TL;DR

About 38,740 tile and stone setters nationally earn a mean of $62,361. Projections imply about 2.7% annual decline; much hiring sits in construction.

Key Statistics

38,740
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$62,361
Average Salary

Tile and Stone Setters: what the data shows

Common questions about tile and stone setters careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a tile and stone setters?

Tile and Stone Setters is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 47-2044.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 38,740 workers.

What does a tile and stone setters do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a tile and stone setters make?

BLS national median annual wage: $52,240 (May 2024 in our extract).

Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $62,361 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.

Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).

Wage percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$40,692
25th percentile$49,071
Median (50th)$59,200
75th percentile$69,196
90th percentile$82,876

What education do you need?

For Tile and Stone Setters, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.

What skills do you need?

O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Building and Construction, Mathematics, Customer and Personal Service, Design. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is tile and stone setters in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.7% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: -12.7%.

Ten-year projected employment change: -23.8%.

Current U.S. headcount: 38,740.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do tile and stone setterss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry38,74020.1%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only38,66020.0%
Construction31,21016.1%
Specialty Trade Contractors27,86014.4%
Building Finishing Contractors25,65013.3%
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing9,9405.1%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Tile and Stone Setters in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Tile and Stone Setters workforce.

Employment Over Time

38,740 Workforce in 2023

The Tile and Stone Setters workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Tile and Stone Setters.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$62,361 Average Wage

In 2023, Tile and Stone Setters earned an average of $62,361.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Tile and Stone Setters.

Salary distribution for Tile and Stone Setters.

Employment Growth Projections

-2.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

24,847 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: -12.7%

21,694 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: -23.8%

This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Tile and Stone Setters.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Tile and Stone Setters and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Tile and Stone Setters employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Tile and Stone Setters.

Wage Trends by Industry

13.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Tile and Stone Setters.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Tile and Stone Setters.

State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 7,250 employees, $60,580 avg wage
  • FL: 5,010 employees, $49,960 avg wage
  • NY: 3,140 employees, $72,590 avg wage
  • UT: 1,950 employees, $51,320 avg wage
  • TX: 1,780 employees, $43,360 avg wage
  • AZ: 1,710 employees, $51,290 avg wage
  • NV: 1,560 employees, $61,310 avg wage
  • OR: 1,300 employees, $58,330 avg wage
  • WA: 1,030 employees, $69,510 avg wage
  • MI: 1,010 employees, $55,570 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Tile and Stone Setters.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2,630 employees, $76,390 avg wage
  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,790 employees, $59,180 avg wage
  • Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 1,240 employees, $51,490 avg wage
  • Salt Lake City-Murray, UT: 1,180 employees, $52,620 avg wage
  • Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV: 1,080 employees, $61,390 avg wage
  • Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 1,020 employees, $52,720 avg wage
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 890 employees, $58,380 avg wage
  • San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 890 employees, $65,340 avg wage
  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 780 employees, $60,560 avg wage
  • Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 720 employees, $50,060 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Tile and Stone Setters.

Diversity

Demographic information on Tile and Stone Setters in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Tile and Stone Setters in 2023 was 38,740 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Tile and Stone Setters.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Tile and Stone Setters.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Tile and Stone Setters.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Tile and Stone Setters in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.

Common majors for Tile and Stone Setters.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Tile and Stone Setters workers.

Education level distribution for Tile and Stone Setters.

Skills

Tile and Stone Setters need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Time Management.

Required skills for Tile and Stone Setters.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Tile and Stone Setters.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Tile and Stone Setters include Building and Construction, Mathematics, Customer and Personal Service, Design, Administration and Management.

Knowledge areas required for Tile and Stone Setters.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Tile and Stone Setters include Visualization, Near Vision, Extent Flexibility, Trunk Strength, Problem Sensitivity.

Required abilities for Tile and Stone Setters.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Tile and Stone Setters.

Daily Activities

Tile and Stone Setters spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.

Most important work activities for Tile and Stone Setters.

About

Tile and Stone Setters

The average yearly wage for Tile and Stone Setters was $62,361 in 2023.

SOC Code

47-2044 - Tile and Stone Setters

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Tile and Stone Setters reports an average salary of $62,361.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 38,740 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.