A tile setter on payroll in Massachusetts earns a median of $39.02 an hour. The same trade in Arkansas pays a median of $18.74. That is a gap of $20.28 an hour, which makes the top state 108% higher than the bottom one, and over a year it comes to $42,170. Nationally, the median for tile and stone setters is $26.77 an hour, or $55,690 a year.
Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (OEWS), occupation code SOC 47-2044, for the May 2025 reference period. It is the most recent release. The state numbers on this page were pulled from the BLS public API on November 12, 2026.
One caution belongs at the top, not in a footnote. OEWS counts wage and salary workers only. It does not survey the self-employed, and a large part of the tile trade works for itself. Every number below describes employees on someone's payroll. It says nothing about what an independent installer bills or takes home.
The National Picture: $26.77 an Hour at the Median
BLS counted 35,850 wage and salary jobs for tile and stone setters in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $26.77 and the mean was $28.49. The annual equivalents are $55,690 and $59,250.
The full national distribution:
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $17.86 | $37,140 |
| 25th | $21.73 | $45,200 |
| 50th (median) | $26.77 | $55,690 |
| 75th | $33.76 | $70,220 |
| 90th | $41.40 | $86,110 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national estimates, SOC 47-2044.
Read the table from the bottom of the pay scale up. One in ten employed tile setters earns $17.86 an hour or less. A quarter earn $21.73 or less. At the other end, the 90th percentile is $41.40, a ratio of 2.3x over the 10th percentile.
The mean sits $1.72 above the median. That tells you a smaller group of higher-paid setters pulls the average up, while the typical worker is closer to the median. Use the median as your benchmark.
Full State Table
BLS published a median wage for this occupation in 47 states. It did not publish one for Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia or Wyoming, so the table has 47 rows and not 51. Those four are missing because BLS withheld the estimate, not because nobody sets tile there. Where the employment column reads n/a, BLS published the wage but not the job count.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $39.02 | $81,150 | 410 |
| 2 | Hawaii | $38.11 | $79,270 | 440 |
| 3 | Washington | $37.46 | $77,920 | 660 |
| 4 | Maine | $34.00 | $70,720 | 60 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $33.92 | $70,560 | 610 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $33.77 | $70,230 | 880 |
| 7 | Illinois | $32.29 | $67,160 | 730 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $30.36 | $63,150 | 230 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $30.14 | $62,680 | 410 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $29.99 | $62,370 | 460 |
| 11 | New York | $29.45 | $61,260 | 2,990 |
| 12 | Nevada | $29.42 | $61,200 | 1,450 |
| 13 | Missouri | $29.13 | $60,590 | 470 |
| 14 | Nebraska | $28.53 | $59,350 | n/a |
| 15 | California | $28.31 | $58,880 | 8,250 |
| 16 | Oregon | $28.27 | $58,790 | 790 |
| 17 | Montana | $28.21 | $58,670 | 240 |
| 18 | Colorado | $27.74 | $57,690 | 870 |
| 19 | Vermont | $26.87 | $55,890 | 140 |
| 20 | Kansas | $26.40 | $54,920 | 310 |
| 21 | Iowa | $26.13 | $54,350 | 240 |
| 22 | Arizona | $25.00 | $52,000 | 1,060 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $24.47 | $50,900 | 50 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $24.34 | $50,640 | 30 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $23.99 | $49,900 | 40 |
| 26 | Utah | $23.72 | $49,340 | 1,590 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $23.64 | $49,170 | n/a |
| 28 | Virginia | $23.50 | $48,880 | 750 |
| 29 | Indiana | $23.29 | $48,450 | 540 |
| 30 | Idaho | $23.05 | $47,940 | 570 |
| 31 | Michigan | $23.05 | $47,950 | 1,010 |
| 32 | Georgia | $23.00 | $47,840 | 360 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $22.78 | $47,380 | 180 |
| 34 | Florida | $22.73 | $47,280 | 4,070 |
| 35 | Texas | $22.61 | $47,030 | 1,260 |
| 36 | Ohio | $22.18 | $46,140 | 670 |
| 37 | Maryland | $21.96 | $45,670 | 240 |
| 38 | Alabama | $21.54 | $44,800 | 260 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $21.52 | $44,750 | 190 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $21.47 | $44,650 | 680 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $21.42 | $44,550 | 280 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $21.32 | $44,340 | 280 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $20.95 | $43,570 | 350 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $20.92 | $43,510 | n/a |
| 45 | North Dakota | $20.49 | $42,620 | 70 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $18.81 | $39,130 | 60 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $18.74 | $38,980 | 160 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates, SOC 47-2044.
Only 19 of 47 states have a median above the national figure of $26.77. The other 28 fall below it. Most of the map pays less than the headline number.
Highest and Lowest Paying States
Massachusetts leads at $39.02 an hour, or $81,150 a year. Hawaii and Washington follow closely. Maine, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Connecticut, Wisconsin and New Jersey fill out the top ten, all at $29.99 or more. The list is mostly Northeast, upper Midwest and Pacific states. The usual explanations apply: these tend to be places with higher living costs, stronger union presence in commercial finish work, and a lot of institutional and commercial building where tile is specified and inspected. Those are reasons that fit the pattern, not something this survey measures.
Maine deserves a flag. It ranks fourth at $34.00, but BLS counts only 60 jobs there. A median built on that few workers can move a long way from one year to the next. Treat it as a thin estimate, not a hiring market.
Arkansas is last at $18.74 an hour, or $38,980 a year, with Mississippi just above it at $18.81. North Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, New Mexico, North Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama complete the bottom ten, all at $21.54 or less. The bottom of the table is mostly Southern states, where living costs are lower, residential work makes up more of the tile market, and union agreements cover less of the trade. Again, those are explanations, not measurements.
Where the Jobs Are
Pay rank and job count are two different lists, and in this trade they barely overlap.
California has 8,250 tile setter jobs at a median of $28.31. Florida is second with 4,070 jobs at $22.73. New York has 2,990 at $29.45, Utah 1,590 at $23.72 and Nevada 1,450 at $29.42. Texas follows with 1,260 jobs at $22.61, then Arizona with 1,060 at $25.00 and Michigan with 1,010 at $23.05.
The top 5 states by employment hold 18,350 of the 35,850 national jobs, which is 51%. California alone accounts for about 23% of the national count.
None of the five largest employers is in the top ten for pay. Florida, the second-largest market, ranks 34th at $22.73, which is $5.58 an hour under California. Utah, the fourth-largest, ranks 26th.
The reverse is also true. Massachusetts, the top-paying state, has 410 jobs. Hawaii has 440. High medians in small markets mean fewer openings and more competition for each one.
Six states in the table show fewer than 100 jobs: Maine, West Virginia, South Dakota, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Mississippi. For three more, Nebraska, Rhode Island and South Carolina, BLS published a wage but no employment figure. Read the medians for all nine with extra caution.
How Workers and Contractors Should Use These Numbers
If you are an employee, find your state and compare your straight-time hourly rate to the median. Do not compare your total check. OEWS excludes overtime premiums, so a week with overtime will look better than the benchmark even if your base rate is below it.
If your base rate is under your state's median and you are doing finished, unsupervised work, that is a fair thing to raise with your employer. Bring the state median and the national 75th percentile of $33.76.
If you are a contractor, the state median is a floor for thinking about retention, not a bid rate. A setter paid below the local median has a reason to take the next call from a competitor. The wage in this table is also only part of what an hour of labor costs you. Payroll taxes, workers' compensation and any benefits sit on top of it. The labor burden calculator converts a base wage into a loaded hourly cost, and the tile calculator handles the material side of the same estimate.
For context against neighboring trades, see our mason wages by state and carpenter wages by state tables, which use the same BLS release and the same method.
What the Data Does Not Show
OEWS is a solid survey with clear limits.
It leaves out the self-employed. This is the biggest limit for tile. Owner-operators, independent installers paid by the job or by the square foot, and sole proprietors are outside the survey. The 35,850 jobs counted are payroll jobs, not everyone who sets tile for a living, and the wages are employee wages, not business income.
It measures straight-time gross pay. Overtime premiums are excluded. So are employer-paid benefits such as health coverage and retirement contributions, and so is per diem or travel pay.
It reports medians, not union scale. A statewide median blends union and non-union employers, commercial and residential work, and big metros with rural counties. It is not the rate in any collective bargaining agreement and it is not a prevailing wage determination.
It is a snapshot of May 2025. Pay has had time to move since then. The next OEWS release, covering May 2026, is due in spring 2027.
It does not adjust for cost of living, and it does not separate skill levels. Helpers and lead setters share one occupation code.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do tile setters make an hour in 2026?
The most recent federal figure is a national median of $26.77 an hour, or $55,690 a year, from the BLS OEWS survey for May 2025. The middle half of employed tile and stone setters earn between $21.73 and $33.76 an hour.
Which state pays tile setters the most?
Massachusetts, at a median of $39.02 an hour and $81,150 a year. Hawaii is second at $38.11 and Washington third at $37.46. Arkansas is lowest at $18.74 an hour.
Why are some states missing from the table?
BLS did not publish a median wage for tile and stone setters in Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia or Wyoming in the May 2025 release. The agency withholds estimates that do not meet its publication standards, which is more likely in places with few workers in a given occupation. The table lists the 47 states that have a published median.
Do these wages include self-employed tile installers?
No. OEWS surveys employers about their wage and salary workers. Self-employed setters, including independent installers and owner-operators, are not in the wage figures or the employment counts. They describe what employees earn, not what a business owner makes.
Is the state median the same as union scale or prevailing wage?
No. The median is the middle wage across all surveyed employees in the state. Union scale is set by a local's contract, and prevailing wage rates on public projects are set by government wage determinations. Both can be well above or below a statewide median. For public work, use the wage determination for the project, not this table.
Your Action Item for This Week
Find your state in the table and write down the median hourly wage. Compare it to your straight-time base rate, or to the base rate of each setter on your crew, with overtime left out.
Check the employment column for your state. If it shows fewer than 100 jobs or n/a, treat the median as a rough guide and look at neighboring states as well.
If you employ setters, run your base wage through the labor burden calculator so your next bid carries the full cost of the hour, not just the wage.
Sources & Data Cited
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 national and state estimates, Tile and Stone Setters, SOC 47-2044, retrieved from the BLS public API November 12, 2026: www.bls.gov/oes/
