North Carolina Drywall Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published North Carolina loss cost for drywall workers comp, class 5445 (Wallboard, Sheetrock, Drywall, Plasterboard or Cement Board Installation - Within Buildings and Drivers), is $3.744 per $100 of payroll (effective April 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $5.62.
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.
North Carolina 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 North Carolina
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,520 drywall and ceiling tile installers on payrolls in North Carolina (May 2025), the 14th largest workforce of the 49 states with published figures. The median wage is $21.67 an hour, 24% below the US median of $28.33.
This trade is a smaller part of the North Carolina job market than it is nationally: drywall and ceiling tile installers hold 0.58 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical North Carolina premium of about $5.62 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $3.74 for class 5445 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.22 for every hour worked, or $2,533 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $7,599 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. North Carolina pay runs from $15.11 an hour at the 10th percentile to $28.93 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.85 an hour on a new hire and $1.63 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in North Carolina
- Coverage required: 3+ employees (including construction); 1 if any work involves radiation
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners, partners, and LLC members not auto-counted as employees; may elect in
- State fund: Private market (NC Rate Bureau residual plan)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if disability extends beyond 21 days
- Penalty for going without: $1-$100 per employee per day; first offense a misdemeanor, repeats a felony
North Carolina keeps its three-employee threshold even for construction and sets rates through the independent NC Rate Bureau.
North Carolina vs neighboring states
- Georgia: about $10.98 per $100 of payroll
North Carolina 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.