Skilled Wages

Tile setter salary in Texas

Median $22.61 an hour for 1,260 tile setters, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$22.61/hrMedian hourly wageTexas, May data
$47,030/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$16.88 – $38.8910th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,260Jobs countedemployer survey

Tile setter pay in Texas: the full range

Wage percentiles, TexasMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrTexas: 10th $16.88 · 25th $19.28 · median $22.61 · 75th $26.45 · 90th $38.89Texas$22.61$16.88$38.89United 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: Texas vs United States, May 2025.

Texas ranks 35th of 47 states for median tile setter pay, and 35th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $23.29). 1,260 tile setters work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.3× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$16.88 – $19.28$35,100 – $40,100roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$19.28 – $26.45$40,100 – $55,010the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$26.45 – $38.89$55,010 – $80,880the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Tile setter pay by metro in Texas

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrDallas-Fort Worth: $23.04Dallas-Fort Worth$23.04San Antonio: $21.48San Antonio$21.48
Median hourly wage for tile setters by metro area in Texas, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Dallas-Fort Worth$17.71$23.04$22.35$46.634302% above
San Antonio$17.68$21.48$22.68$26.72905% below

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

Tile setter wages in Texas over time

Texas, 1999-2025TexasUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$5$10$15$20$25$30200020052010201520202025$26.77United States$22.61Texas
Median hourly wage for tile setters, Texas vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearTexas $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$10.58$20.45$17.081,540
2000$10.37$19.39$16.491,250
2001$11.70$21.27$17.021,130
2002$11.54$20.65$17.201,600
2003$13.42$23.48$17.122,210
2004$12.94$22.05$17.022,480
2005$13.89$22.90$17.562,690
2006$13.43$21.45$17.592,510
2007$12.44$19.32$18.613,200
2008$13.01$19.45$18.852,900
2009$13.72$20.59$18.832,650
2010$15.46$22.83$18.321,960
2011$15.19$21.74$17.832,010
2012$14.61$20.49$17.812,060
2013$14.46$19.98$18.061,860
2014$14.62$19.88$18.741,610
2015$15.11$20.52$18.941,530
2016$15.47$20.75$19.451,910
2017$15.70$20.62$20.042,320
2018$15.40$19.74$20.122,680
2019$16.43$20.69$20.702,920
2020$16.16$20.10$21.262,920
2021$17.58$20.89$22.992,450
2022$18.15$19.97$23.241,960
2023$19.96$21.09$23.522,190
2024$20.93$21.48$25.111,780
2025$22.61$22.61$26.771,260

In today's dollars, the median tile setter wage in Texas changed by +10.2% over the last ten years of data and by +9.3% since 2019.

Are there more tile setter jobs in Texas?

0.1Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.4× the US share, 38th of 44 states

BLS counted 1,260 tile setters in Texas in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 13%. 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 Texas

+13.7%Projected growth in Texas2024–2034, state agency
200Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
2,310Jobs in 20242,630 projected for 2034
+9.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Texas's labor market agency projects the number of tile setters in the state to change by +13.7% between 2024 and 2034, from 2,310 to 2,630, with about 200 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +9.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 1,260 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for tile setters in Texas

On federally funded construction in Texas, contractors must pay tile setters at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 0 of the 254 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package — an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $15.00). 254 of the 254 counties still use a survey rate dated 2009 or earlier (for example Anderson County at $15.00). The market median for the state is $22.61.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, TXUnion / prevailing package, $/hr$15.00survey 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)$10$15$20$25/hrComal (San Antonio): market median $21.48, prevailing (survey) $17.62, gap −$3.86Comal (San Antonio)−$3.86Bastrop (Texas): market median $22.61, prevailing (survey) $16.35, gap −$6.26Bastrop (Texas)−$6.26Collin (Dallas-Fort Worth): market median $23.04, prevailing (survey) $14.25, gap −$8.79Collin (Dallas-Fort Worth)−$8.79
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for tile setters, metro counties in Texas.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
ComalSurvey SUTX2014-016 2014-07-21$16.91$0.71$17.62TX20260240
BastropSurvey SUTX2014-065 2014-07-21$16.35$0.00$16.35TX20260285
CaldwellSurvey SUTX2014-066 2014-07-21$16.35$0.00$16.35TX20260286
TravisSurvey SUTX2014-049 2014-07-21$16.35$0.00$16.35TX20260271
WilliamsonSurvey SUTX2014-053 2014-07-21$16.35$0.00$16.35TX20260275
AustinSurvey SUTX2014-004 2014-07-21$16.17$0.00$16.17TX20260229
BrazoriaSurvey SUTX2014-008 2014-07-21$16.17$0.00$16.17TX20260233
ChambersSurvey SUTX2014-013 2014-07-21$16.17$0.00$16.17TX20260238
Fort BendSurvey SUTX2014-023 2014-07-21$16.17$0.00$16.17TX20260247
GalvestonSurvey SUTX2014-024 2014-07-21$16.17$0.00$16.17TX20260248
HardinSurvey SUTX2014-028 2014-07-21$16.17$0.00$16.17TX20260252
HarrisSurvey SUTX2014-029 2014-07-21$16.17$0.00$16.17TX20260253
JeffersonSurvey SUTX2014-032 2014-07-21$16.17$0.00$16.17TX20260256
LibertySurvey SUTX2014-035 2014-07-21$16.17$0.00$16.17TX20260259
MontgomerySurvey SUTX2014-038 2014-07-21$16.17$0.00$16.17TX20260262

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-06. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Texas prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Texas?

924.5kConstruction jobsTexas, 2026-09
+1.7%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026200k400k600k800k1,000k19901995200020052010201520202025924kSep 2026
Construction employment in Texas (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Tile setter pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Texas

More on Texas

Questions this page answers

How much do tile setters make in Texas?

The median tile setter in Texas earned $22.61 an hour ($47,030 a year) in May 2025, 16% below the national median of $26.77. The middle half earn $19.28–$26.45; the top 10% earn more than $38.89.

Where does Texas rank for tile setter pay?

Texas ranks 35th of 47 states for tile setter pay, with a median of $22.61 an hour, and 35th after adjusting for Texas's cost of living (BEA price parity 97.1, US = 100).

What is the union tile setter rate in Texas?

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

How many tile setters work in Texas?

BLS counted 1,260 tile setters in Texas in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.39; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is tile setter work growing in Texas?

Texas's labor market agency projects +13.7% growth for tile setters between 2024 and 2034, from 2,310 to 2,630 jobs.

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

Texas projects about 200 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, Texas 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 2026-11-06. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Texas labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.