How much do cement masons make in Virginia in 2026?

Cement masons in Virginia earn a median annual wage of $50,930, which works out to roughly $24.49 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number sits in the middle of the pack — half of cement masons in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working in a slower market, expect to land closer to $44,610 a year ($21.45/hr), which is where the bottom quarter of earners fall. Experienced masons working in busier metros or on larger commercial and civil jobs push into the top quarter at $60,970 a year ($29.31/hr).

That $16,360 spread between the 25th and 75th percentile is significant. It tells you that experience, specialization, and location inside Virginia matter a great deal to your take-home pay. A mason finishing decorative concrete in Northern Virginia on a federal government project is not earning the same rate as someone doing basic flatwork residential slabs in a rural county. Knowing where you fall in that range — and why — is the first step to moving up in it.

Northern Virginia, the Richmond metro, and the Hampton Roads area tend to post higher wages for cement masons than the rest of the state. Northern Virginia in particular benefits from proximity to a dense commercial and government construction market, where project owners demand tight schedules and quality finishes, and are willing to pay for skilled hands. Contractors operating in those markets also face higher overhead and competition for qualified workers, which pushes wages up.

The type of work you do shapes your pay just as much as where you do it. Cement masons who can handle formed concrete, exposed aggregate, decorative overlays, or precision floor flatness tolerances for warehouse and industrial clients are consistently more valuable than those who only pour basic flatwork. Adding certifications — such as ACI Flatwork Technician credentials — signals to contractors that you can hold tight spec, and that translates directly to higher billing rates and higher wages.

Overtime is a real factor in annual earnings for cement masons. Concrete work is weather-dependent and schedule-driven. When a pour is on the board, it goes — early morning, late evening, weekends. Masons who are available and reliable when a contractor needs them accumulate overtime hours that can add several thousand dollars to their annual take-home beyond base wage. That extra income doesn't show up in the BLS figures, which reflect straight-time wage rates, so actual annual earnings for full-time masons willing to work overtime can run noticeably higher than the median figures suggest.

Apprentices entering the trade typically start below the 25th percentile and work their way up as they accumulate hours and demonstrate skill. The jump from entry-level flatwork to journeyman-level finishing on commercial slabs is where most of the wage growth happens in the first five years of a career. Masons who stick with the trade, build a reputation for quality and reliability, and pursue more complex work consistently push toward the 75th percentile and beyond.

All figures on this page come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. No union scale data is currently available for cement masons in Virginia through TradesPays.