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

The median wage for a Tile and Stone Setter in Florida is $47,280 per year, which works out to roughly $22.73 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the middle of the pack — half of Florida tile setters earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working entry-level jobs, the 25th percentile comes in at $38,010 annually, or about $18.27 per hour. Experienced setters with strong skills and a solid book of work push into the 75th percentile at $60,610 per year, around $29.14 per hour.

That $22,600 spread between the bottom and top quartiles tells you something important: skill level, speed, and the type of work you take on make a real difference in this trade. A setter who can handle large-format porcelain slabs, intricate mosaic patterns, or high-end natural stone commands better rates than someone running basic ceramic floor tile in tract housing. Knowing how to read and execute complex layouts, manage substrate prep, and minimize waste is worth money.

Florida's construction market runs hard year-round compared to northern states. There's no real slow season driven by frozen ground or harsh weather, which means tile setters here typically log more billable weeks annually than counterparts in the Midwest or Northeast. That consistency is a genuine advantage when you're calculating total annual take-home.

Geography within Florida matters, too. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro, Tampa Bay, and the Orlando corridor all have dense commercial and residential construction pipelines. High-end residential work in areas like Palm Beach, Naples, and Sarasota tends to pay better per square foot than standard production work, and setters who build relationships with tile contractors and general contractors in those markets often find their way to the higher end of the pay range faster.

Commercial work — hotels, hospitals, retail centers, and office buildings — typically pays more per hour than residential but comes with different demands: faster production rates, stricter specs, and more coordination with other trades. Setters who can handle both environments and switch between them stay busier and earn more over a full year.

Overtime is common on larger commercial jobs, especially when a project is pushing toward a deadline. Florida does not impose daily overtime, so the federal standard applies — time-and-a-half after 40 hours in a week. On a job paying the median $22.73/hr, an overtime hour brings in about $34.10. A few weeks of heavy overtime can add several thousand dollars to your annual total.

The path into the trade typically runs through an apprenticeship program — usually three to four years combining on-the-job hours with classroom instruction in layout, material properties, setting methods, and waterproofing systems. Completing a formal apprenticeship generally positions a setter closer to the median or above it right out of the program, compared to workers who entered informally. Some workers may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

Florida does not require a state license specifically for tile setters as a standalone trade, but many contractors hold a general tile and marble contractor's license. Working under a licensed contractor keeps you legal on permitted jobs, and eventually getting your own contractor's license opens the door to running your own crew and capturing more of the markup on labor and materials.

To move up in pay, the clearest levers are specialization and efficiency. Setters who become proficient with large-format tile (anything 15 inches and over, particularly the 24x48 and 32x32 formats popular in Florida high-rises and luxury homes), heated floor systems, and exterior cladding put themselves in a smaller pool of workers competing for higher-paying jobs. Investing in good tools — quality trowels, a reliable tile saw, suction cups and leveling systems for large format — also pays back through faster production and better finishes.

All figures on this page come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. BLS collects data from employer payroll records, so it captures base wages well but does not include tips, side work, cash pay, or per diem allowances that some workers receive. Your actual annual earnings may differ.