Life As a Stonemason

Career Description Build stone structures, such as piers, walls, and abutments. Lay walks, curbstones, or special types of masonry for vats, tanks, and floors.

Daily Life Of a Stonemason

• Lay out wall patterns or foundations, using straight edge, rule, or staked lines.
• Clean excess mortar or grout from surface of marble, stone, or monument, using sponge, brush, water, or acid.
• Position mold along guidelines of wall, press mold in place, and remove mold and paper from wall.
• Shape, trim, face and cut marble or stone preparatory to setting, using power saws, cutting equipment, and hand tools.
• Set stone or marble in place, according to layout or pattern.
• Drill holes in marble or ornamental stone and anchor brackets in holes.

Things a Stonemason Should Know How to Do

These are the skills Stonemasons say are the most useful in their careers:

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

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

Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Related Job Titles

• Stone Chimney Mason
• Monument Installer
• Monument Setter
• Monument Erector
• Permastone Installer

Is There Job Demand for Stonemasons?

In the United States, there were 18,900 jobs for Stonemasons in 2016.

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 9.5% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,800 new jobs for Stonemasons by 2026. The BLS estimates 1,800 yearly job openings in this field per year.

The states with the most job growth for Stonemasons are California, Texas, and New York.

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

Salary for Stonemasons

The salary for Stonemasons ranges between about $26,400 and $66,690 a year. The median salary for this occupation is $41,220.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Nevada	$57,490
New Jersey	$54,890
Wyoming	$52,340
Pennsylvania	$51,010
Hawaii	$50,490
Illinois	$50,390
Massachusetts	$50,360
Virginia	$49,420
Indiana	$48,430
Washington	$47,070
California	$46,860
New Hampshire	$46,750
Minnesota	$45,670
Vermont	$45,630
Utah	$45,380
Oregon	$44,940
Connecticut	$43,790
Alabama	$43,710
Missouri	$43,150
Kansas	$42,600
Kentucky	$41,980
Michigan	$41,930
Maryland	$41,750
New York	$41,560
Colorado	$41,180
Georgia	$41,080
Texas	$39,730
Florida	$39,360
North Carolina	$39,340
Ohio	$38,840
Tennessee	$38,020
Oklahoma	$36,130
Idaho	$36,060
Arizona	$35,960
Maine	$33,830
South Carolina	$32,240
New Mexico	$32,120
Louisiana	$30,900

What Tools do Stonemasons Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Stonemasons may use on a daily basis:

• Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
• Microsoft Word
• Intuit QuickBooks
• RISA Technologies RISA-3D
• Microsoft Excel
• SAP software
• Virtual private networking VPN software
• Microsoft Office

Becoming a Stonemason

Individuals working as Stonemasons have obtained the following education levels:

How Long Does it Take to Become Stonemason?

Where do Stonemasons Work?

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons