How much do plasterers make in Maryland in 2026?

The median plasterer salary in Maryland is $56,890 per year, which works out to about $27.35 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That figure sits at the midpoint — half of Maryland plasterers earn more, half earn less. The full spread gives a clearer picture of what's possible at different stages of a career.

At the 25th percentile, plasterers in Maryland bring in $51,900 annually, or roughly $24.95 per hour. Workers at this level are typically newer to the trade, still building speed and versatility, or working in lower-demand markets within the state. At the 75th percentile, annual pay reaches $60,810, about $29.24 per hour. The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is just under $9,000 a year — real money, and it's largely within a worker's control through skills, specialization, and geography.

Plastering is a shrinking trade nationally, which cuts two ways in Maryland. Fewer trained plasterers means less competition for jobs, and skilled workers who can handle historic restoration, ornamental plaster, and high-end commercial finishes are in a strong position to command pay above the median. Maryland has a significant stock of older commercial buildings in Baltimore and older residential stock throughout the Baltimore metro and suburbs that regularly require plaster repair and restoration work rather than standard drywall finishing — that niche commands a premium.

Geography within Maryland matters. The Baltimore metro area and the Washington, D.C. suburbs in Montgomery and Prince George's counties tend to post higher wages than rural Western Maryland or the Eastern Shore. Commercial and institutional project work — hospitals, government buildings, universities — also pays better than straight residential. A plasterer who can move fluidly between repair, new construction, and ornamental work will find more consistent hours and better rates than one limited to a single application type.

Overtime is a real factor. On large commercial jobs, 50- or 60-hour weeks are common during peak project phases, and overtime pay at time-and-a-half can push annual take-home well above the base figures shown here. BLS OEWS data captures straight-time wages — it does not reflect overtime earnings, per diem, or travel pay, all of which can add meaningfully to total annual income.

Apprenticeship is the standard path into the trade. Completing a formal apprenticeship — typically four or five years combining on-the-job hours with classroom instruction — gets a worker to journeyman status faster than informal learning and usually places them closer to the median from the start. Maryland does not require a statewide plastering license for most commercial work, but individual counties and municipalities may have their own requirements, so it's worth confirming local rules before bidding independent work.

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

The figures on this page come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. BLS collects data directly from employers, making it one of the more reliable wage benchmarks available — but it reflects base wages at a point in time and won't capture every job type or every Maryland market equally. Use these numbers as a baseline, not a ceiling.