How much do plasterers make in Ohio in 2026?

The median plasterer in Ohio earns $62,200 a year, which works out to roughly $29.90 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the middle of the pack — half of Ohio's plasterers earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working in a slower market, the 25th percentile sits at $52,570 annually, or about $25.27 an hour. Workers in the top quarter of earners clear $65,240 or more, around $31.37 an hour. The spread from bottom quartile to top quartile is about $12,670 a year — real money, and most of it comes down to experience, specialization, and where in the state you're working.

These figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, published May 2025. The OEWS pulls from employer payroll records across Ohio, so it reflects what workers actually get paid on a regular schedule. It doesn't capture overtime, bonuses, per diem, or travel pay — all of which can push a working plasterer's take-home noticeably higher in a busy year.

Ohio has a steady base of commercial, institutional, and residential construction that keeps plasterers employed across the state. High-end residential work — ornamental plaster, historic restoration, venetian finishes — tends to pay at the top of the range or above it. Straight patch-and-skim work on new construction sits closer to the median. Workers who can do both have more leverage when negotiating a rate.

Geography inside Ohio matters. The Columbus metro, Cleveland, and Cincinnati all have active construction pipelines and tend to support wages at or above the statewide median. Smaller markets and rural counties may pay closer to the 25th percentile, partly because job volume is lower and partly because the contractor pool is thinner, which reduces competition for workers.

Experience is the single biggest driver of pay movement within this trade. A worker in their first two years will generally land at or below $25.27 an hour. By year five, crossing the median at $29.90 is realistic. Plasterers with a decade of experience and strong references for specialty work are the ones hitting the 75th percentile and above.

Adding skills moves the needle faster than time alone. Workers who pick up stucco application, exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS), or ornamental casting become harder to replace and can charge accordingly. Foreman or lead roles on larger commercial jobs also come with a pay bump — typically a few dollars an hour above journeyman scale.

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

The BLS data is an annual snapshot. It tells you where the market was at the time of the survey. Actual job offers in a hot construction year will run higher; a slow year may bring rates back toward the lower end of the range. Use these numbers as a floor for negotiations, not a ceiling.

If you're apprenticing into the trade in Ohio, expect to start well below the 25th percentile and scale up as you complete your hours and coursework. Most apprenticeship programs run three to four years for plastering, with wage increases tied to each stage of the program. Finishing your apprenticeship and moving to journeyman status is the clearest path from entry wages to the median range.