SALARY DATA — SOC 47-2161
Plasterers and Stucco Masons
47-0000 Construction and Extraction Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Plasterers and Stucco Masons is 2.44× — the national median is $57,660 but top decile earns $96,710. The spread exists; it's concentrated in geography, specialization, and industry sector. Knowing which end of the band you're on is the whole negotiation.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 19,310.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $39,560 | -31% | ~$19 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $47,970 | -17% | ~$23 |
| Median — 50th pct | $57,660 | — | $27.72/hr |
| Mean — average | $62,050 | +8% | $29.83/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $71,310 | +24% | ~$34 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $96,710 | +68% | ~$46 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Plasterers and Stucco Masons in 58 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 1,690 | $57,930 | $45,880 | $100,690 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 1,310 | $49,700 | $38,010 | $79,800 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 1,290 | $53,580 | $45,010 | $77,110 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 840 | $120,180 | $61,870 | $120,210 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 780 | $57,140 | $40,780 | $103,240 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 580 | $71,310 | $52,830 | $110,170 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 520 | $61,080 | $46,550 | $100,890 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 460 | $56,990 | $45,720 | $62,400 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 460 | $62,600 | $46,480 | $90,440 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 420 | $72,700 | $58,190 | $103,330 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 8 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Plasterers and Stucco Masons are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building Finishing Contractors | 238300 | 10,380 | $57,960 |
| Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors | 238100 | 4,310 | $51,350 |
| Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 238900 | 2,250 | $60,370 |
| Residential Building Construction | 236100 | 360 | $58,860 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 999300 | 120 | $78,200 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Plasterers and Stucco Masons is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: Los Angeles ranks #17 of 29 on the paycheck and #22 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $120,180 | 112.6 | $106,767 | — |
| Minneapolis | $108,160 | 104.4 | $103,607 | — |
| Chicago | $96,240 | 100.5 | $95,749 | — |
| Kansas City | $78,870 | 93.4 | $84,438 | +1 |
| St. Louis | $80,240 | 98.6 | $81,411 | -1 |
| Philadelphia | $78,200 | 103.1 | $75,815 | — |
| Portland | $70,500 | 100.1 | $70,422 | +1 |
| Cleveland | $64,500 | 93.9 | $68,673 | +2 |
| Pittsburgh | $66,330 | 97.7 | $67,864 | — |
| San Francisco | $71,310 | 106.2 | $67,156 | -3 |
Top 10 of 29 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Jacksonville gains 3 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Plasterers and Stucco Masons to move from 22,900 to 23,600 over 2025–2035 — +2.8% , with about 1,500 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: no formal educational credential.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Plasterers and Stucco Masons?
- The median annual salary for Plasterers and Stucco Masons is $57,660, and the mean is $62,050 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Plasterers and Stucco Masons?
- Most Plasterers and Stucco Masons earn between $39,560 and $96,710 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 2.44× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 2.44 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Plasterers and Stucco Masons fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ranks #17 by nominal pay but #22 of 29 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Plasterers and Stucco Masons growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Plasterers and Stucco Masons employment to grow 2.8% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 1,500 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Plasterers and Stucco Masons jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 19,310 workers in Plasterers and Stucco Masons nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Construction and Extraction Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Plasterers and Stucco Masons: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining $57,430
- Stonemasons $57,390
- Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas $58,160
- Glaziers $57,080
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers $57,020
- Extraction Workers, All Other $57,010
- Insulation Workers, Mechanical $58,340
- Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas $58,620
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Plasterers and Stucco Masons (SOC 47-2161): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
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Raw JSON: /salaries/plasterers-and-stucco-masons-47-2161.json · License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: BLS OEWS · Cite as: Office Blues OEWS Salary Data, Plasterers and Stucco Masons, officeblues.net/salaries/plasterers-and-stucco-masons-47-2161
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