Masonry & Concrete recruiters serving Raleigh.
At a $49,920 median, brickmasons and blockmasons in Raleigh earn 20% less than nationally; about 290 work in the metro. BLS counts 22 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 Raleigh.
BLS counts about 7,810 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Raleigh metro, the largest group being operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (about 3,080). Relative to the size of the local economy, brickmasons and blockmasons are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.17). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Masonry & Concrete hub.
Bricklayer / Mason
Raleigh: 290 employed · $49,920 median, 81st-highest of 91 metros
Concrete Finisher
Raleigh: 870 employed · $47,430 median, 87th-highest of 111 metros
Concrete Form Setter / Carpenter
Raleigh: 2,680 employed · $50,820 median, 76th-highest of 112 metros
Masonry Foreman
Raleigh: 6,080 employed · $77,690 median, 64th-highest of 112 metros
Concrete Pump Operator
Raleigh: 3,080 employed · $51,110 median, 74th-highest of 112 metros
Estimator
Raleigh: 1,420 employed · $79,230 median, 43rd-highest of 111 metros
Project Manager
Raleigh: 3,020 employed · $119,700 median, 38th-highest of 111 metros
Restoration Mason
Precast Concrete Technician
Raleigh: 60 employed · $40,080 median, 76th-highest of 85 metros
Concrete Testing Technician
Raleigh: 830 employed · $60,720 median, 74th-highest of 111 metros
What Masonry & Concrete roles earn in Raleigh.
Brickmasons and blockmasons in Raleigh earn a median $49,920, 20% under the $62,120 national figure, and 81st of 91 metros. Pay runs $39,130 at the tenth percentile to $63,220 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is civil engineering technologists and technicians, at $60,720 against $64,950 nationally.
| Role | Raleigh median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer / Mason · Restoration MasonBrickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021) | $49,920 | $39,130–$63,220 | $62,120 | −20% | 290 |
| Concrete FinisherCement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051) | $47,430 | $38,160–$63,340 | $57,020 | −17% | 870 |
| Concrete Form Setter / CarpenterCarpenters (47-2031) | $50,820 | $33,350–$64,830 | $60,580 | −16% | 2,680 |
| Masonry ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $77,690 | $55,570–$120,240 | $79,920 | −3% | 6,080 |
| Concrete Pump OperatorOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $51,110 | $40,540–$65,970 | $59,850 | −15% | 3,080 |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $79,230 | $38,350–$131,400 | $78,740 | +1% | 1,420 |
| Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $119,700 | $78,010–$182,990 | $114,990 | +4% | 3,020 |
| Precast Concrete TechnicianMolders, Shapers, and Casters (51-9195) | $40,080 | $32,210–$60,050 | $46,170 | −13% | 60 |
| Concrete Testing TechnicianCivil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3022) | $60,720 | $46,450–$84,050 | $64,950 | −7% | 830 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Raleigh 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 Raleigh's masonry & concrete market has changed since 2018.
Raleigh lost nonresidential masonry contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 26 business locations to 22 (down 15%), behind the 6% national decline. Headcount at those firms went down 4%, to about 481 people. Average annual pay there went from $47,023 to $62,618 (+33%), faster than the 23% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up. The number of nonresidential concrete contractors in Raleigh rose from 31 in 2018 to 42 in 2023, up 35%, ahead of the 11% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 4%, to about 996 people. Average annual pay there went from $52,908 to $76,996 (+46%), faster than the 25% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: business locations | 26 | 22 | −15% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: employment | 503 | 481 | −4% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: average annual pay | $47,023 | $62,618 | +33% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: business locations | 31 | 42 | +35% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: employment | 958 | 996 | +4% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: average annual pay | $52,908 | $76,996 | +46% |
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
Raleigh 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 Raleigh's masonry and concrete market compares
In 2023 the Raleigh metro had 42 nonresidential concrete contractors (counted by business location), with about 996 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $76,996, in line with the national average of $74,865 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 15.5% over the year, faster than the 5.5% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. The number of these employers rose 10.5%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 2.8 per 100,000 residents against 1.9 nationally, a crowded field where experienced people get approached often. These firms account for 2.0% of all construction employment in the metro.
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Raleigh ranks 49th for headcount, 80th for median pay and 55th for concentration for cement masons and concrete finishers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 1,390 | $48,200 | 0.77 | 36 |
| Raleigh | 870 | $47,430 | 0.88 | 22 |
| Greensboro | 440 | $46,030 | 0.90 | 3 |
| Winston-Salem | 210 | $44,680 | 0.58 | 16 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 140 | $44,420 | 0.31 | 4 |
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 Raleigh, 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, Raleigh metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Masonry & Concrete licensing in North Carolina.
North Carolina requires a general contractor license for construction projects costing $40,000 or more. The same state rules apply in Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Durham-Chapel Hill, so candidates licensed there can work in Raleigh without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Raleigh talent.
The closest metro we cover is Durham-Chapel Hill, about 20 miles away. Charlotte pays the most nearby, a $52,500 median, 5% above Raleigh. That is the number any Raleigh offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Charlotte has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | – | 290 | $49,920 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 21 mi | – | – |
| Greensboro | 68 mi | – | – |
| Winston-Salem | 93 mi | 140 | $47,910 |
| Charlotte | 130 mi | 760 | $52,500 |
| Richmond | 139 mi | 430 | $51,800 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Raleigh crews.
Not masonry & concrete work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Raleigh in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport capital program$2.5BRunway opening 2029; terminal work through 2032
New 10,639-ft runway and major terminal expansions - heavy civil, structural, and airport-specific MEP work running for most of the decade.
- Novo Nordisk Clayton expansion$4.1BMulti-year buildout
Adds 1.4M sq ft of advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and roughly 1,000 permanent jobs. One of the largest single pharma capital projects in the Southeast, requiring cleanroom-grade mechanical, electrical, and process piping at scale.
- Johnson & Johnson Wilson biologics campus$2BMulti-year
Biologics manufacturing campus adding to the region's life-sciences construction pipeline - cleanroom and process-utility work drawing on the same specialized labor pool as Novo Nordisk and Fujifilm.
Showing 3 of 5 projects tracked in this metro. The Raleigh market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for masonry & concrete, and what kills offers in Raleigh.
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 Raleigh.
What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in Raleigh?
BLS puts the Raleigh median for brickmasons and blockmasons at $49,920 a year, 20% below the $62,120 national median. That ranks 81st of 91 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $39,130 to $63,220 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. Within North Carolina, Charlotte pays more, at $52,500.
Is it hard to hire brickmasons and blockmasons in Raleigh?
Not by national standards. Brickmasons and blockmasons make up 17% more of the Raleigh workforce than they do nationally, about 290 people. The 22 nonresidential masonry contractors here average about 22 employees per location. There are 15% 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 Raleigh?
Of the roles we recruit for, Project Manager pays the most in Raleigh, a $119,700 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Concrete Testing Technician at $60,720, 49% below it. Precast Concrete Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $40,080. Relative to national pay, Project Manager is the strongest-paying role here (4% above). Bricklayer / Mason trails national pay the most (20% below).
How many nonresidential masonry contractors operate in Raleigh?
BLS counted 22 nonresidential masonry contractors in Raleigh in 2023, employing about 481 people between them. Down from 26 in 2018, a 15% decline against 6% decline nationally. That averages 22 people per location. They pay an average of $62,618, 8% below the $68,219 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counted 42 nonresidential concrete contractors in Raleigh in 2023, employing about 996 people between them. Up from 31 in 2018, a 35% increase against 11% growth nationally. That averages 24 people per location. They pay about the national average of $74,865.
Which nearby metros compete with Raleigh for brickmasons and blockmasons?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Winston-Salem (93 miles, about 140, $47,910 median), Charlotte (130 miles, about 760, $52,500 median) and Richmond (139 miles, about 430, $51,800 median). Charlotte has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Charlotte pays 5% more, which is where Raleigh employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Raleigh 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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