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How much does 1200 sq ft of drywall cost in Memphis, TN?

Hanging, taping and finishing drywall in Memphis, TN
$2,457
1,200 ft² of board · typical range $1,638 – $3,840
Typical total$2.05 per ft² of board$2,457
Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this$1,638 – $3,840
Labor portion65% of the job — this is the part that moves by city$1,597
Material portion35% — bought at national prices$860
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers pay near Memphisabout $24/hr · Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro$49,240/yr
U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 47-2081$63,600/yr
Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs −22.6% against the U.S. mean−$423

Notes

  • Where the number comes from. The national price for hanging, taping and finishing drywall is $2.40 per ft² of board — drywall installation pricing published for 2026, $1.60–$3.75 per ft² including materials. Labor is about 65% of that. Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers near Memphis, TN average $49,240 a year against a U.S. mean of $63,600 — a factor of 0.774 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area, SOC 47-2081.
  • Why the city matters, not just the state. Trade pay moves inside a state as much as it does between states. Crews do not commute across a state to bid a job, and materials ship at national prices either way — so a metro wage is the honest input here and a state average quietly rounds four different cities into one number.
  • What is in the price: board, screws, tape, three coats of compound to a level 4 finish, sanding, and labor.
  • What is not: primer and paint, texture, level 5 finish, and hauling the old board away. These are the lines that turn a $2,457 quote into a $3,072 invoice, so ask about each one before signing.
  • Use this as a bid check, not a quote. It prices an average job in average condition. Difficult access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a per-unit average.

hanging, taping and finishing drywall in Memphis, TN

$2,457 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $1,638 and $3,840.

That is $423 less than the same job priced at the national average.

Why the city changes the number

About 65% of this job is labor — $1,597 of the $2,457 above. Labor is the only part that moves locally; a bundle of material costs what it costs wherever it is nailed down.

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers near Memphis average $49,240 a year, against a U.S. mean of $63,600. That is a factor of 0.774, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area, SOC 47-2081.

What the quote should include

The lines that turn a quote into an invoice

Ask about each of them before you sign. On a job this size they are the difference between $2,457 and something a quarter higher.

Use it as a bid check, not a quote

This prices an average job in average condition. Access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a national average.

If a bid lands outside $1,638 – $3,840, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.

Nearby sizes

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