Masonry & Concrete recruiters serving Philadelphia.
Philadelphia has 23% more brickmasons and blockmasons per job than the country as a whole, about 1,210 in the metro. BLS counts 121 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 Philadelphia.
BLS counts about 24,860 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Philadelphia metro, the largest group being carpenters (about 14,260). Relative to the size of the local economy, brickmasons and blockmasons are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.23). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Masonry & Concrete hub.
Bricklayer / Mason
Philadelphia: 1,210 employed · $75,970 median, 20th-highest of 91 metros
Concrete Finisher
Philadelphia: 1,870 employed · $60,900 median, 36th-highest of 111 metros
Concrete Form Setter / Carpenter
Philadelphia: 14,260 employed · $61,780 median, 37th-highest of 112 metros
Masonry Foreman
Philadelphia: 10,700 employed · $95,840 median, 16th-highest of 112 metros
Concrete Pump Operator
Philadelphia: 5,620 employed · $66,810 median, 36th-highest of 112 metros
Estimator
Philadelphia: 4,190 employed · $79,880 median, 39th-highest of 111 metros
Project Manager
Philadelphia: 3,390 employed · $124,990 median, 26th-highest of 111 metros
Restoration Mason
Precast Concrete Technician
Philadelphia: 570 employed · $46,480 median, 42nd-highest of 85 metros
Concrete Testing Technician
Philadelphia: 1,330 employed · $63,650 median, 53rd-highest of 111 metros
What Masonry & Concrete roles earn in Philadelphia.
Brickmasons and blockmasons in Philadelphia earn a median $75,970, 22% over the $62,120 national figure, and 20th of 91 metros. Pay runs $54,300 at the tenth percentile to $106,040 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, at $66,810 against $59,850 nationally.
| Role | Philadelphia median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer / Mason · Restoration MasonBrickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021) | $75,970 | $54,300–$106,040 | $62,120 | +22% | 1,210 |
| Concrete FinisherCement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051) | $60,900 | $42,180–$94,740 | $57,020 | +7% | 1,870 |
| Concrete Form Setter / CarpenterCarpenters (47-2031) | $61,780 | $45,690–$98,470 | $60,580 | +2% | 14,260 |
| Masonry ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $95,840 | $62,620–$151,490 | $79,920 | +20% | 10,700 |
| Concrete Pump OperatorOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $66,810 | $48,780–$113,310 | $59,850 | +12% | 5,620 |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $79,880 | $55,190–$131,320 | $78,740 | +1% | 4,190 |
| Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $124,990 | $84,010–$204,560 | $114,990 | +9% | 3,390 |
| Precast Concrete TechnicianMolders, Shapers, and Casters (51-9195) | $46,480 | $37,150–$61,090 | $46,170 | +1% | 570 |
| Concrete Testing TechnicianCivil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3022) | $63,650 | $48,420–$86,100 | $64,950 | −2% | 1,330 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia's masonry & concrete market has changed since 2018.
Philadelphia lost nonresidential masonry contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 123 business locations to 121 (down 2%), ahead of the 6% national decline. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Philadelphia, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs. The number of nonresidential concrete contractors in Philadelphia rose from 85 in 2018 to 89 in 2023, up 5%, behind the 11% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 21%, to about 2,126 people. Average annual pay there went from $70,870 to $89,329 (+26%), in step with the 25% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: business locations | 123 | 121 | −2% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: employment | 1,612 | – | – |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: average annual pay | $69,947 | – | – |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: business locations | 85 | 89 | +5% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: employment | 1,762 | 2,126 | +21% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: average annual pay | $70,870 | $89,329 | +26% |
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
Philadelphia runs 51% 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 Philadelphia's masonry and concrete market compares
In 2023 the Philadelphia metro had 89 nonresidential concrete contractors (counted by business location), with about 2,126 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $89,329, 19.3% above the national average of $74,865 for the same kind of employer. Headcount fell 3.5% over the year even as it grew 5.5% nationally, which usually means people leaving the trade or moving to other markets rather than a lack of work. That works out to 1.4 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, Philadelphia ranks 24th for headcount, 34th for median pay and 88th for concentration for cement masons and concrete finishers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 1,870 | $60,900 | 0.49 | 121 |
| Pittsburgh | 1,500 | $63,310 | 1.02 | 39 |
| Lancaster | 470 | $59,800 | 1.39 | 15 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 220 | $62,970 | 0.43 | 7 |
| Scranton | 140 | $58,000 | 0.40 | 5 |
| Harrisburg | 120 | $60,590 | 0.28 | 7 |
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 Philadelphia, 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, Philadelphia metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Masonry & Concrete licensing in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Labor and Industry states directly that the Commonwealth has no licensure or certification requirement for most construction contractors, which includes masonry and concrete. The only statewide registration is Home Improvement Contractor registration with the Attorney General, and that is a residential consumer protection registration requiring insurance and compliant contracts, not a trade competency license. Some of Pennsylvania's roughly 2,562 municipalities impose their own contractor licensing or registration, and the Commonwealth keeps no record of those, so the local municipality must be contacted directly. For commercial masonry hiring, verify insurance, bonding and any municipal registration for the job location. The same state rules apply in Pittsburgh, Allentown-Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Scranton, so candidates licensed there can work in Philadelphia without re-qualifying. The Philadelphia metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: No state contractor license; Home Improvement Contractor registration with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General is residential consumer protection only, and some municipalities impose their own requirements. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a masonry & concrete search in Philadelphia yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Philadelphia than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Service TechnicianA residential service technician for the King of Prussia and Philadelphia territory, coordinated around his relocation.
- Residential HVAC Service TechnicianFive days, and the technician brings test-and-balance expertise on top of service.
- Senior HVAC Service TechnicianA technician comfortable with whatever a building throws at him, not only the HVAC.
Nearby markets competing for Philadelphia talent.
The closest metro we cover is Allentown-Bethlehem, about 50 miles away, with roughly 100 brickmasons and blockmasons (0.1 times Philadelphia's 1,210). New York pays the most nearby, a $92,300 median, 21% above Philadelphia. That is the number any Philadelphia offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. New York has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | – | 1,210 | $75,970 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 48 mi | 100 | $62,400 |
| Lancaster | 61 mi | 350 | $63,430 |
| New York | 81 mi | 3,010 | $92,300 |
| Baltimore | 90 mi | 580 | $58,000 |
| Harrisburg | 94 mi | 80 | $72,730 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Philadelphia crews.
Not masonry & concrete work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Philadelphia in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- CHOP Roberts Children's Health Tower$2.59BOpening late 2028
CHOP's active tower expansion is the real current driver of hospital-grade mechanical demand - medical gas, isolation rooms, and OR HVAC in tight supply. (Penn Medicine's Pavilion, sometimes bundled into this figure, is a separate, already-completed $1.6B project from 2021 - kept out of this total since it's no longer an active build.)
- PHL Airport Terminal modernization (Transform PHL)$2B total program ($1B terminal-specific)Underway, no published completion date
Terminal expansion + concourse upgrades. Airport-grade MEP.
- University expansion (UPenn, Drexel, Temple)$2B+ aggregatedThrough 2028
Research lab construction (fume hood air, specialty exhaust). Student housing + academic building expansion.
Showing 3 of 5 projects tracked in this metro. The Philadelphia market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for masonry & concrete, and what kills offers in Philadelphia.
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 Philadelphia.
What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in Philadelphia?
BLS puts the Philadelphia median for brickmasons and blockmasons at $75,970 a year, 22% above the $62,120 national median. That ranks 20th of 91 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $54,300 and $106,040, a 2.0x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Pennsylvania metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire brickmasons and blockmasons in Philadelphia?
Not by national standards. Brickmasons and blockmasons make up 23% more of the Philadelphia workforce than they do nationally, about 1,210 people. The 89 nonresidential concrete contractors here average about 24 employees per location.
Which masonry & concrete roles pay the most in Philadelphia?
Of the roles we recruit for, Project Manager pays the most in Philadelphia, a $124,990 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Bricklayer / Mason at $75,970, 39% below it. Precast Concrete Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $46,480. Relative to national pay, Bricklayer / Mason is the strongest-paying role here (22% above).
How many nonresidential masonry contractors operate in Philadelphia?
BLS counted 121 nonresidential masonry contractors in Philadelphia in 2023. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (123). 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 89 nonresidential concrete contractors in Philadelphia in 2023, employing about 2,126 people between them. Up from 85 in 2018, a 5% increase against 11% growth nationally. That averages 24 people per location. They pay an average of $89,329, 19% above the $74,865 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Philadelphia for brickmasons and blockmasons?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Allentown-Bethlehem (48 miles, about 100, $62,400 median), Lancaster (61 miles, about 350, $63,430 median) and New York (81 miles, about 3,010, $92,300 median). New York has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. New York pays 21% more, which is where Philadelphia employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Philadelphia 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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