# Tile and Stone Setters

US SOC code 47-2044. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/47-2044

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **35,850** US tile and stone setters, with median pay of **$55,690** a year. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tile,_Marble,_Terrazzo,_Finishers%27,_Shopworkers%27_and_Granite_Cutters%27_International_Union) of **8,000** from 1902, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for tile and stone setters: Waterjet cutting, large-format porcelain slabs, and digital layout tools, 2000 to 2018.

Figures: Official statistic (latest count and pay); Researched context (earliest figure).

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 9.8% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=47-2044&ioType=o) (Official statistic).

### AI exposure studies

- **3.8%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv) (Official statistic)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35.

## Tile and Stone Setters employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1875
- Latest US employment: 35,850 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $55,690 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +9.8% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [15]

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1902 | 8,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [1] |
| 1950 | n/a | $3,900 (average) | BLS historical bulletin 1950 [4] |
| 1962 | n/a | $6,240 (average) | BLS historical bulletin 1962 [5] |
| 2000 | 51,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., O\*NET OnLine [2] |
| 2003 | 36,900 | $35,610 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 42,930 | $35,410 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [3] |
| 2005 | 47,410 | $36,530 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 51,330 | $36,590 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 52,790 | $38,720 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 51,210 | $39,210 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 41,140 | $39,170 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 31,670 | $38,110 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [3] |
| 2011 | 28,630 | $37,080 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 27,050 | $37,040 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 30,090 | $37,570 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 31,590 | $38,980 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 34,940 | $39,400 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 36,830 | $40,460 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 38,820 | $41,680 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 39,130 | $41,840 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 40,470 | $43,050 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 38,150 | $44,220 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 41,160 | $47,810 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 40,760 | $48,340 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 42,420 | $48,910 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 38,740 | $52,240 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 35,850 | $55,690 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (70)

### Employment series

1. [Wikipedia: Tile, Marble, Terrazzo, Finishers', Shopworkers' and Granite Cutters' International Union (union founding 1901-1902, AFL charter January 11, 1902)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tile,_Marble,_Terrazzo,_Finishers%27,_Shopworkers%27_and_Granite_Cutters%27_International_Union), Wikipedia
2. [O\*NET OnLine: 47-2044.00 Tile and Stone Setters (BLS employment and wage data, current)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/47-2044.00), O\*NET / BLS
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

4. [FRASER / BLS Bulletin No. 1011: Union Wages and Hours in the Building Trades, July 1, 1950 (tile setters among 40+ tracked building-trade occupations)](https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/union-wages-hours-building-trades-4200/union-wages-hours-building-trades-july-1-1950-494906/fulltext), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis / BLS
5. [FRASER / BLS Bulletin No. 1355: Union Wages and Hours: Building Trades July 1, 1962 and Trend 1907-62 (tile setters among tracked building-trade occupations)](https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/files/docs/publications/bls/bls_1355_1963.pdf), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis / BLS
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

7. [Wacker Chemie: "The journey of tiles through history" (Portland cement development, 1824 Aspdin patent, 1840s Johnson refinement)](https://www.wacker.com/cms/en-us/products/insights/tile-adhesives-history.html), Wacker Chemie AG
8. [Archtoolbox: "Thin-Set Tile Mortar Types" (history of mud-bed vs thin-set methods, Portland cement mortar background)](https://www.archtoolbox.com/thin-set-tile-mortar-types/), Archtoolbox
9. [Tile Council of North America (TCNA): "Thinset or Fruit Drink" (history of thinset mortar development, Laticrete latex-modified mortars 1950s, ANSI A118.4 1973, TCA epoxy patent 1965)](https://tcnatile.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Thinset-or-Fruit-Drink.pdf), Tile Council of North America
10. [National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA): Founded 1947, CTI program launched 2008 (context for industry standardization and professional development)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Tile_Contractors_Association), Wikipedia
11. [Flow Waterjet: "Cutting Stone and Tile with Waterjet Cutting Machines" (context for precision cutting technology evolution in stone and tile)](https://www.flowwaterjet.com/solutions/applications/stone-and-tile), Flow International Corporation
12. [AMC Countertops: "The Role of Technology in Modern Countertop Fabrication" (CNC and digital templating in stone fabrication)](https://www.amccountertops.com/the-role-of-technology-in-modern-countertop-fabrication/), AMC Countertops
13. [ScienceDirect: "Automated six-degree-of-freedom Stewart platform for heavy floor tiling" (2024, robotics research for tile installation)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S092658052400668X), ScienceDirect / Elsevier
14. [National Center for Biotechnology Information: "Evaluation of Lung Functions, Blood Pressure, and Hearing Deterioration in Tile Setters" (silica dust and occupational health risks)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10034865/), US National Institutes of Health / PubMed Central

### Forecasts and exposure studies

15. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 47-2044 Tile and stone setters (2025: 45.2 thousand; 2035: 49.6 thousand; +9.8%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=47-2044&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
16. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 47-2044.00, human-rated β 0.038)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

17. [Wikipedia: American Encaustic Tiling Company (1875 founding, largest tile company by 1890, Zanesville Ohio)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Encaustic_Tiling_Company), Wikipedia
18. [explorematerial.com: "A History of Ceramic Tile in the Western World" (1876 Centennial Exposition popularizing tile production)](https://www.explorematerial.com/blogs/trends/a-history-of-ceramic-tile-in-the-western-world), MATERIAL Bespoke Stone + Tile
19. [Wikipedia: Tile, Marble, Terrazzo, Finishers', Shopworkers' and Granite Cutters' International Union (AFL charter January 11, 1902)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tile,_Marble,_Terrazzo,_Finishers%27,_Shopworkers%27_and_Granite_Cutters%27_International_Union), Wikipedia
20. [Wikipedia: National Tile Contractors Association (founded 1947; CTI program 2008)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Tile_Contractors_Association), Wikipedia
21. [BLS Monthly Labor Review, April 2011: "Employment loss and the 2007-09 recession: an overview" (construction employment fell 1.5M, -19.8%, the largest sectoral decline)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2011/04/art1full.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics
22. [NCBI PubMed Central: "Evaluation of Lung Functions, Blood Pressure, and Hearing Deterioration in Tile Setters" (2023, NIH-published study of occupational health outcomes)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10034865/), US National Institutes of Health / PubMed Central

### Predecessors & successors

23. [explorematerial.com: "A History of Ceramic Tile in the Western World" (immigrant craftsmen founded US tile industry post-1876)](https://www.explorematerial.com/blogs/trends/a-history-of-ceramic-tile-in-the-western-world), MATERIAL Bespoke Stone + Tile
24. [Wikipedia: Tile, Marble, Terrazzo, Finishers' International Union (1901 founding as International Association of Marble Workers)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tile,_Marble,_Terrazzo,_Finishers%27,_Shopworkers%27_and_Granite_Cutters%27_International_Union), Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-21
- [O\*NET 30.3 — US Department of Labor](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), accessed 2026-05-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.