All careersSkilled trades

Tile & Stone Setter

$52,240
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Cut and set tile and stone on floors, walls, and counters, then grout and seal the surface.

Where you work

Homes and commercial construction sites

The hours

Full-time, daytime hours

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$52,240
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~4,200
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+10%
Much faster than average
Working in the U.S.
52,600
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

No formal credential

Training path: On-the-job training.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

What it takes

Tile cuttingLayoutGroutingMeasuring

The honest take

Sets tile and stone for floors, walls, and counters, a growing trade learned on the job.

Standard Occupational Classification 47-2044. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.