Career
Brickmasons and blockmasons
Build with brick and block.
$62,120
Median pay
+1.1%
Job growth, 2025–35
4,100
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
- Construct corners by fastening in plumb position a corner pole or building a corner pyramid of bricks, and filling in between the corners using a line from corner to corner to guide each course, or layer, of brick.
- Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
- Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
- Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Critical Thinking, Coordination, Active Listening, Quality Control Analysis.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though apprenticeship is typical, for a median of $62,120 a year and 4,100 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Mason/MasonryCIP 46.0101
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters$47,550 · -11.7%
- Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons$61,290 · -13.7%
- Stonemasons$57,390 · -5.4%
- Tile and Stone Setters$55,690 · +9.8%
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$57,020 · +1.6%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.