How much do glaziers make in Massachusetts in 2026?

The median glazier in Massachusetts earns $100,810 a year, which works out to about $48.47 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's a strong number by any measure — it puts the typical glazier in this state well above many other construction trades at the mid-level mark. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Pay is not uniform across the trade. The 25th percentile sits at $74,390 a year (~$35.76/hr), meaning roughly a quarter of glaziers in Massachusetts earn at or below that figure. Those are typically workers earlier in their careers, newer to a shop, or concentrated in smaller residential projects. The 75th percentile reaches $109,550 (~$52.67/hr), representing experienced journeymen and lead glaziers handling complex commercial, curtain wall, or specialty glass work. That spread — about $35,000 from bottom to top quartile — tells you experience and project type move the needle significantly in this trade.

Massachusetts has a dense urban construction corridor running from Boston through Cambridge, Somerville, and out to Worcester. Commercial high-rise and institutional work — hospitals, universities, government buildings — dominates the Boston metro, and glaziers on those jobs tend to land at or above the median. Curtain wall and structural glazing on larger projects require more specialized skills (unitized systems, silicone structural glazing, blast-resistant assemblies) and those skills command premium rates. Glaziers working primarily on residential replacement windows or storefronts in smaller markets outside the metro will more often land closer to the 25th percentile end of the range.

Hours in this trade can swing with season and project pipeline. New England winters slow exterior glazing work on some project types, but interior fit-out and curtain wall work on large commercial buildings tends to continue year-round. When a project is on deadline, overtime is common — at time-and-a-half, a glazier earning $48.47/hr straight time pulls in $72.71/hr on overtime hours. Even a modest five to ten hours of overtime per week across a busy season adds up to several thousand dollars in additional annual income not reflected in the base wage figures above.

Getting into the trade typically means completing a glazier apprenticeship, which in Massachusetts runs roughly four years and combines on-the-job hours with related technical instruction. Apprentices start below the 25th percentile figure cited here — BLS OEWS data covers all employed glaziers, including apprentices, so the lower end of the range captures those early-career earners. By the time a worker reaches journeyman status, pay typically lands in the middle of the range or above, depending on the employer and project mix.

Some workers in this trade may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

To push pay toward the 75th percentile and above, the clearest path is specialization. Glaziers who develop proficiency in curtain wall systems, point-fixed glazing, blast or hurricane-rated assemblies, or large-format structural glass are in shorter supply and can negotiate accordingly. Foreman and lead roles also carry pay bumps. Employers doing large commercial or institutional work in the Boston metro generally pay more than smaller residential shops — geography within Massachusetts matters, and positioning yourself in the right market segment matters as much as raw years of experience.

The BLS figures here represent base wages only. They do not include the value of employer-paid health insurance, retirement contributions, paid time off, or tool allowances, all of which vary by employer. Your true total compensation package will be higher than what the hourly figures alone suggest.