Connecticut Drywall Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Connecticut loss cost for drywall workers comp, class 5445 (Wallboard, Sheetrock, Drywall, Plasterboard or Cement Board Installation - Within Buildings & Drivers), is $3.667 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $5.50.
A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.
Connecticut class code for drywall
- 5445: Wallboard Installation - Within Buildings & Drivers
- 5480 (Plastering NOC & Drivers)
- 5491 (Paperhanging & Drivers)
Drywall work carries lifting injuries from heavy sheets, dust exposure, and ladder and scaffold falls on high walls and ceilings.
What comp costs per drywall installer in Connecticut
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 300 drywall and ceiling tile installers on payrolls in Connecticut (May 2025), the 39th largest workforce of the 49 states with published figures. The median wage is $29.08 an hour, 3% above the US median of $28.33.
This trade is a smaller part of the Connecticut job market than it is nationally: drywall and ceiling tile installers hold 0.33 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical Connecticut premium of about $5.50 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $3.67 for class 5445 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.60 for every hour worked, or $3,327 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $9,980 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Connecticut pay runs from $21.97 an hour at the 10th percentile to $39.66 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $1.21 an hour on a new hire and $2.18 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Connecticut
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; a sole proprietor must affirmatively accept the Act to be covered
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive to the injury date if incapacity reaches 7 days
- Penalty for going without: Operating uninsured is a Class D felony with per-employee civil penalties
In Connecticut, non-coverage or knowingly misclassifying employees as independent contractors is a Class D felony.
Connecticut vs neighboring states
- Massachusetts: about $3.94 per $100 of payroll
- New York: about $9.59 per $100 of payroll
Among its neighbors, Massachusetts is the cheapest for drywall comp at $3.94 and New York the most expensive at $9.59 per $100 of payroll.
If your crews work across the line, list those states under item 3.A or 3.C of your policy before the job starts. Rates follow the state where the work is done, not where your office is.
What moves a drywall comp bill
- Drywall hangers and tapers usually share one class. Stilt and scaffold falls and lifting injuries are the claims to manage.
- Piece-rate pay is common in drywall. Comp is still charged on the full amount paid, so piece-rate crews do not lower premium.
- Drywall subs without their own coverage are the largest audit risk in this trade. Collect certificates before the first board goes up.
- If you also frame or do acoustic ceilings, those can be separate classes. Record payroll for each kind of work.