Occupation salary profile

Tapers

SOC 47-2082 BLS OEWS May 2025

Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surface for painting or papering.

National median · BLS
$68,270
▲ +5.52% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$72,710
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
12,840
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Tapers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$43,670
25th$52,730
Median (50th)$68,270
75th$88,540
90th — top pay$107,110

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Tapers

BLS projects employment of tapers to decline 1.6% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%. About 900 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
15,800 → 15,500
-300 jobs
Projected change
-1.6%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
900
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
19.4% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Fastest-declining jobs → Best-paying jobs that need no formal education →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Tapers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Monitoring2.9
  • Active Listening2.8
  • Time Management2.8
  • Coordination2.6
  • Social Perceptiveness2.6
  • Speaking2.6
  • Critical Thinking2.5
  • Judgment and Decision Making2.1
  • Quality Control Analysis2.1
  • Reading Comprehension2.1
Top knowledge areas
  • English Language3.6
  • Administration and Management3.5
  • Public Safety and Security3.4
  • Education and Training3.3
  • Building and Construction3.1
  • Customer and Personal Service3.0
  • Mathematics2.7
  • Transportation2.7
Software and technology used
Intuit QuickBooksMicrosoft Office softwareApplied Computer Systems JOBPOWERConstruction Software Center EasyEstDevWave Estimate WorksMicrosoft DynamicsOn Center Quick BidTurtle Creek Software Goldenseal

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What tapers do

  • Press paper tape over joints to embed tape into sealing compound and to seal joints.
  • Spread and smooth cementing material over tape, using trowels or floating machines to blend joints with wall surfaces.
  • Spread sealing compound between boards or panels or over cracks, holes, nail heads, or screw heads, using trowels, broadknives, or spatulas.
  • Work on high ceilings, using scaffolding or other tools, such as stilts.
  • Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surfaces for painting or papering.
  • Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth.
  • Countersink nails or screws below surfaces of walls before applying sealing compounds, using hammers or screwdrivers.
  • Mix sealing compounds by hand or with portable electric mixers.
Also called
Drywall FinisherDrywall TaperFinisherTaper FinisherDrywall MechanicPatch GuyPatcherSheetrock Finisher
More job titles for this occupation (2)
Sheet Rock TaperWall Taper

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.