Career
Stonemasons
Build with stone.
$57,390
Median pay
-5.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
500
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
- Set vertical and horizontal alignment of structures, using plumb bob, gauge line, and level.
- Lay out wall patterns or foundations, using straight edge, rule, or staked lines.
- Set stone or marble in place, according to layout or pattern.
- Remove wedges, fill joints between stones, finish joints between stones, using a trowel, and smooth the mortar to an attractive finish, using a tuck pointer.
- Clean excess mortar or grout from surface of marble, stone, or monument, using sponge, brush, water, or acid.
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?
“Set vertical and horizontal alignment of structures, using plumb bob, gauge line, and level.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though apprenticeship is typical, for a median of $57,390 a year and 500 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Mason/MasonryCIP 46.0101
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons$62,120 · +1.1%
- Tile and Stone Setters$55,690 · +9.8%
- Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing
- Terrazzo Workers and Finishers$76,170 · -13.0%
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters$47,550 · -11.7%
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.