Drywall finisher vs plasterer

The differences between drywall finishers and plasterers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a plasterer has an average salary of $49,213, which is higher than the $39,376 average annual salary of a drywall finisher.

The top three skills for a drywall finisher include hand tools, ladders and scaffolding. The most important skills for a plasterer are plastering, hand tools, and coats.

Drywall finisher vs plasterer overview

	Drywall Finisher	Plasterer
Yearly salary	$39,376	$49,213
Hourly rate	$18.93	$23.66
Growth rate	3%	4%
Number of jobs	14,312	34
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	41	44
Years of experience	2	-

Drywall finisher vs plasterer salary

Drywall finishers and plasterers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Drywall Finisher	Plasterer
Average salary	$39,376	$49,213
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $62,000	Between $31,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Sunnyvale, CA	Lindenhurst, NY
Highest paying state	North Dakota	New York
Best paying company	Swinerton	F&G
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between drywall finisher and plasterer education

There are a few differences between a drywall finisher and a plasterer in terms of educational background:

	Drywall Finisher	Plasterer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	General Studies
Most common college	-	-

Drywall finisher vs plasterer demographics

Here are the differences between drywall finishers' and plasterers' demographics:

	Drywall Finisher	Plasterer
Average age	41	44
Gender ratio	Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%	Male, 96.6% Female, 3.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 30.0% Asian, 1.1% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 27.2% Asian, 1.6% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	2%	3%

Differences between drywall finisher and plasterer duties and responsibilities

Drywall finisher example responsibilities.

Practice safe PPE around compound dust.
Enforce safety requirements, PPE, regulation laws.
Replace and finish all work around remove urinals, sinks or tubs.
Discard hazardous materials according to OSHA, MOSH, fire and building codes.
Lead and provide work direction for team of drywall finishers on commercial job sites.
Follow by measuring from stud to stud and putting the measurements on the drywall.

Plasterer example responsibilities.

Lead a team of 5 to install and complete EFIS.
Spray acoustic materials, texture finish over walls and ceilings.
Walk on stilts, plaster, floater, mud joints, tape and bond, laborer
Stucco walls, demolition, waterproofing, commercial caulking.
Estimate & bid on new construction properties & repairs.
Apply all phases of residential and/or commercial stucco and EIFS.

Drywall finisher vs plasterer skills

Common drywall finisher skills

Hand Tools, 16%
Ladders, 12%
Scaffolding, 9%
Finishers, 8%
Texture, 8%
Tape Measure, 8%

Common plasterer skills

Plastering, 21%
Hand Tools, 19%
Coats, 18%
Scaffolding, 17%
Exterior Surfaces, 6%
Construction Sites, 2%