Masonry & Concrete recruiters serving Chattanooga.
Chattanooga has 68% more brickmasons and blockmasons per job than the country as a whole, about 150 in the metro. BLS counts 6 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 Chattanooga.
BLS counts about 2,010 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Chattanooga metro, the largest group being operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (about 750). Relative to the size of the local economy, brickmasons and blockmasons are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.68). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Masonry & Concrete hub.
Bricklayer / Mason
Chattanooga: 150 employed · $69,660 median, 34th-highest of 91 metros
Concrete Finisher
Chattanooga: 210 employed · $45,360 median, 104th-highest of 111 metros
Concrete Form Setter / Carpenter
Chattanooga: 620 employed · $50,760 median, 77th-highest of 112 metros
Masonry Foreman
Chattanooga: 1,430 employed · $75,090 median, 86th-highest of 112 metros
Concrete Pump Operator
Chattanooga: 750 employed · $50,320 median, 82nd-highest of 112 metros
Estimator
Chattanooga: 440 employed · $70,450 median, 101st-highest of 111 metros
Project Manager
Chattanooga: 380 employed · $101,640 median, 95th-highest of 111 metros
Restoration Mason
Precast Concrete Technician
Chattanooga: 50 employed · $44,030 median, 63rd-highest of 85 metros
Concrete Testing Technician
Chattanooga: 230 employed · $56,840 median, 95th-highest of 111 metros
What Masonry & Concrete roles earn in Chattanooga.
Brickmasons and blockmasons in Chattanooga earn a median $69,660, 12% over the $62,120 national figure, and 34th of 91 metros. Pay runs $50,790 at the tenth percentile to $69,660 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is civil engineering technologists and technicians, at $56,840 against $64,950 nationally.
| Role | Chattanooga median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer / Mason · Restoration MasonBrickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021) | $69,660 | $50,790–$69,660 | $62,120 | +12% | 150 |
| Concrete FinisherCement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051) | $45,360 | $34,560–$58,680 | $57,020 | −20% | 210 |
| Concrete Form Setter / CarpenterCarpenters (47-2031) | $50,760 | $37,310–$66,000 | $60,580 | −16% | 620 |
| Masonry ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $75,090 | $48,910–$102,230 | $79,920 | −6% | 1,430 |
| Concrete Pump OperatorOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $50,320 | $40,370–$77,320 | $59,850 | −16% | 750 |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $70,450 | $42,440–$106,190 | $78,740 | −11% | 440 |
| Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $101,640 | $62,390–$179,570 | $114,990 | −12% | 380 |
| Precast Concrete TechnicianMolders, Shapers, and Casters (51-9195) | $44,030 | $36,960–$59,390 | $46,170 | −5% | 50 |
| Concrete Testing TechnicianCivil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3022) | $56,840 | $38,300–$80,500 | $64,950 | −12% | 230 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Chattanooga 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 Chattanooga's masonry & concrete market has changed since 2018.
Chattanooga lost nonresidential masonry contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 7 business locations to 6 (down 14%), behind the 6% national decline. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. Headcount at those firms went down 5%, to about 322 people. Average annual pay there went from $45,172 to $67,467 (+49%), faster than the 23% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up. The number of nonresidential concrete contractors in Chattanooga rose from 5 in 2018 to 7 in 2023, up 40%, ahead of the 11% national rise. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. Headcount at those firms went up 27%, to about 198 people. Average annual pay there went from $59,275 to $59,821 (+1%), slower than the 25% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: business locations | 7 | 6 | −14% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: employment | 339 | 322 | −5% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: average annual pay | $45,172 | $67,467 | +49% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: business locations | 5 | 7 | +40% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: employment | 156 | 198 | +27% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: average annual pay | $59,275 | $59,821 | +1% |
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
Chattanooga runs 41% 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 Chattanooga's masonry and concrete market compares
In 2023 the Chattanooga metro had 7 nonresidential concrete contractors (counted by business location), with about 198 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $59,821, 20.1% below the national average of $74,865 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 6.5% over the year, faster than the 5.5% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. That works out to 1.2 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. These firms account for 1.5% of all construction employment in the metro.
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Chattanooga ranks 89th for headcount, 95th for median pay and 80th for concentration for cement masons and concrete finishers. Pay here is among the lowest we see, which makes relocation offers from higher-paying metros a real retention risk.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | 1,490 | $48,810 | 1.02 | 34 |
| Knoxville | 550 | $45,970 | 0.98 | 13 |
| Memphis | 510 | $50,030 | 0.63 | 17 |
| Chattanooga | 210 | $45,360 | 0.59 | 6 |
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 Chattanooga, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Chattanooga metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Masonry & Concrete licensing in Tennessee.
Tennessee requires a contractor license for projects of $25,000 or more. Masonry subcontractors must be licensed when the masonry portion is $100,000 or more. The same state rules apply in Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville, so candidates licensed there can work in Chattanooga without re-qualifying. The Chattanooga metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Chattanooga talent.
The closest metro we cover is Huntsville, about 75 miles away. Chattanooga pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($69,660 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Birmingham at $50,030. Nashville has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | – | 150 | $69,660 |
| Huntsville | 76 mi | – | – |
| Knoxville | 101 mi | 70 | $64,090 |
| Atlanta | 104 mi | – | $56,600 |
| Nashville | 113 mi | 540 | $66,380 |
| Birmingham | 135 mi | 120 | $50,030 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Chattanooga crews.
Not masonry & concrete work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Chattanooga in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Erlanger East Hospital expansion$122MConstruction begins summer 2026, opening fall 2028
A new three-story, 52,000 sq ft building on Gunbarrel Road adding 22 patient beds, a cardiac catheterization lab, an electrophysiology lab, and an interventional radiology lab, plus 100 new jobs.
- Parkridge Medical Center expansion$98MCompleting 2026
A new patient tower with intensive care and medical-surgical rooms.
- CommonSpirit Memorial Hospital (Ooltewah)UndisclosedBroke ground April 2026, opening spring 2027
A 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital on Mountain View Road.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Chattanooga market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for masonry & concrete, and what kills offers in Chattanooga.
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 Chattanooga.
What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in Chattanooga?
BLS puts the Chattanooga median for brickmasons and blockmasons at $69,660 a year, 12% above the $62,120 national median. That ranks 34th of 91 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $50,790 to $69,660 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.4x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Tennessee metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire brickmasons and blockmasons in Chattanooga?
Not by national standards. Brickmasons and blockmasons make up 68% more of the Chattanooga workforce than they do nationally, about 150 people. The 6 nonresidential masonry contractors here average about 54 employees per location, which means a handful of large operators set the pace on pay. There are 14% fewer of those firms than in 2018, so experienced people have fewer local employers to move between.
Which masonry & concrete roles pay the most in Chattanooga?
Of the roles we recruit for, Project Manager pays the most in Chattanooga, a $101,640 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Bricklayer / Mason at $69,660, 31% below it. Precast Concrete Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $44,030. Relative to national pay, Bricklayer / Mason is the strongest-paying role here (12% above). Concrete Finisher trails national pay the most (20% below).
How many nonresidential masonry contractors operate in Chattanooga?
BLS counted 6 nonresidential masonry contractors in Chattanooga in 2023, employing about 322 people between them. Down from 7 in 2018, a 14% decline against 6% decline nationally. That averages 54 people per location, so a few large operators dominate hiring. They pay about the national average of $68,219. BLS counted 7 nonresidential concrete contractors in Chattanooga in 2023, employing about 198 people between them. Up from 5 in 2018, a 40% increase against 11% growth nationally. That averages 28 people per location. They pay an average of $59,821, 20% below the $74,865 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Chattanooga for brickmasons and blockmasons?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Knoxville (101 miles, about 70, $64,090 median), Atlanta (104 miles, $56,600 median) and Nashville (113 miles, about 540, $66,380 median). Nashville has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Chattanooga out-pays Knoxville and Atlanta, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Chattanooga 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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