How much do tile & stone setters make in South Carolina in 2026?

The median tile and stone setter in South Carolina earns $43,510 per year, which works out to about $20.92 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the middle of the road — half of setters in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're trying to plan a career move or negotiate a raise, the full spread matters more than that single number.

At the 25th percentile, tile and stone setters take home $38,860 annually, or roughly $18.68 an hour. Workers at this level are typically newer to the trade, still building their speed and finishing quality, or working for smaller subcontractors with less consistent project flow. The jump from entry-level to median isn't dramatic in dollar terms — about $4,650 a year — but it reflects the difference between someone who can lay a floor and someone who can also handle wall tile, wet areas, large-format stone, and repairs without close supervision.

The real earning leverage is at the 75th percentile: $55,060 per year, or $26.47 an hour. Setters who reach this range typically have strong skills in precision layout, custom patterns, natural stone, and the ability to read and execute detailed plans. They often work on commercial projects — hotels, hospitals, retail builds — where tolerances are tight and the pace has to be maintained. Some run small crews or take on tile work as owner-operators, billing out at a higher effective rate than what BLS captures in its wage survey.

It's worth knowing what these BLS figures include and what they don't. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey covers base wages reported by employers. It does not capture per diem pay, tool allowances, or the premium hours many setters work during peak construction seasons. South Carolina's coastal and Lowcountry markets — Charleston, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach — drive significant demand for high-end tile work tied to hospitality and residential construction. Setters with experience in large-format porcelain, natural marble, or custom mosaic work in those markets often command rates well above the state median.

Inland metros like Columbia and Greenville have steady commercial and multifamily construction pipelines. Tile setters there may see more consistent year-round work compared to resort markets, which can run hot in the spring and summer building season and slow considerably in the off-months.

No union scale is available for tile and stone setters in South Carolina through the data we have on file. The state is a right-to-work state, and union density in the construction trades is lower than in the Northeast or Midwest. Most tile setters here work under merit-shop contractors or as self-employed tradespeople. That means wages are largely set by the market — your negotiating power comes from your skill set, your reputation, and the specialty work you can handle that less experienced setters can't.

If you're looking to push your pay toward the 75th percentile, the clearest path is expanding your material knowledge. Setters who can work confidently with large-format tiles (anything 24x24 or bigger), gauged porcelain tile panels, heated floor systems, or complex natural stone installations are genuinely harder to replace. Commercial general contractors and high-end residential remodelers will pay a premium for that capability because mistakes are expensive and callbacks cost them clients.

Apprenticeship programs, where available through local contractor associations or the International Masonry Institute, provide structured training that can accelerate the skill progression that drives wage growth. Some community and technical colleges in South Carolina offer tile installation coursework that covers industry standards, including TCNA Handbook methods that are increasingly expected on commercial bids.

South Carolina does not require a state license specifically for tile setters, though some municipalities require a general contractor's license for contracting work. If you're going the self-employed route, understanding the local licensing requirements in your target market — and carrying appropriate liability insurance — is part of what separates the operators who get repeat commercial work from those who stay in the residential patch-and-repair niche.