Tile and Stone Setters
US occupation · SOC 47-2044
Job titles people report: Ceramic Tile Mechanic, Ceramic Tile Setter, Tile and Marble Installer, Tile and Marble Setter, Tile Finisher, Tile Installer, Tile Man, Tile Mason, Tile Mechanic, Tile Setter
Pay and outlook
- Median annual wage, May 2025
- $55,690
- Half earn more, half earn less
- Middle half earn
- $45,200 – $70,220
- 25th to 75th percentile
- People employed, May 2025
- 35,850
- Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
- Projected change, 2025–35
- +9.8%
- Growing at twice the all-jobs rate or more (7%+)
- Openings a year (projected)
- 3,300
- New jobs plus replacing people who leave
- Typical education to enter
- No formal educational credential
- BLS
- All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
- Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
- Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.
What the work involves
Apply hard tile, stone, and comparable materials to walls, floors, ceilings, countertops, and roof decks.
Main tasks
- Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges.
- Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge.
- Cut and shape tile to fit around obstacles and into odd spaces and corners, using hand and power cutting tools.
- Determine and implement the best layout to achieve a desired pattern.
- Mix, apply, and spread plaster, concrete, mortar, cement, mastic, glue or other adhesives to form a bed for the tiles, using brush, trowel and screed.
- Study blueprints and examine surface to be covered to determine amount of material needed.
- Measure and mark surfaces to be tiled, following blueprints.
- Lay and set mosaic tiles to create decorative wall, mural, and floor designs.
Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.
Getting in
- Typical education to enter (BLS)
- No formal educational credential
- Training once hired: long-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone 1–2
- Little to some preparation
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Interests it suits
The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.
- Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
- Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
- Artistic: creating, designing and self-expression
Fields of study that lead here
From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 2 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.
Fields
Our college matcher doesn't offer this field as a major, so we can't suggest colleges for it here.
Construction Trades
- Mason/Masonry
- Carpet, Floor, and Tile Worker
Related careers
Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
$56,460 median · +9% projected
- Terrazzo Workers and Finishers
$76,170 median · -13% projected
- Stonemasons
$57,390 median · -5.4% projected
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons
$62,120 median · +1.1% projected
- Carpet Installers
$50,340 median · -16.4% projected
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
$58,930 median · +2.5% projected
Sources
This page includes information from the 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. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0
Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk