Tile and Stone Setters Career, Salary and Skills
Tile and Stone Setters have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $55,690 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 35,850. Wage data is published for 172 locations.
Occupation description
Apply hard tile, stone, and comparable materials to walls, floors, ceilings, countertops, and roof decks.
O*NET code
47-2044.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$55,690
Hourly median
$26.77
Employment
35,850
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Speaking | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Coordination | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Mathematics | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Time Management | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Monitoring | 2.75 | 2.75 |
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges.
Technology
- Aya Associates Comp-U-Floor
- EasyCAD Iris 2D
- Measure Square FloorEstimate Pro
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Salesforce software
- TileGem
Tile and Stone Setters salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in CAMedian $58,880 · Employment 8,250
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in FLMedian $47,280 · Employment 4,070
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in NYMedian $61,260 · Employment 2,990
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in New York, NYMedian $61,410 · Employment 2,600
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $58,600 · Employment 2,170
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in UTMedian $49,340 · Employment 1,590
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in NVMedian $61,200 · Employment 1,450
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in TXMedian $47,030 · Employment 1,260
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in AZMedian $52,000 · Employment 1,060
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in San Francisco, CAMedian $64,430 · Employment 1,020
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in MIMedian $47,950 · Employment 1,010
- Tile and Stone Setters Salary in Las Vegas, NVMedian $63,540 · Employment 990
Related careers
- PaperhangersNational median $52,140
- Insulation Workers, MechanicalNational median $58,340
- GlaziersNational median $57,080
- RoofersNational median $55,440
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and PlasticNational median $46,170
- Segmental PaversNational median not published
- CarpentersNational median $60,580
- Furniture FinishersNational median $44,540
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.