A compiled reference of 22 verified statistics on drywall repair: national average costs, prices by damage type (nail pops, cracks, holes, water damage, ceilings), per-square-foot and hourly rates, contractor minimum fees, drywall installer wages, and gypsum price inflation. Every figure is drawn from a named public source (Angi, HomeAdvisor, Fixr, HomeGuide, the Bureau of Labor Statistics) and checked against the original before publishing.
Key statistics
5 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Drywall repair is cheap in materials and expensive in trips. Labor is most of the bill and most contractors set a minimum fee, so one small hole can cost nearly as much as a room of them. Water damage is the line where a repair stops being cosmetic.
Drywall repair averages $613 in 2026; most jobs run $296 to $930.
Most drywall contractors charge a $350 to $650+ minimum job fee.
Small patches price out at $50 to $75 per square foot.
Water-damaged drywall costs $600 to $1,550 to repair.
Gypsum product prices rose about 52% from 2019 to 2025.
How we built this report
Every figure was compiled in October 2026 from named public sources and checked against the original before publishing.
- Compiled from primary sources
The four most-used US cost guides for drywall repair, plus Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data and the Producer Price Index for gypsum products.
- Only explicitly stated figures
We include only numbers a named source states directly. The one figure we computed, the gypsum price change, is plain arithmetic on two published BLS index values, both shown.
- Disagreements shown, not averaged
The guides disagree, by several times over on small holes. We show each range side by side and explain the gap rather than blending them.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
Scope: cost-guide figures are national ranges from contractor quotes and completed projects, not audited prices; local rates vary widely. Angi and HomeAdvisor are the same company and share a dataset, so their agreement is one data point, not two.
Drywall repair costs, by the numbers
All 22 figures, grouped by theme, each from a named public source and checked against the original.
Average cost and contractor minimums
According to Angi (angi.com), the 2026 national average drywall repair is $613, drawn from 36,945 projects. Fixr (fixr.com) puts its average lower, at $350 for multiple holes and cracks in one room. HomeGuide (homeguide.com) explains much of the spread: most drywall contractors will not roll a truck for less than a minimum fee.
Statistic 1
The national average cost to repair drywall is $613 in 2026, with most homeowners paying $296 to $930, based on 36,945 verified projects.
Angi (2026)
Statistic 2
Drywall contractors charge $50 to $75 per square foot or $60 to $90 per hour for repairs.
Angi (2026)
Statistic 3
Most drywall repair jobs cost $200 to $550, with a $350 national average, a $75 low end, and a $1,000 high end.
Fixr
Statistic 4
A professional patch for a small hole under 4 inches costs $300 to $500; larger holes needing a new piece of drywall cost $500 to $800 or more.
HomeGuide (2026)
Statistic 5
Most contractors have a $350 to $650+ minimum job fee for drywall repairs.
HomeGuide (2026)
What this means: the "average" depends on whether the guide prices the patch or the visit. For a landlord, the minimum fee is the number that matters: one hole can cost about as much as several, so batching small repairs into a single visit at turnover is where the savings are. See our handyman rate statistics for the alternative to a drywall specialist.
Cost by type of damage
According to HomeAdvisor (homeadvisor.com), flat-fee repairs range from a $10 nail pop to $1,550 of water damage. HomeGuide's ranges for cracks and ceilings run higher, consistent with its minimum fees.
Statistic 6
Nail pop repairs cost $10 to $60.
HomeAdvisor (2025)
Statistic 7
Fixing cracks and chips costs $60 to $400, according to HomeAdvisor; HomeGuide puts drywall crack repair at $350 to $1,000 or more.
HomeAdvisor (2025); HomeGuide (2026)
Statistic 8
Drywall anchor repairs cost $75 to $100, and tears $20 to $120.
HomeAdvisor (2025)
Statistic 9
Repairing water-damaged drywall costs $600 to $1,550.
HomeAdvisor (2025)
Statistic 10
Mold-damaged drywall costs $150 to $350 to repair; if mold has spread beyond the drywall, specialist remediation costs $375 to $7,000.
HomeAdvisor (2025)
Statistic 11
Drywall ceiling repair costs $220 to $1,300, according to HomeAdvisor; HomeGuide's range is $350 to $1,500 or more.
HomeAdvisor (2025); HomeGuide (2026)
What this means: cosmetic damage (nail pops, small holes, anchor holes) is often a two-figure repair once a contractor is on site. Water damage is the outlier, because the wall has to be opened, dried, and rebuilt. Our frozen and burst pipe statistics cover the events that cause most of it.
Cost by size of the job
Per-square-foot pricing falls steeply with size: small patches carry the setup cost, whole sheets spread it out.
Statistic 12
Contractors charge about $20 to $120 for a small hole and $50 to $200 for a large hole.
HomeAdvisor (2025)
Statistic 13
Replacing a whole wall of drywall costs $500 to $1,600, about $2 to $5.50 per square foot for removal and replacement.
HomeAdvisor (2025)
Statistic 14
A 2-square-foot drywall repair costs $120 to $160, and a 10-square-foot repair $600 to $800, labor included.
Fixr
Statistic 15
For larger repairs that replace entire sheets, some professionals charge $3 to $8 per square foot for materials and labor.
HomeGuide (2026)
Statistic 16
Taping, mudding, and finishing drywall costs $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot.
HomeGuide (2026)
Statistic 17
Re-texturing a repaired wall to match costs about $1 per square foot.
Angi (2026)
What this means: HomeAdvisor's $20 to $120 small-hole price and HomeGuide's $300 to $500 describe the same patch. The first is the work, the second is the work plus the minimum charge to get a specialist on site.
Labor, wages, and materials
Materials are a rounding error on a drywall repair. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov), the people doing the work earned a median $28.33 an hour in May 2025, while contractors bill $60 to $150. BLS Producer Price Index data shows what happened to the board itself.
Statistic 18
Labor makes up 50% to 70% or more of a drywall repair bill, and drywall labor rates range from $60 to $150 per hour.
HomeGuide (2026)
Statistic 19
Drywall and ceiling tile installers earned a median wage of $28.33 per hour, or $58,930 per year, in May 2025.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (2025)
Statistic 20
There were 83,080 drywall and ceiling tile installers employed in the US in May 2025.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (2025)
Statistic 21
The Producer Price Index for gypsum products rose from 317.3 in September 2019 to 482.1 in September 2025, an increase of about 52%.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, PPI (computed by RapidEye)
Statistic 22
Drywall patches cost $7 to $10, drywall tape $4.50 per roll, and spackle $5 to $15 per container.
Angi (2026)
What this means: a $10 to $30 repair kit and a $300 invoice are both accurate. Gypsum inflation matters for whole-wall and water-damage jobs; for patches, the cost is almost entirely the visit. For whole-unit refreshes, see our rental repaint cost statistics.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
How much does drywall repair cost?
Angi puts the 2026 national average at $613, based on 36,945 projects, with most homeowners paying $296 to $930. Fixr's average is lower at $350, with most jobs between $200 and $550.
How much does it cost to patch a small hole in drywall?
It depends on who you call. HomeAdvisor lists small holes at $20 to $120, while HomeGuide puts a professional patch for a hole under 4 inches at $300 to $500, because most drywall contractors charge a $350 to $650+ minimum job fee.
How much does drywall repair cost per square foot?
Small patches are priced at about $50 to $75 per square foot according to Angi (whose sister site HomeAdvisor publishes the same range). Larger jobs cost far less per square foot: HomeAdvisor puts whole-wall replacement at about $2 to $5.50, and HomeGuide puts whole-sheet repairs at $3 to $8.
How much does water-damaged drywall cost to repair?
HomeAdvisor lists water-damaged drywall at $600 to $1,550, and mold remediation beyond the drywall at $375 to $7,000.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these named public sources, each checked against the original before publishing.
AngiDrywall repair cost guide (project data)angi.com
HomeAdvisorDrywall repair cost guidehomeadvisor.com
FixrDrywall repair cost guidefixr.com
HomeGuideDrywall repair cost guidehomeguide.com
Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational wage estimates and Producer Price Indexbls.gov