What You Need to Know About Brickmasons and Blockmasons

Occupation Description Lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers, and other structures.

List of Brickmason or Blockmason Job Duties

• Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required.
• Remove burned or damaged brick or mortar, using sledgehammer, crowbar, chipping gun, or chisel.
• Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
• Examine brickwork or structure to determine need for repair.
• Clean working surface to remove scale, dust, soot, or chips of brick and mortar, using broom, wire brush, or scraper.
• Construct corners by fastening in plumb position a corner pole or building a corner pyramid of bricks, and filling in between the corners using a line from corner to corner to guide each course, or layer, of brick.

What Every Brickmason or Blockmason Should Know

Below is a list of the skills most Brickmasons and Blockmasons say are important on the job.

Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Related Job Titles for this Occupation:

• Brick and Block Mason
• Silo Erector
• Cinder Block Mason
• Block Layer
• Concrete Block Mason

Brickmason or Blockmason Employment Estimates

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 91,100 jobs in the United States for Brickmasons and Blockmasons.

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 10.3% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 9,400 new jobs for Brickmasons and Blockmasons by 2026. There will be an estimated 9,000 positions for Brickmason or Blockmason per year.

The states with the most job growth for Brickmasons and Blockmasons are Florida, California, and Texas.

Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, West Virginia, or Vermont. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Average Brickmason or Blockmason Salary

The salary for Brickmasons and Blockmasons ranges between about $31,400 and $84,270 a year. The median salary is $50,950.

How much do Brickmasons and Blockmasons make in different U.S. states?

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
New York	$77,540
Illinois	$74,500
New Jersey	$71,320
Massachusetts	$70,680
Washington	$69,260
Rhode Island	$65,750
Missouri	$64,900
Hawaii	$64,290
District of Columbia	$63,680
Minnesota	$61,630
California	$59,880
Connecticut	$59,320
Kansas	$56,790
Oregon	$56,230
Ohio	$55,950
Wisconsin	$55,900
North Dakota	$55,360
Pennsylvania	$54,710
Delaware	$54,610
Colorado	$53,870
Wyoming	$53,800
Indiana	$53,170
Nebraska	$53,080
Iowa	$53,070
Michigan	$52,710
South Dakota	$52,020
Vermont	$51,950
Maryland	$50,150
Tennessee	$48,360
Nevada	$47,370
Oklahoma	$47,030
Idaho	$46,510
Texas	$46,420
Arizona	$46,290
Kentucky	$46,150
New Hampshire	$45,960
Montana	$45,420
Virginia	$45,350
Arkansas	$44,990
West Virginia	$42,590
New Mexico	$41,900
Louisiana	$41,430
Maine	$40,430
Utah	$39,820
Alabama	$39,690
North Carolina	$39,450
Georgia	$39,020
South Carolina	$38,850
Florida	$38,710
Mississippi	$35,850

Tools & Technologies Used by Brickmasons and Blockmasons

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Brickmasons and Blockmasons:

• Microsoft Windows
• Intuit QuickBooks
• RISA Technologies RISA-3D
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office

How to Become a Brickmason or Blockmason

Education needed to be a Brickmason or Blockmason:

How Long Does it Take to Become Brickmason or Blockmason?

Where do Brickmasons and Blockmasons Work?

You May Also Be Interested In…

Those interested in being a Brickmason or Blockmason may also be interested in:

• Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

Career changers with experience as a Brickmason or Blockmason sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

• Insulation Workers, Mechanical

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons