How much do cement masons make in New Jersey in 2026?

Cement masons in New Jersey earn a median of $61,410 per year, which works out to roughly $29.52 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number sits in the middle of the pack — half the cement masons in the state earn more, half earn less. It is a solid baseline, but where you land on the scale depends on experience, employer, and the type of work you take on.

The bottom quarter of cement masons in New Jersey — the 25th percentile — earns $54,830 per year, or about $26.36 per hour. Workers at this level are typically newer to the trade, working for smaller contractors, or taking on residential flatwork rather than commercial or infrastructure jobs. If you are just finishing an apprenticeship or switching into masonry from another trade, this is a realistic starting point in the state.

The top quarter — the 75th percentile — earns $74,900 per year, roughly $36.01 per hour. Getting into this range usually means several years of consistent field experience, the ability to handle specialty finishes, and a track record on larger commercial or public works projects. Masons who can read specs, supervise a small crew, and work with decorative or stamped concrete tend to command the higher end of that range.

The spread between the 25th and 75th percentile is $20,070 per year. That gap reflects real differences in skill and specialization, not just seniority. A mason who can set forms accurately, work with high-slump mixes on tight timelines, and deliver clean trowel finishes on architectural concrete is simply worth more to a general contractor than one who handles only basic slab work.

New Jersey's construction market is heavily influenced by the New York metro area, where dense commercial development, highway and bridge work, and large institutional projects keep demand for experienced cement masons steady. The northern counties — Essex, Bergen, Hudson, and Union — tend to see more commercial work and, consequently, more competitive wages. Southern and rural parts of the state lean more residential, which typically tracks closer to the 25th percentile end of the range.

Hours matter too. Cement masonry is seasonal in much of the country, but New Jersey's construction season runs longer than most northern states, and large-scale projects often push work into late fall. Masons who stay busy through more of the calendar year see annual earnings that reflect that, even without a bump in their hourly rate.

Overtime is common on deadline-driven commercial jobs. A mason earning the median $29.52 per hour picks up $44.28 per hour for every hour over 40 in a week. Even four overtime hours per week over a 40-week season adds roughly $5,500 to annual take-home before taxes — a meaningful number on top of the base figures shown here.

No union scale data is available for cement masons in New Jersey at this time. Union contracts in the construction trades typically set floor wages, define apprentice progression rates, and include benefit contributions that are separate from the base hourly rate. If you are working under a union agreement, your actual total compensation — including pension and health benefit contributions — will likely be higher than the wage figures from BLS OEWS data alone.

All figures on this page come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. These are wage figures only and do not include employer contributions to benefits, pension funds, or other non-wage compensation.