Masonry & Concrete recruiters serving St. Louis.
St. Louis has 135% more brickmasons and blockmasons per job than the country as a whole, about 1,070 in the metro. BLS counts 60 business locations of nonresidential masonry contractors across the metro. We recruit Masonry & Concrete talent in St. Louis from a standing, credential-verified pipeline. 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 St. Louis.
BLS counts about 16,020 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the St. Louis metro, the largest group being carpenters (about 7,210). Relative to the size of the local economy, brickmasons and blockmasons are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 2.35). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Masonry & Concrete hub.
Bricklayer / Mason
St. Louis: 1,070 employed · $77,490 median, 14th-highest of 91 metros
Concrete Finisher
St. Louis: 2,550 employed · $64,670 median, 16th-highest of 111 metros
Concrete Form Setter / Carpenter
St. Louis: 7,210 employed · $70,990 median, 16th-highest of 112 metros
Masonry Foreman
St. Louis: 6,680 employed · $96,620 median, 14th-highest of 112 metros
Concrete Pump Operator
St. Louis: 4,190 employed · $82,270 median, 15th-highest of 112 metros
Estimator
St. Louis: 3,170 employed · $78,730 median, 49th-highest of 111 metros
Project Manager
St. Louis: 2,880 employed · $116,680 median, 45th-highest of 111 metros
Restoration Mason
Precast Concrete Technician
St. Louis: 260 employed · $43,460 median, 67th-highest of 85 metros
Concrete Testing Technician
St. Louis: 740 employed · $62,930 median, 60th-highest of 111 metros
What Masonry & Concrete roles earn in St. Louis.
Brickmasons and blockmasons in St. Louis earn a median $77,490, 25% over the $62,120 national figure, and 14th of 91 metros. Pay runs $48,360 at the tenth percentile to $88,350 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, at $82,270 against $59,850 nationally.
| Role | St. Louis median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer / Mason · Restoration MasonBrickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021) | $77,490 | $48,360–$88,350 | $62,120 | +25% | 1,070 |
| Concrete FinisherCement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051) | $64,670 | $47,240–$98,420 | $57,020 | +13% | 2,550 |
| Concrete Form Setter / CarpenterCarpenters (47-2031) | $70,990 | $45,000–$99,550 | $60,580 | +17% | 7,210 |
| Masonry ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $96,620 | $61,710–$120,700 | $79,920 | +21% | 6,680 |
| Concrete Pump OperatorOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $82,270 | $47,210–$100,810 | $59,850 | +37% | 4,190 |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $78,730 | $44,990–$130,680 | $78,740 | 0% | 3,170 |
| Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $116,680 | $72,450–$169,720 | $114,990 | +1% | 2,880 |
| Precast Concrete TechnicianMolders, Shapers, and Casters (51-9195) | $43,460 | $32,600–$59,160 | $46,170 | −6% | 260 |
| Concrete Testing TechnicianCivil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3022) | $62,930 | $40,890–$100,790 | $64,950 | −3% | 740 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, St. Louis 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 St. Louis's masonry & concrete market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential masonry contractors in St. Louis rose from 58 in 2018 to 60 in 2023, up 3%, ahead of the 6% national decline. Headcount at those firms went up 7%, to about 941 people. Average annual pay there went from $64,617 to $77,575 (+20%), slower than the 23% national increase. The number of nonresidential concrete contractors in St. Louis rose from 30 in 2018 to 39 in 2023, up 30%, ahead of the 11% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 14%, to about 1,686 people. Average annual pay there went from $63,667 to $85,461 (+34%), faster than the 25% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: business locations | 58 | 60 | +3% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: employment | 878 | 941 | +7% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: average annual pay | $64,617 | $77,575 | +20% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: business locations | 30 | 39 | +30% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: employment | 1,476 | 1,686 | +14% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: average annual pay | $63,667 | $85,461 | +34% |
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
St. Louis runs 44% more masonry and concrete workers per job than the country as a whole — well above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching 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 St. Louis's masonry and concrete market compares
In 2023 the St. Louis metro had 39 nonresidential concrete contractors (counted by business location), with about 1,686 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $85,461, 14.2% above the national average of $74,865 for the same kind of employer. Headcount fell 2.2% 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, St. Louis ranks 14th for headcount, 15th for median pay and 23rd for concentration for cement masons and concrete finishers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | 2,950 | $62,250 | 2.03 | 41 |
| St. Louis | 2,550 | $64,670 | 1.44 | 60 |
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 St. Louis, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, St. Louis metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Masonry & Concrete licensing in Missouri.
Missouri has no state general, masonry or concrete contractor license, and the Division of Professional Registration regulates electrical contractors but no building trades. Kansas City licenses contractors in categories covering demolition, electrical, elevator, fire protection, gas fired appliances, mechanical, operating engineers, plumbing, residential building and signs, and masonry and concrete are not among them. In St. Louis, a construction contracting business needs a graduated business license from the Office of the License Collector, which carries no trade competency examination. For masonry hiring in Missouri, check the city business license, insurance and bonding rather than a trade license. The same state rules apply in Kansas City, so candidates licensed there can work in St. Louis without re-qualifying. The St. Louis 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; regulated locally, for example the Kansas City Planning and Development Department Permits Division and the St. Louis Office of the License Collector. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a masonry & concrete search in St. Louis 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 St. Louis than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Senior Freight DispatcherA decade of carrier relationships and margin management, placed on a freight desk in three weeks.
- Local CDL Class A DriverScreened, offered, onboarded and driving the same day - two weeks end to end.
- Sprinkler Layout TechnicianNICET Level II and eight years of fire protection design - a specialist, not a generalist.
Nearby markets competing for St. Louis talent.
The closest metro we cover is Indianapolis, about 230 miles away, with roughly 670 brickmasons and blockmasons (0.6 times St. Louis's 1,070). St. Louis pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($77,490 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Louisville at $61,100. St. Louis 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | – | 1,070 | $77,490 |
| Indianapolis | 230 mi | 670 | $72,770 |
| Kansas City | 238 mi | 500 | $72,370 |
| Memphis | 240 mi | 90 | $65,360 |
| Louisville | 242 mi | 280 | $61,100 |
| Nashville | 253 mi | 540 | $66,380 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for St. Louis crews.
Not masonry & concrete work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into St. Louis in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Energizer Park (formerly CITYPARK) stadium & surrounding district (St. Louis CITY SC)District-scale, ongoingStadium complete; surrounding district build-out ongoing
The stadium itself has been complete since Nov 2022 and was renamed Energizer Park Jan 1, 2025 (naming rights sold) - only the surrounding district is still active. Continued demand for hospitality, mixed-use, and commercial finish trades.
- Gateway South riverfront advanced-manufacturing redevelopmentLarge-scale, phasedEarly phases 2025-2027
Reclaiming south-riverfront acreage for advanced manufacturing. Heavy sitework, industrial MEP, and structural trades as parcels come online.
- NGA West campus (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency)$1.7BMain building opened September 26, 2025; staff move-in ongoing
The single largest federal investment in north St. Louis in a generation. Secure-facility construction drove years of specialty MEP, controls, and finish work - and the surrounding redevelopment keeps commercial trades demand elevated past the main building's completion.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The St. Louis market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for masonry & concrete, and what kills offers in St. Louis.
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 St. Louis.
What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in St. Louis?
BLS puts the St. Louis median for brickmasons and blockmasons at $77,490 a year, 25% above the $62,120 national median. That ranks 14th of 91 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $48,360 and $88,350, a 1.8x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Missouri metro we cover pays more for this work (Kansas City: $72,370).
Is it hard to hire brickmasons and blockmasons in St. Louis?
Not by national standards. Brickmasons and blockmasons make up 135% more of the St. Louis workforce than they do nationally, about 1,070 people. The 60 nonresidential masonry contractors here average about 16 employees per location.
Which masonry & concrete roles pay the most in St. Louis?
Of the roles we recruit for, Project Manager pays the most in St. Louis, a $116,680 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Concrete Pump Operator at $82,270, 29% below it. Precast Concrete Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $43,460. Relative to national pay, Concrete Pump Operator is the strongest-paying role here (37% above). Precast Concrete Technician trails national pay the most (6% below).
How many nonresidential masonry contractors operate in St. Louis?
BLS counted 60 nonresidential masonry contractors in St. Louis in 2023, employing about 941 people between them. Up from 58 in 2018, a 3% increase against 6% decline nationally. That averages 16 people per location. They pay an average of $77,575, 14% above the $68,219 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counted 39 nonresidential concrete contractors in St. Louis in 2023, employing about 1,686 people between them. Up from 30 in 2018, a 30% increase against 11% growth nationally. That averages 43 people per location, so a few large operators dominate hiring. They pay an average of $85,461, 14% above the $74,865 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with St. Louis for brickmasons and blockmasons?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Indianapolis (230 miles, about 670, $72,770 median), Kansas City (238 miles, about 500, $72,370 median) and Memphis (240 miles, about 90, $65,360 median). St. Louis out-pays Indianapolis, Kansas City and Memphis, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
St. Louis 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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