Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$75,000
National baseline
Target bonus
$8,000
11% of base
Total target cash
$83,000
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$5,00050th$8,00075th$13,000
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
Typical entry preparation: High School Diploma and up to 1 year of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
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.
Top skills:SpeakingMonitoringActive ListeningTime ManagementSocial PerceptivenessCritical Thinking
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Taper pay by experience level
Entry level$45,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$54,500
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$70,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$91,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$111,000
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+0.1%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
1,100
projected openings per year
Growing slower than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Taper salary by industry
Specialty Trade Contractors
11,050 workers
$75,000
Building Finishing Contractors
10,820 workers
$74,500
Construction of Buildings
1,580 workers
$76,500
Nonresidential Building Construction
1,180 workers
$79,000
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors
190 workers
$84,500
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
50 workers
$108,500
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction
50 workers
$108,500
Residential Building Construction$69,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $59,450 to $68,270.
+14.8% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$45,000
Early career25th percentile
$54,500
Median50th percentile
$70,500
Experienced75th percentile
$91,500
Top earners90th percentile
$111,000
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
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.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Non-exempt · Service, trades, or production work
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay under FLSA rules. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$75,000
2027$77,500
2028$80,500
2029$83,000
2030$86,000
2031$89,000
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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The median market pay for a Taper in the United States is about $75,000 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Taper?
Most Taper pay falls between about $54,500 (25th percentile) and $91,500 (75th percentile), with top earners above $111,000.
What does a Taper do?
Core responsibilities include: spread sealing compound between boards or panels or over cracks, holes, nail heads, or screw heads, using trowels, broadknives, or spatulas; and press paper tape over joints to embed tape into sealing compound and to seal joints.
Is pay for Taper roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $59,450 in 2020 to $68,270 in 2025, a change of +14.8% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Taper pays 15% above the average across 63 roles in the Construction and Extraction job family (family average $65,000).
Similar-paying roles in Construction and Extraction
Need Taper pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
