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

Tile and Stone Setters in Colorado earn a median of $57,690 per year, which works out to roughly $27.74 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the middle of the pack — half of setters in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working in a slower market, expect something closer to the 25th percentile: $36,190 annually, or about $17.40 an hour. Experienced setters with a strong book of work — especially in custom residential or commercial projects along the Front Range — land in the 75th percentile at $71,960 a year, roughly $34.60 an hour.

All figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. No union scale data is currently available for this trade in Colorado, so these numbers reflect the broader mix of union and non-union workers across the state.

The spread between the 25th and 75th percentile is wide — about $35,770 per year, or just over $17 an hour. That gap tells you a lot. Tile and stone setting rewards specialization. A setter who can handle large-format porcelain slabs, heated floor systems, or intricate natural stone patterns on a high-end Denver remodel commands rates well above the median. A setter doing basic ceramic tub surrounds in production housing is going to sit much closer to the bottom of that range.

Geography inside Colorado matters too. The Denver-Aurora metro is the largest construction market in the state by volume, and commercial work — hotels, office lobbies, healthcare facilities — tends to pay better and run more hours than residential. Colorado Springs, Boulder, and the resort corridor (Aspen, Vail, Telluride) also drive demand, particularly for high-end stone work. Rural markets in the Eastern Plains or San Luis Valley have fewer large projects and typically can't support the upper end of the pay range.

Hours are another factor that can shift your annual take-home significantly. Tile setting is more weather-sensitive than some interior trades but less exposed than roofing or site work. Most of your hours are inside, but new construction starts slow down in Colorado winters, and that can trim total annual hours for setters who rely on exterior flatwork or framing-dependent schedules. Setters who build relationships with remodeling contractors often keep steadier year-round books.

Materials and layout complexity are direct wage drivers. Natural stone — travertine, slate, marble, quartzite — requires more careful handling, tighter tolerances, and more time on layout than standard ceramic. Large-format tile (anything over 24 inches) demands a flat substrate, specific setting materials, and experience reading slab variation. Employers and general contractors know this, and they price it in. If you can pull off a 48-by-48 porcelain panel installation in a commercial lobby without callbacks, you're not competing with entry-level setters — you're in a different conversation.

Apprenticeship completion also moves wages. Colorado has established apprenticeship pathways through the tile industry, and journeyworker status typically reflects in pay, both because of demonstrated skill and because it opens doors to larger commercial bids that pay better scale rates.

On the cost-of-living side, Colorado — particularly the Denver metro — has seen significant increases in housing and living costs over the past decade. A median wage of $57,690 goes further in Pueblo than it does in Boulder. When evaluating an offer or a job move, factor in where you'll be working and what you'll be spending, not just the hourly rate on the table.

For setters looking to push toward the 75th percentile, the clearest levers are: specializing in large-format or natural stone, targeting commercial and hospitality work, maintaining a low callback rate (your reputation is your bid), and staying current on setting materials — epoxy mortars, uncoupling membranes, and heated floor systems are increasingly specified on higher-end jobs. Each of those skills is billable, and contractors will pay for them.