How much do brickmasons make in Pennsylvania in 2026?

The median brickmason in Pennsylvania earns $69,560 a year, which works out to $33.44 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the middle of the road — half of brickmasons in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just getting into the trade or working in a slower market, expect pay closer to the 25th percentile: $59,440 annually, or about $28.58 an hour. Experienced hands in high-demand areas can reach the 75th percentile at $86,920 a year — roughly $41.79 an hour.

Those three numbers tell you a lot. The gap between the bottom quartile and the top is $27,480 per year. That's not pocket change. It means the choices you make — where you work, who you work for, what you specialize in, and how many years you put in — have a real dollar impact on your take-home.

Bricklaying is physical, skilled work that doesn't get replaced easily. Residential construction, commercial builds, historic restoration, and infrastructure projects all pull on the same pool of qualified masons. Pennsylvania has a healthy mix of all four. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh metro areas tend to generate the most volume and often pay at or above the state median. Smaller cities and rural counties may track closer to the 25th percentile, simply because there are fewer large commercial contracts competing for labor.

Specialization moves pay. A mason who can handle tuckpointing on historic brick — common in older Philadelphia rowhouses and Pittsburgh brownstones — brings a skill that not every bricklayer has. The same goes for refractory work (industrial furnace and kiln lining) or complex ornamental brickwork. These niches reduce competition and let you negotiate from a stronger position.

Seasonality matters in Pennsylvania. Masonry is weather-dependent, and the state gets real winters. Some masons handle this by diversifying into interior work, staying on with employers who have enough commercial backlog to keep crews busy through cold months, or lining up restoration work that can be tented. Workers who can stay productive year-round are more valuable to contractors and often see higher annual earnings than the BLS hourly figures suggest, simply because they log more hours.

Overtime is another lever. On large commercial or public works jobs, 50- to 60-hour weeks are common during push periods. At $33.44 straight time, overtime hours at 1.5x rate add up fast. A mason at the median who works 300 overtime hours in a year adds roughly $15,000 in gross pay on top of their base.

The BLS OEWS data this page is built on captures wages — it doesn't include benefits like employer-paid health coverage, pension contributions, or paid time off. Total compensation for brickmasons who receive a strong benefits package can be meaningfully higher than the salary figures alone suggest. Some workers may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

Apprenticeship is still one of the clearest paths into the trade. Pennsylvania has formal apprenticeship programs for bricklayers, typically running three to four years and combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Apprentices start below the median but progress through defined pay steps. Completing an apprenticeship also signals to contractors that you've had formal training in layout, mortar mix ratios, scaffold safety, and blueprint reading — skills that distinguish you on a bid list.

If you're already journeyman-level and want to push toward that 75th percentile, the practical moves are: build a specialty, pursue commercial and public work over small residential jobs, consider locations within the state where construction volume is highest, and track your certifications. OSHA 30, scaffold competent-person training, and any foreman-level supervisory experience all strengthen your case for higher pay.

The data on this page comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, published May 2025. It reflects actual employer-reported wages for brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons in Pennsylvania.