Delaware Drywall Workers Comp Rates (2026)

The published Delaware loss cost for drywall workers comp, class 0645 (Wallboard Installation - Within Buildings), is $2.530 per $100 of payroll (effective December 1, 2025). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $3.79.

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.

Delaware class code for drywall

0645: Wallboard Installation - Within Buildings

Delaware uses its own classification codes (largely the same numbering as Pennsylvania, e.g. 659 Roofing) and gives construction employers a wage-based premium credit through the Delaware Construction Classification Premium Adjustment Program instead of using NCCI codes.

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 Delaware

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 350 drywall and ceiling tile installers on payrolls in Delaware (May 2025), the 36th largest workforce of the 49 states with published figures. The median wage is $24.12 an hour, 15% below the US median of $28.33.

This trade is a bigger part of the Delaware job market than it is nationally: drywall and ceiling tile installers hold 1.3 times their national share of jobs there.

At a typical Delaware premium of about $3.79 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $2.53 for class 0645 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.91 for every hour worked, or $1,901 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $5,704 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Delaware pay runs from $17.18 an hour at the 10th percentile to $29.99 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.65 an hour on a new hire and $1.14 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Delaware

Coverage required: 1 employee; construction workers cannot be classified as independent contractors
Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; may elect in
State fund: Private market (Delaware Compensation Rating Bureau residual market)
Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive from day one if disability reaches 7 days
Penalty for going without: Fine up to three times the annual premium owed, plus $10 per employee per day

Delaware statutorily deems construction crews employees, so they cannot be 1099'd out of the coverage mandate.

Delaware vs neighboring states

New Jersey: about $6.91 per $100 of payroll
Pennsylvania: about $4.39 per $100 of payroll

Delaware has the lowest drywall comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges more 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.