Skilled Wages

Tile setter salary in Tennessee

Median $20.95 an hour for 350 tile and stone setters, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$20.95/hrMedian hourly wageTennessee, May data
$43,570/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$14.98 – $28.4410th to 90th percentilehourly range
350Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Tile setter pay in Tennessee: the full range

Wage percentiles, TennesseeMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrTennessee: 10th $14.98 · 25th $17.57 · median $20.95 · 75th $22.81 · 90th $28.44Tennessee$20.95$14.98$28.44United States: 10th $17.86 · 25th $21.73 · median $26.77 · 75th $33.76 · 90th $41.40United States$26.77
Hourly wage percentiles for tile and stone setters: Tennessee vs United States, May 2025.

Tennessee ranks 43rd of 47 states for median tile setter pay, and 41st once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $22.80). 350 tile and stone setters work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$14.98 – $17.57$31,160 – $36,550roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$17.57 – $22.81$36,550 – $47,440the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$22.81 – $28.44$47,440 – $59,140the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Tile setter pay by metro in Tennessee

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrMemphis: $22.00Memphis$22.00Nashville: $21.60Nashville$21.60Chattanooga: $17.67Chattanooga$17.67
Median hourly wage for tile and stone setters by metro area in Tennessee, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Memphis$16.84$22.00$27.68505% above
Nashville$14.98$21.60$29.001403% above
Chattanooga$15.13$17.67$26.874016% below

Tile setter wages in Tennessee over time

Tennessee, 1999-2025TennesseeUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$26.77United States$20.95Tennessee
Median hourly wage for tile and stone setters, Tennessee vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearTennessee $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$12.51$24.17$17.08260
2000$13.66$25.54$16.49330
2001$14.97$27.21$17.02360
2002$15.08$26.99$17.20370
2004$13.69$23.33$17.02620
2005$12.54$20.67$17.56810
2006$13.43$21.45$17.59600
2007$14.28$22.17$18.61660
2008$14.58$21.80$18.85710
2009$15.04$22.57$18.83520
2010$14.76$21.79$18.32230
2011$15.11$21.63$17.83220
2012$13.85$19.42$17.81360
2013$14.39$19.89$18.06390
2014$15.81$21.50$18.74330
2015$16.96$23.04$18.94320
2016$17.00$22.80$19.45430
2017$17.26$22.67$20.04320
2018$17.38$22.28$20.12240
2019$17.53$22.08$20.70240
2020$17.75$22.08$21.26150
2021$18.27$21.71$22.99570
2022$19.62$21.58$23.24590
2023$20.97$22.16$23.52450
2024$20.00$20.53$25.11450
2025$20.95$20.95$26.77350

In today's dollars, the median tile setter wage in Tennessee changed by -9.1% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for tile setters in Tennessee

On federally funded construction in Tennessee, contractors must pay tile setters at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 0 of the 42 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package — an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $19.65). The market median for the state is $20.95.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, TNAnderson: $19.65 (survey)Bedford: —Benton: —Bledsoe: —Blount: $19.65 (survey)Bradley: $19.65 (survey)Campbell: $19.65 (survey)Cannon: $19.65 (survey)Carroll: —Carter: $19.65 (survey)Cheatham: $19.65 (survey)Chester: $19.65 (survey)Claiborne: —Clay: —Cocke: —Coffee: —Crockett: $19.65 (survey)Cumberland: —Davidson: $19.65 (survey)Decatur: —DeKalb: —Dickson: $19.65 (survey)Dyer: —Fayette: $19.65 (survey)Fentress: —Franklin: —Gibson: —Giles: —Grainger: $19.65 (survey)Greene: —Grundy: —Hamblen: $19.65 (survey)Hamilton: $19.65 (survey)Hancock: —Hardeman: —Hardin: —Hawkins: $19.65 (survey)Haywood: —Henderson: —Henry: —Hickman: $19.65 (survey)Houston: —Humphreys: —Jackson: —Jefferson: $19.65 (survey)Johnson: —Knox: $19.65 (survey)Lake: —Lauderdale: —Lawrence: —Lewis: —Lincoln: —Loudon: $19.65 (survey)McMinn: —McNairy: —Macon: $19.65 (survey)Madison: $19.65 (survey)Marion: $19.65 (survey)Marshall: —Maury: $19.65 (survey)Meigs: —Monroe: —Montgomery: $19.65 (survey)Moore: —Morgan: $19.65 (survey)Obion: —Overton: —Perry: —Pickett: —Polk: $19.65 (survey)Putnam: —Rhea: —Roane: $19.65 (survey)Robertson: $19.65 (survey)Rutherford: $19.65 (survey)Scott: —Sequatchie: $19.65 (survey)Sevier: —Shelby: $19.65 (survey)Smith: $19.65 (survey)Stewart: —Sullivan: $19.65 (survey)Sumner: $19.65 (survey)Tipton: $19.65 (survey)Trousdale: $19.65 (survey)Unicoi: $19.65 (survey)Union: $19.65 (survey)Van Buren: —Warren: —Washington: $19.65 (survey)Wayne: —Weakley: —White: —Williamson: $19.65 (survey)Wilson: $19.65 (survey)Union / prevailing package, $/hrn/asurvey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for tile setters by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (survey)$16$18$20$22$24/hrHamilton (Chattanooga): market median $17.67, prevailing (survey) $19.65, gap +$1.98Hamilton (Chattanooga)+$1.98Anderson (Tennessee): market median $20.95, prevailing (survey) $19.65, gap −$1.30Anderson (Tennessee)−$1.30Cannon (Nashville): market median $21.60, prevailing (survey) $19.65, gap −$1.95Cannon (Nashville)−$1.95Fayette (Memphis): market median $22.00, prevailing (survey) $19.65, gap −$2.35Fayette (Memphis)−$2.35
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for tile setters, metro counties in Tennessee.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AndersonSurvey SUTN2017-029 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260176
BlountSurvey SUTN2017-030 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260177
BradleySurvey SUTN2017-047 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260194
CampbellSurvey SUTN2017-048 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260195
CannonSurvey SUTN2017-049 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260196
CarterSurvey SUTN2017-050 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260197
CheathamSurvey SUTN2017-049 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260196
ChesterSurvey SUTN2017-051 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260198
CrockettSurvey SUTN2017-051 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260198
DavidsonSurvey SUTN2017-031 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260178
DicksonSurvey SUTN2017-052 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260199
FayetteSurvey SUTN2017-053 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260200
GraingerSurvey SUTN2017-048 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260195
HamblenSurvey SUTN2017-032 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260179
HamiltonSurvey SUTN2017-033 2021-04-16$19.65$0.00$19.65TN20260180

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Tennessee prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Tennessee?

168.5kConstruction jobsTennessee, 2026-08
-0.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202650k100k150k200k19901995200020052010201520202025168kAug 2026
Construction employment in Tennessee (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Tile setter pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Tennessee

Questions this page answers

How much do tile setters make in Tennessee?

The median tile setter in Tennessee earned $20.95 an hour ($43,570 a year) in May 2025, 22% below the national median of $26.77. The middle half earn $17.57–$22.81; the top 10% earn more than $28.44.

Where does Tennessee rank for tile setter pay?

Tennessee ranks 43rd of 47 states for tile setter pay, with a median of $20.95 an hour, and 41st after adjusting for Tennessee's cost of living (BEA price parity 91.9, US = 100).

What is the union tile setter rate in Tennessee?

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

How many tile setters work in Tennessee?

BLS counted 350 tile and stone setters in Tennessee in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.47; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Tennessee and metro areas, SOC 47-2044.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.