Masonry & Concrete recruiters serving Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh has 58% more brickmasons and blockmasons per job than the country as a whole, about 590 in the metro. BLS counts 39 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 Pittsburgh.
BLS counts about 13,750 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Pittsburgh metro, the largest group being carpenters (about 5,920). Relative to the size of the local economy, brickmasons and blockmasons are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.58). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Masonry & Concrete hub.
Bricklayer / Mason
Pittsburgh: 590 employed · $76,940 median, 16th-highest of 91 metros
Concrete Finisher
Pittsburgh: 1,500 employed · $63,310 median, 19th-highest of 111 metros
Concrete Form Setter / Carpenter
Pittsburgh: 5,920 employed · $61,180 median, 39th-highest of 112 metros
Masonry Foreman
Pittsburgh: 6,000 employed · $83,030 median, 32nd-highest of 112 metros
Concrete Pump Operator
Pittsburgh: 5,050 employed · $62,320 median, 49th-highest of 112 metros
Estimator
Pittsburgh: 2,000 employed · $77,980 median, 58th-highest of 111 metros
Project Manager
Pittsburgh: 1,420 employed · $103,420 median, 82nd-highest of 111 metros
Restoration Mason
Precast Concrete Technician
Pittsburgh: 310 employed · $44,210 median, 62nd-highest of 85 metros
Concrete Testing Technician
Pittsburgh: 380 employed · $59,900 median, 80th-highest of 111 metros
What Masonry & Concrete roles earn in Pittsburgh.
Brickmasons and blockmasons in Pittsburgh earn a median $76,940, 24% over the $62,120 national figure, and 16th of 91 metros. Pay runs $50,440 at the tenth percentile to $97,220 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is cement masons and concrete finishers, at $63,310 against $57,020 nationally.
| Role | Pittsburgh median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer / Mason · Restoration MasonBrickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021) | $76,940 | $50,440–$97,220 | $62,120 | +24% | 590 |
| Concrete FinisherCement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051) | $63,310 | $46,080–$74,760 | $57,020 | +11% | 1,500 |
| Concrete Form Setter / CarpenterCarpenters (47-2031) | $61,180 | $43,940–$93,600 | $60,580 | +1% | 5,920 |
| Masonry ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $83,030 | $59,570–$129,930 | $79,920 | +4% | 6,000 |
| Concrete Pump OperatorOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $62,320 | $47,480–$94,570 | $59,850 | +4% | 5,050 |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $77,980 | $48,030–$127,680 | $78,740 | −1% | 2,000 |
| Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $103,420 | $77,640–$174,200 | $114,990 | −10% | 1,420 |
| Precast Concrete TechnicianMolders, Shapers, and Casters (51-9195) | $44,210 | $38,080–$57,300 | $46,170 | −4% | 310 |
| Concrete Testing TechnicianCivil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3022) | $59,900 | $46,750–$83,770 | $64,950 | −8% | 380 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh's masonry & concrete market has changed since 2018.
Pittsburgh had 39 nonresidential masonry contractors in 2023, exactly as many as in 2018. Pittsburgh lost nonresidential concrete contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 45 business locations to 44 (down 2%), behind the 11% growth nationally.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: business locations | 39 | 39 | +0% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: employment | – | 907 | – |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: average annual pay | – | $74,846 | – |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: business locations | 45 | 44 | −2% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: employment | – | 657 | – |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: average annual pay | – | $77,962 | – |
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
Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh's masonry and concrete market compares
In 2023 the Pittsburgh metro had 44 nonresidential concrete contractors (counted by business location), with about 657 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $77,962, 4.1% above the national average of $74,865 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 13.3% 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 1.9 per 100,000 residents, close to the 1.9 national rate. These firms account for 1.2% of all construction employment in the metro.
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Pittsburgh ranks 28th for headcount, 18th for median pay and 41st 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 Pittsburgh, the pool is about the national norm for its size, and local employers have trimmed headcount. That usually means experienced people are available but cautious, so the stability of the job matters as much as the rate.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Pittsburgh 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 Philadelphia, Allentown-Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Scranton, so candidates licensed there can work in Pittsburgh without re-qualifying.
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.
Nearby markets competing for Pittsburgh talent.
The closest metro we cover is Akron, about 90 miles away. Pay is close across the region: medians run from $72,730 in Harrisburg to $78,530 in Cleveland, against $76,940 here. Pittsburgh is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | – | 590 | $76,940 |
| Akron | 91 mi | – | – |
| Cleveland | 115 mi | 560 | $78,530 |
| Columbus | 162 mi | 430 | $73,550 |
| Harrisburg | 164 mi | 80 | $72,730 |
| Buffalo | 179 mi | 290 | $76,800 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Pittsburgh crews.
Not masonry & concrete work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Pittsburgh in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Regional bridge and PennDOT programState + federal programOngoing through 2030
Allegheny County has one of the highest bridge densities in the country and a well-documented backlog. Sustained heavy civil, structural steel, and coatings demand.
- Homer City Redevelopment gas-powered data center campus (Indiana County, ~50 mi from Pittsburgh -- outside the core Pittsburgh MSA but commonly described regionally as "near Pittsburgh")$10B initial investmentTurbine deliveries begin 2026; phased build-out
A 3,200+ acre campus on the site of the former Homer City Generating Station, powered by seven GE Vernova 7HA.02 hydrogen-enabled gas turbines. Billed as the largest gas-powered data center campus in the country. Power generation plus data center construction in one program - the most demanding electrical and mechanical scope in the region.
- Pittsburgh International Airport terminal programMulti-hundred-millionNew terminal delivered; landside and phased work continuing
The new landside terminal is complete, but concourse, airfield, and support facility work continues. Live-airport experience and night-shift capability remain at a premium.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Pittsburgh market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for masonry & concrete, and what kills offers in Pittsburgh.
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 Pittsburgh.
What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in Pittsburgh?
BLS puts the Pittsburgh median for brickmasons and blockmasons at $76,940 a year, 24% above the $62,120 national median. That ranks 16th of 91 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $50,440 and $97,220, a 1.9x 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 Pittsburgh?
Not by national standards. Brickmasons and blockmasons make up 58% more of the Pittsburgh workforce than they do nationally, about 590 people. The 39 nonresidential masonry contractors here average about 23 employees per location.
Which masonry & concrete roles pay the most in Pittsburgh?
Of the roles we recruit for, Project Manager pays the most in Pittsburgh, a $103,420 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Bricklayer / Mason at $76,940, 26% below it. Precast Concrete Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $44,210. Relative to national pay, Bricklayer / Mason is the strongest-paying role here (24% above). Project Manager trails national pay the most (10% below).
How many nonresidential masonry contractors operate in Pittsburgh?
BLS counted 39 nonresidential masonry contractors in Pittsburgh in 2023, employing about 907 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (39). That averages 23 people per location. They pay an average of $74,846, 10% above the $68,219 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counted 44 nonresidential concrete contractors in Pittsburgh in 2023, employing about 657 people between them. Down from 45 in 2018, a 2% decline against 11% growth nationally. That averages 15 people per location. They pay an average of $77,962, 4% above the $74,865 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Pittsburgh for brickmasons and blockmasons?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Cleveland (115 miles, about 560, $78,530 median), Columbus (162 miles, about 430, $73,550 median) and Harrisburg (164 miles, about 80, $72,730 median). Pittsburgh out-pays Harrisburg, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Pittsburgh 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.
Schedule a Discovery Call →