How much do cement masons make in North Carolina in 2026?

Cement masons in North Carolina earn a median wage of $46,780 per year, which works out to roughly $22.49 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the midpoint — half of cement masons in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working in a slower market, you're likely closer to the 25th percentile at $39,450 annually ($18.97/hr). Experienced masons on busy commercial or infrastructure crews tend to land at the 75th percentile, around $51,600 a year ($24.81/hr). All figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025.

The spread between the bottom and top of that range — about $12,150 a year — tells you something important: what you earn as a cement mason in North Carolina depends heavily on where you work, who you work for, and how much experience you carry onto the job site.

Geography is one of the biggest factors. The Charlotte metro area, the Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill), and Wilmington consistently pull more construction activity than rural parts of the state. More projects mean more demand for finishers, and that demand pushes wages up. A mason working on a large commercial pour in Charlotte will generally out-earn one doing residential flatwork in a small county.

The type of work matters just as much. Decorative concrete, stamped flatwork, and polished floors require more skill and command better rates than basic slab finishing. Masons who can read a set of plans, set forms accurately, and work with self-consolidating concrete are worth more to a contractor than someone who can only do straight residential driveways and sidewalks. Specialty work — tilt-up panels, industrial floors with tight tolerance specs, or bridge decks — puts you in a smaller pool of qualified workers and that scarcity shows up in your paycheck.

Overtime is common on this trade, especially during peak construction seasons in the spring and summer. A mason working 50-hour weeks through a busy stretch can add meaningful income on top of the base figures listed here. The BLS wage data reflects straight-time hourly rates and standard annual estimates, so actual annual take-home for a busy mason can run higher than the figures above suggest.

No union scale data is currently available for cement masons in North Carolina through TradesPays. The state has a relatively limited union presence in the trades compared to the Mid-Atlantic or Midwest, and most cement mason work is performed under open-shop or merit-shop arrangements. That means wages are set by individual contractors and market conditions rather than a negotiated collective bargaining agreement. If you're working under a union contract in the state, your scale may differ from the BLS figures here — check with your local for current rates.

For workers weighing whether to invest in more training, the gap between the 25th and 75th percentile makes the case clearly. Moving from $18.97/hr to $24.81/hr is a difference of roughly $12,150 a year. That kind of jump typically comes from a mix of years on the job, demonstrated competency on tougher pours, and in some cases formal apprenticeship completion. The North Carolina Apprenticeship program and contractor-run apprenticeships both feed into that progression.

If you're comparing trades or considering cement masonry as a career path, the median $22.49/hr is a solid baseline for a physically demanding trade that doesn't require a four-year degree. It's outdoor work, it's skilled, and experienced finishers are not easy to replace. The numbers here reflect that.