How much do brickmasons make in North Carolina in 2026?

Brickmasons in North Carolina earn a median wage of $49,940 per year, which works out to roughly $24.01 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number sits in the middle of the range — half of brickmasons in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working in a lower-demand area, expect pay closer to the 25th percentile: $45,300 annually, or about $21.78 per hour. Experienced masons in busier markets or with specialized skills can reach the 75th percentile at $57,620 per year, around $27.70 per hour. These figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025.

That spread from bottom quartile to top quartile is $12,320 per year — real money that reflects genuine differences in skill level, employer type, and geography. Understanding where you fall, and why, matters if you're negotiating a raise or deciding whether to take a job with a new contractor.

Geography inside North Carolina moves the needle noticeably. The Charlotte metro and the Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle corridor have seen sustained residential and commercial construction activity, which keeps demand — and wages — higher than in rural parts of the state. A mason working steady commercial jobs in Mecklenburg County is more likely to be pushing toward that $57,000-plus range than someone picking up residential repair work in a smaller market.

The type of work you do also matters. Brickmasons who specialize in restoration and historic masonry, or who are comfortable with more technical applications like arched openings, curved walls, and decorative brickwork, command higher rates because fewer people can do it correctly. General block-laying work on residential foundations pays less and is easier to find competition for. Expanding your skill set toward the specialty end of masonry is one of the clearest ways to move your hourly rate upward.

Employer type makes a difference too. Large commercial contractors typically pay more per hour than small residential outfits, and they're more likely to offer consistent year-round work rather than seasonal slowdowns. Some residential contractors offset lower wages with more flexible scheduling, which matters to some workers — but the dollar-per-hour gap is real and worth factoring into any job comparison.

No union wage scale is currently available for brickmasons in North Carolina. That means the BLS figures are your best benchmark for what the open market is paying across the state. If you're working for a union shop or considering one, verify the current collective bargaining agreement directly with the local.

Experience is the most straightforward lever you control. A mason with five or more years of consistent field experience, a clean safety record, and the ability to read plans and lead a small crew is worth more to a contractor than an entry-level hire — and the wage data backs that up. Moving from the 25th to the 75th percentile in this trade is a $12,320 annual difference, not a rounding error.

Hours matter for annualizing your pay too. Bricklaying is outdoor work, and weather and project pipelines can cut into your annual hours. If you're clocking 1,800 hours a year instead of 2,080, your effective annual earnings drop even if your hourly rate stays the same. Steady employment with a larger contractor, or lining up a reliable chain of projects as an independent, is part of how top earners keep their annual totals high.

TradesPays will update these figures as new BLS data is released. Check back to see how North Carolina brickmason wages shift over time and how they compare to neighboring states.