail software 43.8% 107,730
Computer aided design CAD software 42.3% 103,970
Enterprise resource planning ERP software 37.5% 92,030
Analytical or scientific software 37.2% 91,510
Graphics or photo imaging software 30.1% 73,950
Customer relationship management CRM software 29.8% 73,310
Optical character reader OCR or scanning software 26.7% 65,620
Internet browser software 26.5% 65,020

Reach = share of industry employment in occupations where the requirement is significant; it is not a per-worker usage or proficiency measure. Skill, knowledge, and ability importance is from O*NET; tool use is reported presence of a technology category.

Largest occupations

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay AI task-overlap (horizontal) versus median pay (vertical), each as a percentile across all scored occupations, for 37 occupations in Drywall and Insulation Contractors. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons Helpers--Carpenters Roofers Tapers Construction Laborers Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall Brickmasons and Blockmasons Light Truck Drivers First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers Construction and Building Inspectors Occupational Health and Safety Specialists General and Operations Managers Civil Engineers First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Cost Estimators AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
The largest occupations in this industry with both an AI task-overlap score and a wage, plotted by task-overlap percentile (horizontal) and median-pay percentile (vertical). Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation.

The occupations that employ the most people in this industry, with their share of the industry's workforce and national median pay for the occupation (not industry-specific pay).

Occupation Workers Share National median pay
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers 65,140 26.5% $58,770
Carpenters 33,190 13.5% $73,740
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall 26,770 10.9% $47,600
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers 19,650 8.0% $72,510
Construction Laborers 11,940 4.9% $45,610
Plasterers and Stucco Masons 10,960 4.5% $57,830
Tapers 9,780 4.0% $63,940
Office Clerks, General 6,630 2.7% $44,940
Painters, Construction and Maintenance 6,260 2.5% $47,910
General and Operations Managers 5,980 2.4% $106,180
Cost Estimators 5,420 2.2% $79,580
Construction Managers 4,950 2.0% $97,140
Insulation Workers, Mechanical 4,340 1.8% $57,720
Project Management Specialists 3,480 1.4% $92,910
Helpers, Construction Trades, All Other 3,340 1.4% $45,000
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 2,730 1.1% $50,880
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 2,670 1.1% $45,730
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel 2,390 1.0% $62,590
Miscellaneous Construction and Related Workers 1,340 0.5% $47,370
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers 1,270 0.5% $63,580
Accountants and Auditors 1,230 0.5% $81,350
Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons 1,020 0.4% $41,790
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 1,010 0.4% $40,780
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 810 0.3% $45,580
Light Truck Drivers 630 0.3% $44,930
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other 600 0.2% $45,340
Sheet Metal Workers 560 0.2% $45,740
Civil Engineers 550 0.2% $84,420
Brickmasons and Blockmasons 490 0.2% $52,370
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists 480 0.2% $70,080
Helpers--Carpenters 450 0.2% $43,450
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 440 0.2% $49,040
Roofers 430 0.2% $65,450
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants 420 0.2% $66,310
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products 410 0.2% $60,310
Human Resources Specialists 400 0.2% $62,780
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks 390 0.2% $61,470
Buyers and Purchasing Agents 320 0.1% $70,130
Electricians 320 0.1% $62,100
Construction and Building Inspectors 300 0.1% $64,860

Showing the top 40 of 95 occupations by employment.

Most distinctive occupations

The occupations most unusually concentrated in this industry compared with the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more common an occupation is here versus its economy-wide share (a value of 5 means five times as concentrated).

Occupation Concentration Workers
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers 493.14× 65,140
Tapers 491.03× 9,780
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall 435.14× 26,770
Plasterers and Stucco Masons 329.42× 10,960
Insulation Workers, Mechanical 106.23× 4,340
Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons 88.66× 1,020
Helpers, Construction Trades, All Other 82.17× 3,340
Carpenters 29.85× 33,190
Miscellaneous Construction and Related Workers 25.08× 1,340
Painters, Construction and Maintenance 17.52× 6,260
Cost Estimators 15.49× 5,420
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers 15.3× 19,650
Helpers--Carpenters 11.48× 450
Construction Managers 8.92× 4,950
Construction Laborers 7.08× 11,940
Brickmasons and Blockmasons 5.75× 490
Tile and Stone Setters 3.56× 220
Sheet Metal Workers 2.99× 560
Glaziers 2.42× 220
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists 2.35× 480
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation

The Drywall and Insulation Contractors workforce sits at the 8th percentile of AI task overlap — 245,680 U.S. workers

  • Weighting every occupation by its real share of Drywall and Insulation Contractors employment, the industry's workforce ranks in the 8th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap — overlap with what AI can attempt, not a measure of jobs at risk.Eloundou et al. + Felten AIOE, weighted by BLS OEWS
  • The industry employs about 245,680 U.S. workers across 95 occupations.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
  • Employment-weighted typical annual pay is about $62,071.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
  • Of AI use observed across this industry's occupations, 46% looks like augmentation rather than automation — from a Claude.ai sample, not a census.Anthropic Economic Index
Copy the whole kit
The Drywall and Insulation Contractors workforce sits at the 8th percentile of AI task overlap — 245,680 U.S. workers

• Weighting every occupation by its real share of Drywall and Insulation Contractors employment, the industry's workforce ranks in the 8th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap — overlap with what AI can attempt, not a measure of jobs at risk. (Eloundou et al. + Felten AIOE, weighted by BLS OEWS)
• The industry employs about 245,680 U.S. workers across 95 occupations. (BLS OEWS (May 2024))
• Employment-weighted typical annual pay is about $62,071. (BLS OEWS (May 2024))
• Of AI use observed across this industry's occupations, 46% looks like augmentation rather than automation — from a Claude.ai sample, not a census. (Anthropic Economic Index)

Source: Singulariki — "Drywall and Insulation Contractors". https://singulariki.com/industries/238310
Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom

Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 3, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Drywall and Insulation Contractors." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; Census NAICS 2022; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/industries/238310

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Drywall and Insulation Contractors. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/industries/238310

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-238310,
  title  = {Drywall and Insulation Contractors},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; Census NAICS 2022; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/industries/238310}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.