Masonry & Concrete recruiters serving Buffalo.
Buffalo has 63% more brickmasons and blockmasons per job than the country as a whole, about 290 in the metro. BLS counts 23 business locations of nonresidential masonry contractors across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Buffalo.
BLS counts about 4,400 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Buffalo metro, the largest group being carpenters (about 2,440). Relative to the size of the local economy, brickmasons and blockmasons are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.63). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Masonry & Concrete hub.
Bricklayer / Mason
Buffalo: 290 employed · $76,800 median, 19th-highest of 91 metros
Concrete Finisher
Buffalo: 470 employed · $62,640 median, 25th-highest of 111 metros
Concrete Form Setter / Carpenter
Buffalo: 2,440 employed · $63,500 median, 26th-highest of 112 metros
Masonry Foreman
Buffalo: 1,730 employed · $82,190 median, 38th-highest of 112 metros
Concrete Pump Operator
Buffalo: 950 employed · $73,650 median, 29th-highest of 112 metros
Estimator
Buffalo: 650 employed · $75,300 median, 76th-highest of 111 metros
Project Manager
Buffalo: 390 employed · $127,550 median, 20th-highest of 111 metros
Restoration Mason
Precast Concrete Technician
Buffalo: 100 employed · $48,890 median, 23rd-highest of 85 metros
Concrete Testing Technician
Buffalo: 150 employed · $63,450 median, 58th-highest of 111 metros
What Masonry & Concrete roles earn in Buffalo.
Brickmasons and blockmasons in Buffalo earn a median $76,800, 24% over the $62,120 national figure, and 19th of 91 metros. Pay runs $57,080 at the tenth percentile to $95,100 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, at $73,650 against $59,850 nationally.
| Role | Buffalo median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer / Mason · Restoration MasonBrickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021) | $76,800 | $57,080–$95,100 | $62,120 | +24% | 290 |
| Concrete FinisherCement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051) | $62,640 | $48,120–$81,310 | $57,020 | +10% | 470 |
| Concrete Form Setter / CarpenterCarpenters (47-2031) | $63,500 | $42,670–$83,360 | $60,580 | +5% | 2,440 |
| Masonry ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $82,190 | $60,160–$125,030 | $79,920 | +3% | 1,730 |
| Concrete Pump OperatorOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $73,650 | $49,170–$114,540 | $59,850 | +23% | 950 |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $75,300 | $48,570–$122,910 | $78,740 | −4% | 650 |
| Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $127,550 | $78,000–$190,470 | $114,990 | +11% | 390 |
| Precast Concrete TechnicianMolders, Shapers, and Casters (51-9195) | $48,890 | $36,960–$63,580 | $46,170 | +6% | 100 |
| Concrete Testing TechnicianCivil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3022) | $63,450 | $40,210–$94,960 | $64,950 | −2% | 150 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Buffalo metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.
How Buffalo's masonry & concrete market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential masonry contractors in Buffalo rose from 22 in 2018 to 23 in 2023, up 5%, ahead of the 6% national decline. BLS stops short of publishing headcount and pay for them here, which happens when a handful of firms account for most of the work. The number of nonresidential concrete contractors in Buffalo rose from 7 in 2018 to 9 in 2023, up 29%, ahead of the 11% national rise. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. How many people those 9 locations employ is not published: with a category this small, BLS would effectively be reporting individual employers' payrolls.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: business locations | 22 | 23 | +5% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: business locations | 7 | 9 | +29% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: employment | 45 | – | – |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: average annual pay | $61,764 | – | – |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free Masonry & Concrete hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to Masonry & Concrete · 2026 Masonry & Concrete Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for Masonry & Concrete
Buffalo runs 34% fewer masonry and concrete workers per job than the country as a whole — well below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 , Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (nearest published occupation for this trade). Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Buffalo's masonry and concrete market compares
In 2023 the Buffalo metro had 9 nonresidential concrete contractors (counted by business location). BLS publishes that count but withholds headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. That works out to 0.8 per 100,000 residents against 1.9 nationally. Fewer local employers means experienced people are easier to identify, but many work for firms based outside the metro.
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Buffalo ranks 66th for headcount, 24th for median pay and 72nd for concentration for cement masons and concrete finishers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 8,390 | $65,670 | 0.67 | 328 |
| Buffalo | 470 | $62,640 | 0.66 | 23 |
| Albany | 330 | $62,980 | 0.56 | 17 |
| Rochester | 290 | $62,370 | 0.44 | 24 |
| Syracuse | 220 | $61,550 | 0.55 | 24 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For masonry and concrete employers in Buffalo, the local pool is thinner than most, so plan on recruiting some roles in from outside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Buffalo metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Masonry & Concrete licensing in New York.
New York State does not license general, masonry or concrete contractors; the Department of State Division of Licensing Services covers real estate, notaries, security guards and appearance trades, with no construction contracting category. New York City licensing runs through the Department of Buildings, which issues a General Contractor Registration along with roughly two dozen other credentials. There is no New York City masonry license, though concrete work touches two Department of Buildings credentials, the Concrete Safety Manager and the Concrete Testing Laboratory approval. Outside New York City, check the county or municipal consumer affairs or building department, since requirements vary by jurisdiction. The same state rules apply in New York, Rochester, Albany and Syracuse, so candidates licensed there can work in Buffalo without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: No state contractor license; regulated locally, for example the New York City Department of Buildings. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Buffalo talent.
The closest metro we cover is Rochester, about 65 miles away, with roughly 180 brickmasons and blockmasons (0.6 times Buffalo's 290). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $73,860 in Rochester to $78,530 in Cleveland, against $76,800 here. Pittsburgh has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | – | 290 | $76,800 |
| Rochester | 66 mi | 180 | $73,860 |
| Syracuse | 139 mi | 180 | $73,880 |
| Cleveland | 173 mi | 560 | $78,530 |
| Pittsburgh | 179 mi | 590 | $76,940 |
| Akron | 184 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Buffalo crews.
Not masonry & concrete work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Buffalo in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Micron semiconductor manufacturing campus (Clay, NY - Syracuse area, ~150 mi east)$100B over ~20 yearsBroke ground January 2026; foundations underway by August 2026
A four-factory campus described by state officials as the largest private-sector investment in New York history and the largest planned semiconductor facility in the United States. Construction has already progressed from site preparation to vertical construction. Located near Syracuse, not Buffalo - but as the anchor of the NY SMART I-Corridor along I-90, it is expected to pull skilled trades demand across the corridor, including Buffalo, over the next decade.
- NY SMART I-Corridor (CHIPS Act tech hub)Federal implementation funding, one of 12 designated hubs nationallyThrough 2034
A semiconductor manufacturing corridor along I-90 from Albany to Buffalo, with a stated goal that 1 in 4 US-made chips come from within 350 miles of Upstate New York by 2034. Buffalo sits at the western anchor of this corridor.
These are the 2 projects we track in Buffalo. The Buffalo market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for masonry & concrete, and what kills offers in Buffalo.
The 4 credentials that gate the work and the 4 things that most often end a masonry & concrete offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: Masonry & Concrete credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.
Frequently asked - Masonry & Concrete hiring in Buffalo.
What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in Buffalo?
BLS puts the Buffalo median for brickmasons and blockmasons at $76,800 a year, 24% above the $62,120 national median. That ranks 19th of 91 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $57,080 and $95,100, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within New York, New York pays more, at $92,300.
Is it hard to hire brickmasons and blockmasons in Buffalo?
Not by national standards. Brickmasons and blockmasons make up 63% more of the Buffalo workforce than they do nationally, about 290 people.
Which masonry & concrete roles pay the most in Buffalo?
Of the roles we recruit for, Project Manager pays the most in Buffalo, a $127,550 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Bricklayer / Mason at $76,800, 40% below it. Precast Concrete Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $48,890. Relative to national pay, Bricklayer / Mason is the strongest-paying role here (24% above). Estimator trails national pay the most (4% below).
How many nonresidential masonry contractors operate in Buffalo?
BLS counted 23 nonresidential masonry contractors in Buffalo in 2023. Up from 22 in 2018, a 5% increase against 6% decline nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. BLS counted 9 nonresidential concrete contractors in Buffalo in 2023. Up from 7 in 2018, a 29% increase against 11% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Buffalo for brickmasons and blockmasons?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Rochester (66 miles, about 180, $73,860 median), Syracuse (139 miles, about 180, $73,880 median) and Cleveland (173 miles, about 560, $78,530 median). Cleveland has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Buffalo has one of the deeper pools of brickmasons and blockmasons we cover, but the best of them are already working. Let's find the ones ready to move.
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