Masonry & Concrete recruiters serving McAllen.
BLS counts 2 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 McAllen.
BLS counts about 1,850 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the McAllen metro, the largest group being operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (about 1,010). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Masonry & Concrete hub.
Bricklayer / Mason
McAllen: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Concrete Finisher
McAllen: 390 employed · $38,620 median, 110th-highest of 111 metros
Concrete Form Setter / Carpenter
McAllen: 310 employed · $41,530 median, 112th-highest of 112 metros
Masonry Foreman
McAllen: 800 employed · $60,370 median, 112th-highest of 112 metros
Concrete Pump Operator
McAllen: 1,010 employed · $39,200 median, 112th-highest of 112 metros
Estimator
McAllen: 230 employed · $64,420 median, 109th-highest of 111 metros
Project Manager
McAllen: 500 employed · $83,450 median, 111th-highest of 111 metros
Restoration Mason
Precast Concrete Technician
McAllen: 50 employed · $24,650 median, 85th-highest of 85 metros
Concrete Testing Technician
McAllen: 90 employed · $47,500 median, 109th-highest of 111 metros
What Masonry & Concrete roles earn in McAllen.
BLS publishes no McAllen pay for brickmasons and blockmasons; nationally the median is $62,120. Cement masons and concrete finishers in McAllen earn a median $38,620, 32% under the $57,020 national figure, and 110th of 111 metros. Pay runs $29,470 at the tenth percentile to $48,410 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is civil engineering technologists and technicians, at $47,500 against $64,950 nationally. BLS withholds McAllen pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | McAllen median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer / Mason · Restoration MasonBrickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021) | – | – | $62,120 | – | – |
| Concrete FinisherCement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051) | $38,620 | $29,470–$48,410 | $57,020 | −32% | 390 |
| Concrete Form Setter / CarpenterCarpenters (47-2031) | $41,530 | $29,170–$54,830 | $60,580 | −31% | 310 |
| Masonry ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $60,370 | $39,580–$99,240 | $79,920 | −24% | 800 |
| Concrete Pump OperatorOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $39,200 | $31,420–$56,720 | $59,850 | −35% | 1,010 |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $64,420 | $37,730–$103,920 | $78,740 | −18% | 230 |
| Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $83,450 | $56,680–$156,460 | $114,990 | −27% | 500 |
| Precast Concrete TechnicianMolders, Shapers, and Casters (51-9195) | $24,650 | $23,810–$40,870 | $46,170 | −47% | 50 |
| Concrete Testing TechnicianCivil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3022) | $47,500 | $34,590–$74,890 | $64,950 | −27% | 90 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, McAllen 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 McAllen's masonry & concrete market has changed since 2018.
McAllen lost nonresidential masonry contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 3 business locations to 2 (down 33%), behind the 6% national decline. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. How many people those 2 locations employ is not published: with a category this small, BLS would effectively be reporting individual employers' payrolls. McAllen had 6 nonresidential concrete contractors in 2023, exactly as many as in 2018. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. How many people those 6 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 | 3 | 2 | −33% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: employment | 26 | – | – |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: average annual pay | $21,417 | – | – |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: business locations | 6 | 6 | +0% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: employment | 273 | – | – |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: average annual pay | $34,127 | – | – |
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
McAllen sits at about the national rate for masonry and concrete — neither unusually deep nor unusually thin.
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 McAllen's masonry and concrete market compares
In 2023 the McAllen metro had 6 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. The number of these employers fell 25%, as firms merged, closed or moved out. That works out to 0.7 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, McAllen ranks 73rd for headcount, 99th for median pay and 44th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 7,920 | $48,770 | 1.48 | 98 |
| Houston | 7,700 | $46,600 | 1.76 | 72 |
| Austin | 2,650 | $49,410 | 1.54 | 36 |
| San Antonio | 1,960 | $47,010 | 1.32 | 29 |
| El Paso | 570 | $41,940 | 1.26 | 4 |
| McAllen | 390 | $38,620 | 1.00 | 2 |
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 McAllen, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, McAllen metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Masonry & Concrete licensing in Texas.
Texas has no state general contractor license and no masonry or concrete contractor license. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation's list of regulated programs includes air conditioning and refrigeration contractors, electricians and water well drillers, but nothing covering general building, masonry or concrete work. Masonry and concrete firms are therefore regulated only through local permitting and any registration a particular city requires, so the check belongs with the building department for the city where the project sits. When hiring, focus on insurance, bonding, workers compensation status and documented project history rather than a state license number, because none exists. The same state rules apply in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso, so candidates licensed there can work in McAllen without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: No state contractor license; regulated locally through city and county building departments. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for McAllen talent.
The closest metro we cover is San Antonio, about 225 miles away, with roughly 400 brickmasons and blockmasons. BLS does not publish McAllen figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: San Antonio has the largest pool within reach, about 400, and Austin pays the most, a $60,270 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| McAllen | – | – | – |
| San Antonio | 223 mi | 400 | $56,580 |
| Austin | 282 mi | 370 | $60,270 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for McAllen crews.
Not masonry & concrete work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into McAllen in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- 47-acre industrial park (Anzalduas/Pharr bridges)$6M federal EDA grant (public infrastructure) + ~$34.5M private investment, expected to create nearly 500 jobsConstruction targeted to begin as early as September 2026, ending by February 2027
City-built water, sewer, drainage, and roadway infrastructure for a new industrial park near the international bridges, in a corridor already seeing real cold-storage/refrigerated-warehouse growth (Pharr Produce Park, Mega Produce, CIL Fresh) - industrial refrigeration and process-mechanical work at a scale new to this market.
- McAllen International Airport terminal + runway expansion$225M ($180M terminal + up to $45M runway)Multi-year buildout
90,000 sq ft of new terminal construction, bringing the airport to roughly 238,000 sq ft of gross building area, plus runway expansion - sustained airport-facility construction and MEP demand.
- Driscoll Children's Hospital PICU expansion$9.1M+Opened
A completed, historical example of the healthcare-construction capacity this metro delivers - 15 additional Pediatric Intensive Care Unit beds, bringing PICU capacity to 23 beds and the hospital to 134 beds total.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The McAllen market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for masonry & concrete, and what kills offers in McAllen.
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 McAllen.
Which masonry & concrete roles pay the most in McAllen?
Of the roles we recruit for, Project Manager pays the most in McAllen, an $83,450 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Concrete Testing Technician at $47,500, 43% below it. Precast Concrete Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $24,650. Precast Concrete Technician trails national pay the most (47% below).
How many nonresidential masonry contractors operate in McAllen?
BLS counted 2 nonresidential masonry contractors in McAllen in 2023. Down from 3 in 2018, a 33% decline 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 6 nonresidential concrete contractors in McAllen in 2023. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (6). 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 McAllen for brickmasons and blockmasons?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are San Antonio (223 miles, about 400, $56,580 median) and Austin (282 miles, about 370, $60,270 median).
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2 nonresidential masonry contractors in McAllen are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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