Texas Drywall Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Texas loss cost for drywall workers comp, class 5437 (Dry Wall Installation - Within Buildings & Drivers; Wallboard Installation - Within Building), is $1.006 per $100 of payroll (effective July 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $1.51.
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.
Texas class code for drywall
- 5437: Dry Wall Installation - Within Buildings & Drivers; Wallboard Installation - Within Building
Texas uses NCCI's separate Basic Manual for Texas, which still has Texas-specific codes (for example 5536 HVAC, 5200 concrete flatwork, 5102 carpet and resilient floor covering) that NCCI is gradually replacing with multistate codes, and workers' comp is optional for most private employers (nonsubscribers must report to DWC that they have no coverage).
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 Texas
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 5,760 drywall and ceiling tile installers on payrolls in Texas (May 2025), the 3rd largest workforce of the 49 states with published figures. The median wage is $22.88 an hour, 19% below the US median of $28.33.
Drywall and ceiling tile installers make up about the same share of Texas jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.77).
At a typical Texas premium of about $1.51 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $1.01 for class 5437 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.35 for every hour worked, or $719 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $2,156 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Texas pay runs from $16.95 an hour at the 10th percentile to $29.34 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.26 an hour on a new hire and $0.44 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Texas
- Coverage required: Elective for most private employers (South Dakota is also elective)
- Owners and sole proprietors: Included by default but may elect out
- State fund: Private market (Texas Mutual is the largest writer and insurer of last resort)
- Waiting period: 7 days; the waiting week is paid retroactively if off work more than 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Non-subscribers must file a notice; failure to file draws administrative penalties up to $25,000 per day
Texas is the only state where private employers can opt out entirely, trading coverage for the loss of common-law negligence defenses as a non-subscriber.
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.