Tapers: Career Overview
Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surface for painting or papering.
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What Tasks Do Tapers Perform?
Typical responsibilities of tapers span:
- Spread sealing compound between boards or panels or over cracks, holes, nail heads, or screw heads, using trowels, broadknives, or spatulas.
- Press paper tape over joints to embed tape into sealing compound and to seal joints.
- Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth.
- Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surfaces for painting or papering.
- Spread and smooth cementing material over tape, using trowels or floating machines to blend joints with wall surfaces.
- Sand or patch nicks or cracks in plasterboard or wallboard.
- Mix sealing compounds by hand or with portable electric mixers.
- Work on high ceilings, using scaffolding or other tools, such as stilts.
Skills and Knowledge
Top tapers rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Tapers Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Drywall Finisher
- Drywall Mechanic
- Drywall Taper
- Finisher
- Sheet Rock Taper
- Spackler
- Taper
- Wall Taper
How Many Tapers Are There?
There are roughly 696,796 tapers working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +11.3% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Tapers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $30,388 |
| Hourly median | $14.61 |
| 10th percentile | $20,000 |
| 25th percentile | $23,733 |
| 75th percentile | $37,043 |
| 90th percentile | $43,699 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Tapers Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Illinois | $109,510 |
| Massachusetts | $107,670 |
| Hawaii | $97,790 |
| New Jersey | $96,350 |
| Oregon | $90,180 |
| Minnesota | $86,990 |
| Pennsylvania | $81,880 |
| Connecticut | $71,910 |
| Washington | $70,580 |
| New York | $70,150 |
| California | $69,670 |
| Ohio | $68,130 |
| Iowa | $65,440 |
| Indiana | $64,420 |
| Michigan | $62,090 |
| Missouri | $60,810 |
| New Mexico | $59,250 |
| Idaho | $58,670 |
| Colorado | $57,570 |
| Nevada | $57,350 |
| Utah | $54,580 |
| Maine | $51,880 |
| Wisconsin | $49,150 |
| Arizona | $48,170 |
| Texas | $45,030 |
| Florida | $40,060 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Earnings for tapers vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $91,030 | 4.5% | 1.03 |
| Middle Atlantic | $86,332 | 1.2% | 0.16 |
| Great Lakes | $82,671 | 7.8% | 0.64 |
| Plains States | $70,677 | 5.4% | 1.06 |
| Far Western US | $69,996 | 62.4% | 3.97 |
| Rocky Mountains | $55,354 | 4.7% | 2.32 |
| Southwest | $47,756 | 14.0% | 2.76 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | IL | $109,870 | 320 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $107,680 | 240 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | PA | $100,420 | 40 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | HI | $98,020 | 160 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | OR | $91,420 | 340 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $86,990 | 190 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | MO | $80,530 | 180 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $80,140 | 350 |
Top Industries Employing Tapers
Most tapers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 12,390 | $64,840 |
| Manufacturing | 70 | $46,300 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tools and Technology
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of tapers tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Spend Time Standing
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
- Exposed to Contaminants
Getting Started in This Career
Typical tapers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons (Primary-Long)
- Carpenters (Supplemental)
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles (Primary-Long)
- Floor Sanders and Finishers (Supplemental)
- Tile and Stone Setters (Primary-Long)
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (Primary-Short)
- Terrazzo Workers and Finishers (Supplemental)
- Construction Laborers (Primary-Long)
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 47-2082.00 (Tapers).
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