Masonry & Concrete recruiters serving Portland.
Brickmasons and blockmasons in Portland earn an $81,700 median, 32% above the national figure, and about 400 of them work in the metro. BLS counts 31 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 Portland.
BLS counts about 14,950 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Portland metro, the largest group being carpenters (about 9,210). Relative to the size of the local economy, brickmasons and blockmasons are about as concentrated here as nationally (location quotient 0.98). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Masonry & Concrete hub.
Bricklayer / Mason
Portland: 400 employed · $81,700 median, 10th-highest of 91 metros
Concrete Finisher
Portland: 1,410 employed · $75,090 median, 8th-highest of 111 metros
Concrete Form Setter / Carpenter
Portland: 9,210 employed · $73,710 median, 13th-highest of 112 metros
Masonry Foreman
Portland: 5,880 employed · $112,480 median, 4th-highest of 112 metros
Concrete Pump Operator
Portland: 3,040 employed · $79,040 median, 19th-highest of 112 metros
Estimator
Portland: 2,260 employed · $83,800 median, 15th-highest of 111 metros
Project Manager
Portland: 2,690 employed · $146,740 median, 6th-highest of 111 metros
Restoration Mason
Precast Concrete Technician
Portland: 280 employed · $50,180 median, 13th-highest of 85 metros
Concrete Testing Technician
Portland: 610 employed · $84,930 median, 5th-highest of 111 metros
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Ogden, UT too.
What Masonry & Concrete roles earn in Portland.
Brickmasons and blockmasons in Portland earn a median $81,700, 32% over the $62,120 national figure, and 10th of 91 metros. Pay runs $55,740 at the tenth percentile to $102,760 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is civil engineering technologists and technicians, at $84,930 against $64,950 nationally.
| Role | Portland median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer / Mason · Restoration MasonBrickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021) | $81,700 | $55,740–$102,760 | $62,120 | +32% | 400 |
| Concrete FinisherCement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051) | $75,090 | $49,550–$99,430 | $57,020 | +32% | 1,410 |
| Concrete Form Setter / CarpenterCarpenters (47-2031) | $73,710 | $47,440–$108,440 | $60,580 | +22% | 9,210 |
| Masonry ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $112,480 | $71,750–$159,920 | $79,920 | +41% | 5,880 |
| Concrete Pump OperatorOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $79,040 | $59,520–$123,290 | $59,850 | +32% | 3,040 |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $83,800 | $53,380–$141,340 | $78,740 | +6% | 2,260 |
| Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $146,740 | $88,500–$217,570 | $114,990 | +28% | 2,690 |
| Precast Concrete TechnicianMolders, Shapers, and Casters (51-9195) | $50,180 | $39,270–$64,450 | $46,170 | +9% | 280 |
| Concrete Testing TechnicianCivil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3022) | $84,930 | $64,060–$103,200 | $64,950 | +31% | 610 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Portland 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 Portland's masonry & concrete market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential masonry contractors in Portland rose from 29 in 2018 to 31 in 2023, up 7%, 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 Portland rose from 36 in 2018 to 44 in 2023, up 22%, ahead of the 11% national rise. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Portland, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: business locations | 29 | 31 | +7% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: business locations | 36 | 44 | +22% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: employment | 640 | – | – |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: average annual pay | $64,014 | – | – |
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
Portland runs 12% fewer masonry and concrete workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 Portland's masonry and concrete market compares
In 2023 the Portland metro had 44 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 rose 4.8%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 1.7 per 100,000 residents, close to the 1.9 national rate.
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Portland ranks 31st for headcount, 7th for median pay and 55th for concentration for cement masons and concrete finishers. Pay here is among the highest we see, so offers need to start near the top of the range.
What this means for hiring:For masonry and concrete employers in Portland, 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, Portland metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Masonry & Concrete licensing in Oregon.
Oregon licenses commercial contractors, with separate Commercial General Contractor and Commercial Specialty Contractor license levels. The Portland metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Oregon Construction Contractors Board. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a masonry & concrete search in Portland 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 Portland than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Site SuperintendentTwenty years of construction and six as a superintendent, placed onto Portland-Vancouver jobsites in two weeks.
- Lead Fire Alarm TechnicianSeven weeks for an NFPA-licensed lead fire alarm technician - the right length for a life-safety role.
Nearby markets competing for Portland talent.
The closest metro we cover is Seattle, about 145 miles away, with roughly 310 brickmasons and blockmasons (0.8 times Portland's 400). Seattle pays the most nearby, a $97,830 median, 20% above Portland. That is the number any Portland offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Portland is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
What else is competing for Portland crews.
Not masonry & concrete work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Portland in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project$1.9B current estimate ($1.5B funding gap remains)Phase 1A began summer 2025, concludes late 2026; full project indefinitely delayed pending funding
Where three interstates converge, plus a highway cover reconnecting the Albina neighborhood. Heavy civil, structural concrete, and traffic-control-intensive night work.
- Abernethy Bridge and regional ODOT programState transportation programOngoing through 2028
Seismic retrofit and widening. Sustained demand for bridge-experienced operators, structural steel crews, and heavy civil field leadership.
- Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (I-5 Columbia River)$13.6B total program cost (as of Jan 2026 estimate; up from $5.5-7.5B in Dec 2022), including a $1.49B federal investmentDesign and early construction through the 2030s
Replaces the I-5 Columbia River crossing with a seismically resilient multimodal structure carrying light rail and bus rapid transit. The largest bi-state heavy civil program in the Northwest - marine, structural, and systems trades on a decade-long horizon.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Portland market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for masonry & concrete, and what kills offers in Portland.
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 Portland.
What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in Portland?
BLS puts the Portland median for brickmasons and blockmasons at $81,700 a year, 32% above the $62,120 national median. That ranks 10th of 91 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $55,740 and $102,760, a 1.8x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience.
Is it hard to hire brickmasons and blockmasons in Portland?
It is about average. Brickmasons and blockmasons are as common in Portland as they are nationally (location quotient 0.98), with about 400 in the metro.
Which masonry & concrete roles pay the most in Portland?
Of the roles we recruit for, Project Manager pays the most in Portland, a $146,740 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Concrete Testing Technician at $84,930, 42% below it. Precast Concrete Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $50,180. Relative to national pay, Masonry Foreman is the strongest-paying role here (41% above).
How many nonresidential masonry contractors operate in Portland?
BLS counted 31 nonresidential masonry contractors in Portland in 2023. Up from 29 in 2018, a 7% 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 44 nonresidential concrete contractors in Portland in 2023. Up from 36 in 2018, a 22% 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 Portland for brickmasons and blockmasons?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Seattle (145 miles, about 310, $97,830 median) and Spokane (290 miles, about 40, $78,010 median). Seattle pays 20% more, which is where Portland employers tend to lose people.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
31 nonresidential masonry contractors in Portland are drawing on the same 400 brickmasons and blockmasons. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
Schedule a Discovery Call →