Louisiana Drywall Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Louisiana does not publish its drywall class figures online. Across the 25 states that do, the median typical premium is about $4.08 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Louisiana figure.

No official Louisiana figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.

Louisiana 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 Louisiana

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 310 drywall and ceiling tile installers on payrolls in Louisiana (May 2025), the 38th largest workforce of the 49 states with published figures. The median wage is $22.80 an hour, 20% below the US median of $28.33.

This trade is a smaller part of the Louisiana job market than it is nationally: drywall and ceiling tile installers hold 0.30 times their national share of jobs there.

At the US median of $4.08 per $100 of payroll (Louisiana does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.93 for every hour worked, or $1,935 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $5,805 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Louisiana pay runs from $13.61 an hour at the 10th percentile to $37.38 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.56 an hour on a new hire and $1.53 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Louisiana

Coverage required: 1 employee
Owners and sole proprietors: Owners with no employees exempt; the general contractor is a statutory employer for an uninsured sub's workers
State fund: Competitive state fund (Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corporation)
Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive only if disability extends beyond 6 weeks
Penalty for going without: $250 first offense up to $10,000, plus up to a year in jail and full benefit liability

Louisiana reimburses the waiting period only if disability lasts more than six weeks, one of the longest triggers in the country.

Louisiana vs neighboring states

Texas: about $1.51 per $100 of payroll

Louisiana does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, Texas is the cheapest for drywall comp at about $1.51 and Texas the most expensive at about $1.51 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.