New Mexico Drywall Workers Comp Rates (2026)
New Mexico 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 New Mexico figure.
No official New Mexico figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
New Mexico 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 New Mexico
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 580 drywall and ceiling tile installers on payrolls in New Mexico (May 2025), the 30th largest workforce of the 49 states with published figures. The median wage is $25.91 an hour, 9% below the US median of $28.33.
Drywall and ceiling tile installers make up about the same share of New Mexico jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.24).
At the US median of $4.08 per $100 of payroll (New Mexico does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.06 for every hour worked, or $2,199 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $6,596 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. New Mexico pay runs from $18.00 an hour at the 10th percentile to $37.09 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.73 an hour on a new hire and $1.51 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in New Mexico
- Coverage required: 3+ employees; construction of any size requires coverage
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owner exemptions must be approved by the WCA Compliance Bureau; may elect in
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive if disability lasts more than 4 weeks
- Penalty for going without: Up to $1,000 per day, plus reimbursement of the Uninsured Employers' Fund with a 15-50% penalty
New Mexico requires construction coverage at any size and makes sole-proprietor exemptions subject to state approval rather than automatic.
New Mexico vs neighboring states
New Mexico 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 Colorado the most expensive at about $4.08 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.