Skilled Wages

Tile setter salary in Colorado

Median $27.74 an hour for 870 tile setters, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 2000 and the state's own outlook.

$27.74/hrMedian hourly wageColorado, May data
$57,690/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$16.85 – $40.0010th to 90th percentilehourly range
870Jobs countedemployer survey

Tile setter pay in Colorado: the full range

Wage percentiles, ColoradoMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrColorado: 10th $16.85 · 25th $17.40 · median $27.74 · 75th $34.59 · 90th $40.00Colorado$27.74$16.85$40.00United States: 10th $17.86 · 25th $21.73 · median $26.77 · 75th $33.76 · 90th $41.40United States$26.77
Hourly wage percentiles for tile setters: Colorado vs United States, May 2025.

Colorado ranks 18th of 47 states for median tile setter pay, and 22nd once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $26.91). 870 tile setters work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.4× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$16.85 – $17.40$35,040 – $36,190roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$17.40 – $34.59$36,190 – $71,960the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$34.59 – $40.00$71,960 – $83,200the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Tile setter pay by metro in Colorado

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrGrand Junction: $28.21Grand Junction$28.21Colorado Springs: $25.10Colorado Springs$25.10
Median hourly wage for tile setters by metro area in Colorado, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Grand Junction$14.97$28.21$29.54$40.74402% above
Colorado Springs$15.67$25.10$24.93$37.609010% below

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Tile setter wages in Colorado over time

Colorado, 2000-2025ColoradoUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$27.74Colorado$26.77United States
Median hourly wage for tile setters, Colorado vs United States, 2000–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearColorado $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
2000$15.60$29.17$16.491,140
2001$16.13$29.32$17.021,110
2003$15.86$27.75$17.12700
2004$17.52$29.86$17.02560
2005$19.30$31.82$17.56730
2006$18.29$29.21$17.59890
2007$18.35$28.49$18.611,210
2008$20.38$30.47$18.851,030
2009$19.37$29.07$18.83880
2010$17.86$26.37$18.32600
2011$16.26$23.27$17.83550
2012$17.93$25.14$17.81620
2013$17.96$24.82$18.06550
2014$17.43$23.70$18.74440
2015$17.93$24.35$18.94700
2016$18.28$24.52$19.45850
2017$19.80$26.01$20.041,190
2018$19.21$24.63$20.12880
2019$21.65$27.26$20.70730
2020$19.96$24.83$21.26530
2021$22.66$26.92$22.99700
2022$23.24$25.57$23.24680
2023$26.54$28.04$23.52550
2024$27.47$28.19$25.11550
2025$27.74$27.74$26.77870

In today's dollars, the median tile setter wage in Colorado changed by +13.9% over the last ten years of data and by +1.7% since 2019.

Are there more tile setter jobs in Colorado?

0.3Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.3× the US share, 13th of 44 states

BLS counted 870 tile setters in Colorado in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 25%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.

Outlook for tile setters in Colorado

+23.5%Projected growth in Colorado2024–2034, state agency
70Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
710Jobs in 2024870 projected for 2034
+9.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Colorado's labor market agency projects the number of tile setters in the state to change by +23.5% between 2024 and 2034, from 710 to 870, with about 70 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +9.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed and use a different base year, so they do not match the 870 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: Colorado labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Is construction work growing in Colorado?

193.6kConstruction jobsColorado, 2026-09
+3.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k50k100k150k200k250k19901995200020052010201520202025194kSep 2026
Construction employment in Colorado (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Tile setter pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Colorado

More on Colorado

Questions this page answers

How much do tile setters make in Colorado?

The median tile setter in Colorado earned $27.74 an hour ($57,690 a year) in May 2025, 4% above the national median of $26.77. The middle half earn $17.40–$34.59; the top 10% earn more than $40.00.

Where does Colorado rank for tile setter pay?

Colorado ranks 18th of 47 states for tile setter pay, with a median of $27.74 an hour, and 22nd after adjusting for Colorado's cost of living (BEA price parity 103.1, US = 100).

What is the union tile setter rate in Colorado?

Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a tile setter classification for most Colorado counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.

How many tile setters work in Colorado?

BLS counted 870 tile setters in Colorado in May 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.32; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is tile setter work growing in Colorado?

Colorado's labor market agency projects +23.5% growth for tile setters between 2024 and 2034, from 710 to 870 jobs.

How many tile setter openings a year are there in Colorado?

Colorado projects about 70 openings a year for tile setters over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 3,300 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Colorado and metro areas, SOC 47-2044. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Colorado labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.