How much do tile & stone setters make in Arizona in 2026?

Tile and Stone Setters in Arizona earn a median of $52,000 a year, which works out to roughly $25.00 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the midpoint — half of setters in the state earn more, half earn less. The numbers here come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025.

At the 25th percentile, setters bring in $42,980 annually, or about $20.66 an hour. Workers at this level are often newer to the trade, still building speed and a client base, or taking on smaller residential jobs with less complexity. If you're just getting started in Arizona, this is a realistic floor for what your first few years might look like.

The 75th percentile lands at $63,200 a year, around $30.38 an hour. Setters at this level typically have years of experience behind them, handle more demanding work — large-format stone, custom installations, commercial projects — and may run a small crew or operate independently with a steady book of business.

The spread between the 25th and 75th percentile is over $20,000 a year. That gap is real, and it reflects a few things: how long you've been doing this work, the types of jobs you take, where in Arizona you're working, and whether you specialize. Phoenix and Scottsdale tend to pay more than rural areas, driven by higher volumes of commercial construction and luxury residential work.

Specialization matters in this trade. Setters who work with large-format porcelain slabs, natural stone, or decorative mosaic installations generally command more than those doing standard floor tile. So does experience with waterproofing membranes and setting systems like Schluter or LATICRETE — contractors notice that knowledge and pay for it.

There is no union scale available for Tile and Stone Setters in Arizona at this time. Most setters in the state work either as employees of tile contractors or as independent operators on a per-job basis.

If you're evaluating a job offer or thinking about going out on your own, use the 75th percentile as a benchmark for what experienced, in-demand setters are pulling in. At $30.38 an hour, a full-time setter at that level clears $63,200 before overtime. On commercial jobs with overtime built in, total annual pay can push higher still.

All figures on this page are sourced from BLS OEWS May 2025 and reflect wages for Arizona specifically.