Masonry & Concrete recruiters serving Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach has 54% more brickmasons and blockmasons per job than the country as a whole, about 400 in the metro. BLS counts 32 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 Virginia Beach.
BLS counts about 7,740 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Virginia Beach metro, the largest group being carpenters (about 4,020). Relative to the size of the local economy, brickmasons and blockmasons are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.54). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Masonry & Concrete hub.
Bricklayer / Mason
Virginia Beach: 400 employed · $50,370 median, 78th-highest of 91 metros
Concrete Finisher
Virginia Beach: 790 employed · $49,580 median, 70th-highest of 111 metros
Concrete Form Setter / Carpenter
Virginia Beach: 4,020 employed · $51,500 median, 70th-highest of 112 metros
Masonry Foreman
Virginia Beach: 6,140 employed · $80,950 median, 42nd-highest of 112 metros
Concrete Pump Operator
Virginia Beach: 2,150 employed · $52,060 median, 70th-highest of 112 metros
Estimator
Virginia Beach: 1,440 employed · $80,850 median, 31st-highest of 111 metros
Project Manager
Virginia Beach: 1,400 employed · $105,240 median, 73rd-highest of 111 metros
Restoration Mason
Precast Concrete Technician
Virginia Beach: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Concrete Testing Technician
Virginia Beach: 380 employed · $62,820 median, 61st-highest of 111 metros
What Masonry & Concrete roles earn in Virginia Beach.
Brickmasons and blockmasons in Virginia Beach earn a median $50,370, 19% under the $62,120 national figure, and 78th of 91 metros. Pay runs $39,250 at the tenth percentile to $60,050 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is civil engineering technologists and technicians, at $62,820 against $64,950 nationally. BLS withholds Virginia Beach pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Virginia Beach median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer / Mason · Restoration MasonBrickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021) | $50,370 | $39,250–$60,050 | $62,120 | −19% | 400 |
| Concrete FinisherCement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051) | $49,580 | $37,690–$72,680 | $57,020 | −13% | 790 |
| Concrete Form Setter / CarpenterCarpenters (47-2031) | $51,500 | $38,940–$73,460 | $60,580 | −15% | 4,020 |
| Masonry ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $80,950 | $55,110–$99,510 | $79,920 | +1% | 6,140 |
| Concrete Pump OperatorOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $52,060 | $39,500–$73,700 | $59,850 | −13% | 2,150 |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $80,850 | $52,340–$122,420 | $78,740 | +3% | 1,440 |
| Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $105,240 | $77,250–$161,840 | $114,990 | −8% | 1,400 |
| Precast Concrete TechnicianMolders, Shapers, and Casters (51-9195) | – | – | $46,170 | – | – |
| Concrete Testing TechnicianCivil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3022) | $62,820 | $44,340–$80,220 | $64,950 | −3% | 380 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach's masonry & concrete market has changed since 2018.
Virginia Beach lost nonresidential masonry contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 37 business locations to 32 (down 14%), behind the 6% national decline. Headcount at those firms went down 37%, to about 283 people. Average annual pay there went from $37,560 to $53,233 (+42%), faster than the 23% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up. The number of nonresidential concrete contractors in Virginia Beach rose from 30 in 2018 to 31 in 2023, up 3%, behind the 11% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 31%, to about 1,138 people. Average annual pay there went from $55,442 to $73,561 (+33%), faster than the 25% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: business locations | 37 | 32 | −14% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: employment | 452 | 283 | −37% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: average annual pay | $37,560 | $53,233 | +42% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: business locations | 30 | 31 | +3% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: employment | 870 | 1,138 | +31% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: average annual pay | $55,442 | $73,561 | +33% |
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
Virginia Beach runs 22% 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 Virginia Beach's masonry and concrete market compares
In 2023 the Virginia Beach metro had 31 nonresidential concrete contractors (counted by business location), with about 1,138 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $73,561, in line with the national average of $74,865 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 10.2% 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 1.7 per 100,000 residents, close to the 1.9 national rate.
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Virginia Beach ranks 53rd for headcount, 64th for median pay and 60th for concentration for cement masons and concrete finishers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | 790 | $49,580 | 0.78 | 32 |
| Richmond | 630 | $45,670 | 0.72 | 30 |
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 Virginia Beach, the local pool is thin and local employers have been cutting headcount. Senior hires often come from outside the metro or from adjacent trades, so start searches earlier than you would elsewhere.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Virginia Beach metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Masonry & Concrete licensing in Virginia.
Virginia requires a contractor license for jobs over $1,000. Class C covers jobs under $30,000, Class B covers $30,000 to under $150,000, and Class A covers $150,000 or more; annual volume limits also apply. Each license carries specialty designations for the type of work. The same state rules apply in Richmond, so candidates licensed there can work in Virginia Beach without re-qualifying. The Virginia Beach metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Board for Contractors (Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Virginia Beach talent.
The closest metro we cover is Richmond, about 95 miles away, with roughly 430 brickmasons and blockmasons (1.1 times Virginia Beach's 400). Washington, D.C. pays the most nearby, a $60,670 median, 20% above Virginia Beach. That is the number any Virginia Beach offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Washington, D.C. has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | – | 400 | $50,370 |
| Richmond | 95 mi | 430 | $51,800 |
| Washington, D.C. | 152 mi | 1,910 | $60,670 |
| Raleigh | 166 mi | 290 | $49,920 |
| Baltimore | 172 mi | 580 | $58,000 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 173 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Virginia Beach crews.
Not masonry & concrete work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Virginia Beach in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarine contracts (combined)~$76.6B combinedMulti-year build program
HII's own reporting cites this as one combined figure across both concurrent submarine programs (Virginia-class: 9 boats plus material for a 10th; Columbia-class: 5 boats) rather than a per-class split. Sustained, large-scale demand for structural and pipe welders, marine pipefitters, and industrial electricians at Newport News Shipbuilding.
- FY2026 Navy shipbuilding program$47.4BFY2026, largest single-year US shipbuilding investment since the Cold War
Triggers major construction and outfitting activity at public shipyards, with a distributed manufacturing model spanning 11 states. Newport News Shipbuilding, Virginia's largest industrial employer, is a primary beneficiary.
- HII shipbuilding work outsourcing2.5M+ hours in 2026 (+30% YoY)2026, across 25 locations in 11 states
Newport News Shipbuilding's parent company is outsourcing a record volume of shipbuilding work, signaling the regional labor pool cannot keep pace with the Navy's build schedule on its own.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Virginia Beach market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for masonry & concrete, and what kills offers in Virginia Beach.
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 Virginia Beach.
What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in Virginia Beach?
BLS puts the Virginia Beach median for brickmasons and blockmasons at $50,370 a year, 19% below the $62,120 national median. That ranks 78th of 91 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $39,250 to $60,050 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Virginia metro we cover pays more for this work (Richmond: $51,800).
Is it hard to hire brickmasons and blockmasons in Virginia Beach?
Not by national standards. Brickmasons and blockmasons make up 54% more of the Virginia Beach workforce than they do nationally, about 400 people. The 32 nonresidential masonry contractors here average about 8.8 employees per location. There are 14% 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 Virginia Beach?
Of the roles we recruit for, Project Manager pays the most in Virginia Beach, a $105,240 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Concrete Testing Technician at $62,820, 40% below it. Concrete Finisher is the lowest-paid field role at $49,580. Bricklayer / Mason trails national pay the most (19% below).
How many nonresidential masonry contractors operate in Virginia Beach?
BLS counted 32 nonresidential masonry contractors in Virginia Beach in 2023, employing about 283 people between them. Down from 37 in 2018, a 14% decline against 6% decline nationally. That averages 8.8 people per location. They pay an average of $53,233, 22% below the $68,219 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counted 31 nonresidential concrete contractors in Virginia Beach in 2023, employing about 1,138 people between them. Up from 30 in 2018, a 3% increase against 11% growth nationally. That averages 37 people per location, so a few large operators dominate hiring. They pay about the national average of $74,865.
Which nearby metros compete with Virginia Beach for brickmasons and blockmasons?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Richmond (95 miles, about 430, $51,800 median), Washington, D.C. (152 miles, about 1,910, $60,670 median) and Raleigh (166 miles, about 290, $49,920 median). Washington, D.C. has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Washington, D.C. pays 20% more, which is where Virginia Beach employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Virginia Beach 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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