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

The median tile and stone setter in Wisconsin earns $62,680 per year, which works out to roughly $30.13 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number sits in the middle of the range — half the state's tile setters earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working in a slower market, expect something closer to the 25th percentile: $57,070 annually, or about $27.44 per hour. If you're a seasoned hand with a strong book of commercial work, the 75th percentile lands at $75,760 per year — around $36.42 per hour. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

That $18,690 spread between the bottom quarter and the top quarter is meaningful. It's not driven by luck — it's driven by the kind of work you take, how fast and clean you set, and where in Wisconsin you're working. A tile setter laying large-format porcelain slabs in a Milwaukee high-end remodel is in a different position than someone doing vinyl-composite tile in a commercial office retrofit in a smaller market.

Wisconsin's tile and stone work follows a seasonal rhythm. The bulk of interior commercial projects — hotels, healthcare facilities, schools — tend to ramp up in spring and run hard through fall. Residential bathroom and kitchen remodels stay somewhat year-round, but exterior work and anything site-dependent slows down once the ground freezes. Setters who can pick up overtime hours during peak season, especially on large commercial bids with hard deadlines, can push their effective annual take well above the median figure without changing their base rate at all.

Specialty skill is the clearest path to the upper end of the pay scale. Large-format tile work (anything over 15 inches on a side) requires precision layout, specific trowel technique, and knowledge of lippage tolerances — not every setter has it. Epoxy grout installation, natural stone fabrication and setting, and heated-floor system integration are all competencies that commercial and high-end residential contractors pay more to secure. If you can do all of those things reliably and on schedule, you're not competing at the median.

Geographic variation inside Wisconsin is real but not dramatic for this trade. The Milwaukee metro — including Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington counties — tends to offer the most consistent commercial volume and the highest project values. Madison and the surrounding Dane County area carry significant institutional work tied to healthcare and university construction. Green Bay and the Fox Valley corridor have steady commercial activity. Smaller cities like Eau Claire, Racine, and Kenosha tend to track lower, though they also have less competition for the work that is there.

The BLS OEWS figures used here are based on employer-reported wages. They capture base hourly pay accurately but don't reflect overtime premiums, per diem payments, tool allowances, or the value of benefits like health insurance and retirement contributions. A setter pulling steady overtime on a commercial job may clear significantly more than the annual figure suggests. These numbers are a solid baseline for comparing markets and tracking career progression — but they're a floor for what your total compensation could look like in a good year.

Some workers in this trade may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates. Non-union tile setters working for large commercial contractors often negotiate based on prevailing wage rates tied to public projects, which can lift hourly pay on those specific jobs.

Apprenticeship is the standard entry path into tile setting. Wisconsin apprenticeship programs typically run three to four years and combine on-the-job hours with classroom instruction covering layout math, substrate preparation, waterproofing systems, and material properties. Apprentices earn a percentage of journeyman wages that steps up as they progress — a first-year apprentice might start at 50–60% of journeyman scale, reaching full pay upon completion. Finishing an apprenticeship and building a reputation for clean, fast work is the most reliable way to move from the 25th percentile toward the 75th over a four-to-six-year window.