The average tile installer in the United States earns $59,250 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $55,690. That works out at about $28.49 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: Hawaii averages $87,390 and Arkansas $40,890. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a tile installer actually does for that money
Tile and stone setters are counted as one occupation, which puts a bathroom floor and a stone facade in the same number. Most work for remodeling contractors or independently, and the trade rewards speed and precision in a way few others do because every mistake is visible forever.
What tile installers earn, from bottom to top
An average hides the spread, and the spread is what matters when you are deciding whether to enter the trade or what to pay someone. Here is the full range BLS publishes.
| Percentile | Annual | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $37,140 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $45,200 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $55,690 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $70,220 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $86,110 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Tile Installation salary by state
Hawaii pays the most at $87,390 a year, and Arkansas the least at $40,890. Cost of living explains part of that gap and licensing rules explain a good deal of the rest.
| # | State | Average annual | Median annual | Hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $87,390 | $79,270 | $42.02 | 440 |
| 2 | Maine | $83,810 | $70,720 | $40.29 | 60 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $80,300 | $81,150 | $38.61 | 410 |
| 4 | Washington | $79,060 | $77,920 | $38.01 | 660 |
| 5 | Illinois | $72,080 | $67,160 | $34.65 | 730 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $71,440 | $62,370 | $34.35 | 460 |
| 7 | Nevada | $69,920 | $61,200 | $33.62 | 1,450 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $69,090 | $63,150 | $33.21 | 230 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $67,560 | $70,230 | $32.48 | 880 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $67,550 | $70,560 | $32.48 | 610 |
| 11 | New York | $66,010 | $61,260 | $31.74 | 2,990 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | $65,190 | $62,680 | $31.34 | 410 |
| 13 | California | $63,800 | $58,880 | $30.67 | 8,250 |
| 14 | Iowa | $59,970 | $54,350 | $28.83 | 240 |
| 15 | Oregon | $59,890 | $58,790 | $28.79 | 790 |
| 16 | Missouri | $59,730 | $60,590 | $28.72 | 470 |
| 17 | Nebraska | $56,850 | $59,350 | $27.33 | n/a |
| 18 | Montana | $56,670 | $58,670 | $27.25 | 240 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $56,530 | $49,900 | $27.18 | 40 |
| 20 | Colorado | $56,180 | $57,690 | $27.01 | 870 |
| 21 | Kansas | $56,070 | $54,920 | $26.96 | 310 |
| 22 | Vermont | $55,920 | $55,890 | $26.88 | 140 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $54,680 | $50,640 | $26.29 | 30 |
| 24 | Arizona | $53,670 | $52,000 | $25.80 | 1,060 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $53,480 | $43,510 | $25.71 | n/a |
| 26 | Indiana | $52,630 | $48,450 | $25.30 | 540 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $52,540 | $49,170 | $25.26 | n/a |
| 28 | Utah | $51,800 | $49,340 | $24.90 | 1,590 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $51,600 | $44,340 | $24.81 | 280 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $51,500 | $50,900 | $24.76 | 50 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $51,190 | $42,620 | $24.61 | 70 |
| 32 | Virginia | $51,170 | $48,880 | $24.60 | 750 |
| 33 | Texas | $51,010 | $47,030 | $24.53 | 1,260 |
| 34 | Michigan | $51,000 | $47,950 | $24.52 | 1,010 |
| 35 | Georgia | $50,580 | $47,840 | $24.32 | 360 |
| 36 | Florida | $50,470 | $47,280 | $24.27 | 4,070 |
| 37 | Ohio | $49,500 | $46,140 | $23.80 | 670 |
| 38 | Maryland | $49,330 | $45,670 | $23.72 | 240 |
| 39 | Idaho | $49,150 | $47,940 | $23.63 | 570 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $46,510 | $47,380 | $22.36 | 180 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $45,990 | $44,650 | $22.11 | 680 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $44,260 | $44,750 | $21.28 | 190 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $43,630 | $44,550 | $20.97 | 280 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $43,600 | $43,570 | $20.96 | 350 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $43,450 | $39,130 | $20.89 | 60 |
| 46 | Alabama | $42,960 | $44,800 | $20.65 | 260 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $40,890 | $38,980 | $19.66 | 160 |
Where the money is: highest paying metros
State averages flatten out the difference between a city and the rural county next to it. These are the metro areas paying tile installers the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $94,920 | $45.64 |
| 2 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $84,670 | $40.71 |
| 3 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83,720 | $40.25 |
| 4 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $82,470 | $39.65 |
| 5 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $76,230 | $36.65 |
| 6 | Visalia, CA | $73,750 | $35.46 |
| 7 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $72,820 | $35.01 |
| 8 | Springfield, MA | $72,770 | $34.99 |
| 9 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $72,110 | $34.67 |
| 10 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $71,280 | $34.27 |
What moves the number
- Not usually licensed, but Certified Tile Installer status is recognized across the industry and is one of the few credentials in the finish trades that reliably raises a rate.
- Almost entirely remodel-driven, which makes it steadier than new construction but sensitive to how freely homeowners are spending.
- Large-format porcelain, natural stone, waterproofed wet rooms and curbless showers all pay a premium, because the cost of doing them wrong is a demolition.
- The bottom ten percent of tile installers earn under $37,140 and the top ten percent clear $86,110. That gap is the trade telling you where the money is.
- Working for somebody else and working for yourself are different questions. These figures cover employed tile installers on a payroll, so they exclude the self-employed, and in this trade a large share of the best operators are exactly that.
What you can earn running the business instead
The number above is a wage. Running the business is a different calculation: you take the full ticket rather than an hourly rate, and what you keep depends on how many jobs you fit in a week, how quickly you get paid and how much of your day goes on scheduling, estimates and chasing invoices instead of on the work. That is the part software actually changes. Owners who put scheduling, estimating, invoicing and automated follow-up in one place tend to run more jobs with the same crew, which is where the gap between a tile installer wage and an owner income opens up.
Tile Installation salary FAQs
- How much do tile installers make a year?
- The median tile installer in the United States earns $55,690 a year and the average is $59,250, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do tile installers make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $28.49. Annual earnings are usually higher than that rate multiplied by a standard year, because overtime, call-outs and premium work are not in the base rate.
- Which state pays tile installers the most?
- Hawaii pays the most at an average of $87,390 a year, followed by Maine at $83,810 and Massachusetts at $80,300. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay tile installers the most?
- Urban Honolulu, HI tops the list at an average of $94,920 a year, with Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA at $84,670. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can tile installers earn six figures?
- As an employee it is uncommon: the top ten percent earn $86,110. Owners are a different question, because they are paid on the job rather than on the hour, and owner income is not in these figures.
- Do these figures include self-employed tile installers?
- No. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program covers wage and salary workers, so sole proprietors and business owners are excluded. In a trade with as many owner-operators as this one, that matters when you read the number.
- Where does this tile installation salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "Tile and Stone Setters" (SOC 47-2044). It is a survey of employers rather than of workers, which is why it is more reliable than self-reported salary sites.
All wage figures on this page are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. BLS suppresses figures in areas with too few employers to publish safely; those appear as n/a rather than an estimate.
