Oregon Drywall Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Oregon pure premium for drywall workers comp, class 5445 (Wallboard, Sheetrock, Drywall, Plasterboard or Cement Board Installation - Within Buildings and Drivers), is $2.704 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $4.06.
A pure premium 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.
Oregon 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 Oregon
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,680 drywall and ceiling tile installers on payrolls in Oregon (May 2025), the 12th largest workforce of the 49 states with published figures. The median wage is $35.35 an hour, 25% above the US median of $28.33.
This trade is a bigger part of the Oregon job market than it is nationally: drywall and ceiling tile installers hold 1.6 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical Oregon premium of about $4.06 per $100 of payroll (the published pure premium of $2.70 for class 5445 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.44 for every hour worked, or $2,985 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $8,956 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Oregon pay runs from $17.53 an hour at the 10th percentile to $55.13 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.71 an hour on a new hire and $2.24 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Oregon
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners and 10%+ officers excluded by default; personal coverage only if the insurer accepts a written election
- State fund: Competitive state fund (SAIF Corporation)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if off 14 consecutive days or hospitalized overnight within 14 days
- Penalty for going without: $1,000 or twice the premium owed, plus $250 per day and personal liability for benefits
Oregon restores the waiting period retroactively if a worker is hospitalized overnight within the first 14 days, not only through the standard consecutive-day trigger.
Oregon vs neighboring states
- California: about $6.23 per $100 of payroll
- Idaho: about $4.25 per $100 of payroll
Oregon 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.