What is the salary and career path for a masonry laborer?
Masonry laborers map closely to Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters, SOC 47-3011, a small helper code that also counts tile and marble helpers, so the figure is close but not exclusive to mason tending. That code shows an OEWS May 2025 median of $47,550 a year ($22.86 an hour), from $36,230 at the 10th percentile to $70,080 at the 90th. No licence or certificate is required; entry is a direct hire with a high school diploma or less, OSHA 10 training and the physical capacity for repeated heavy lifting, with the real career move being acceptance into a three- to four-year bricklayers' apprenticeship. BLS projects a steep 10.5% decline in this helper code over 2024–2034 with only about 1,400 openings a year — one of the smallest and fastest-shrinking construction codes published.
- Masonry Laborers earn a national median $47,550/yr ($22.86/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-3011); the top 10% clear $70,080.
- BLS projects a steep 10.5% decline for masonry helpers 2024–34, with only about 1,400 openings a year — a shrinking, small code.
- No credential is required to start; OSHA 10 and silica training are the practical prerequisites.
- The real career move is into a registered bricklayers' apprenticeship, which leaves this helper wage range behind.
Career Path
How do you become a masonry laborer?
Mason tender / helper
Mixing mortar, stocking the wall, moving scaffold and cleaning up; pay starts near the $36,230 tenth percentile of the helper code.
Masonry Laborer
Running the tending operation for a crew — mud, material flow, saw work and scaffold — around the $47,550 median for SOC 47-3011.
Mason apprentice / journeyman bricklayer
Laying brick, block and stone after entering a registered apprenticeship, moving into the journeyman mason wage above the helper range toward $57,980.
Masonry foreman
Running a masonry crew, setting leads and managing material and layout reaches the top of this helper code's range at $70,080.
BLS Salary Data
Which state pays masonry laborers the most in 2026?
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-3011. National median: $47,550. Full salary guide →
Pay Comparison
How does masonry laborer pay compare to related roles?
Head-to-head against the roles masonry laborers most often weigh against. BLS OEWS May 2025 medians.
Takeaway: masonry laborers rank 3 of 4 on median pay among the comparable roles above, with a projected −10.5% employment change 2024–34 (BLS Employment Projections). Pay position and projected demand together are what determine how quickly masonry laborers clear offers across the GlobalCybers placement network.
Methodology & Sources
How this guide is sourced and reviewed
Wages (BLS): All median and percentile figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-3011 (masonry laborers) and the matching SOC codes for each comparison role. OEWS is sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection, so treat it as a firm anchor rather than a spot rate.
Job growth: Projected 2024–34 employment change, and the average annual openings figure, are from the BLS Employment Projections program, by occupation. Openings are a per-year average over the projection decade, not a decade total.
Licensing & credentials:Requirements are drawn from the issuing state licensing boards and the certifying body behind each credential — not from third-party aggregators.
Demand signal:Any statement about how quickly this role clears offers reflects GlobalCybers placement request volume across the trailing 12 months — our own network data, offered as a directional real-world indicator alongside BLS, not a market-wide survey.
Credentials
What licences and certifications do masonry laborers need?
Three- to four-year programmes run by BAC local training centres or contractor associations, registered with the Department of Labor; the recognised route from tending into the trade. See all state licences →
Issued through the OSHA Outreach Training Program; the baseline site-access training on commercial masonry projects.
Required under OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1153 wherever brick and block cutting exposes workers to respirable crystalline silica.
Employer-issued operator certification under OSHA 1926.1427 for the rough-terrain forklifts used to place brick cubes and mortar.
Tools & Software
What tools and software do masonry laborers use on the job?
⚙️ Core Tools & Equipment
📊 BLS Employment Data, SOC 47-3011
Salary Levers
How do masonry laborers earn above the $47,550 BLS median?
Moving from tending into the bricklayers' apprenticeship
The single largest lever — journeyman mason wages sit above this helper code's $47,550 median entirely
Scaffold, saw and telehandler skills
Multi-skilled tenders are kept through the season instead of laid off near the $36,230 tenth percentile
Union scale and prevailing wage projects
BAC agreements and Davis-Bacon rates on public work lift tender pay toward the $57,980 seventy-fifth percentile
Restoration and foreman-track work
Historic repair crews and lead tender roles are what reach the $70,080 top of this code
This Route vs. College
Is becoming a masonry laborer worth it vs. a 4-year degree?
The entry route into this role, set against a four-year degree. Same starting line, side by side.
Entry-level (10th percentile) and all-level median wages: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-3011. Student-debt figure: median federal borrower balance for bachelor's-degree completers. Starting-salary comparison is illustrative and varies by field and region.
FAQ
Masonry Laborer Career, Frequently Asked Questions
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