Virginia Drywall Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Virginia 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 Virginia figure.
No official Virginia figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
Virginia 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 Virginia
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 2,480 drywall and ceiling tile installers on payrolls in Virginia (May 2025), the 9th largest workforce of the 49 states with published figures. The median wage is $26.84 an hour, 5% below the US median of $28.33.
Drywall and ceiling tile installers make up about the same share of Virginia jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.13).
At the US median of $4.08 per $100 of payroll (Virginia does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.10 for every hour worked, or $2,278 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $6,833 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Virginia pay runs from $18.77 an hour at the 10th percentile to $34.29 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.77 an hour on a new hire and $1.40 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Virginia
- Coverage required: 3+ employees (subcontractor employees count toward the total)
- Owners and sole proprietors: No waivers for sole proprietors; officers and working LLC managers count as employees
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if incapacity exceeds 21 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $250 per day (capped at $50,000), business-closure orders, and possible criminal prosecution
Virginia counts a contractor's subcontractor employees toward the three-employee threshold, so using subs frequently triggers the mandate.
Virginia vs neighboring states
- North Carolina: about $5.62 per $100 of payroll
- West Virginia: about $1.78 per $100 of payroll
Virginia does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, West Virginia is the cheapest for drywall comp at about $1.78 and North Carolina the most expensive at about $5.62 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.