Construction and Extraction Occupations·SOC 47-2021

Best degree programs for Brickmasons and Blockmasons, ranked by enrollment

1 college programs and 33 schools train Brickmasons and Blockmasons. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $62,120 median wage, 52,550 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

1 college programs at 33 schools train brickmasons and blockmasons, graduating 422 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Mason/Masonry. The job pays a median of $62,120 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr
422
from every feeder program
Median annual wage
$62,120
BLS OEWS May 2025
Projected growth
+3.2%
About as fast as average
Openings / yr
5,600
new plus replacement
Schools
33
with a feeder program
States with jobs
18
BLS reports wages

About brickmasons and blockmasons

Lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances, to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers, and other structures.

Also calledMasonBricklayerBlock LayerBrick and Block MasonLinerFitterSetterTenderPatcherRelinerBlockmasonBrickmason

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

1 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 46.0101
422
100.0%
33$33,525

Top 33 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Arizona Western College
Yuma, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs
49Mason/Masonry20%
2Ivy Tech Community College
Indianapolis, IN Public · 1 feeder programs
36Mason/Masonry40%
3Southeast Community College Area
Lincoln, NE Public · 1 feeder programs
33Mason/Masonry38%
4Central Arizona College
Coolidge, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs
31Mason/Masonry27%
5Southeastern Community College
Whiteville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
27Mason/Masonry43%
6George C Wallace State Community College - Selma
Selma, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
25Mason/Masonry41%
7Central Carolina Community College
Sanford, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
21Mason/Masonry43%
8Moraine Park Technical College
Fond du Lac, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
20Mason/Masonry58%
9Halifax Community College
Weldon, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
17Mason/Masonry35%
10J F Ingram State Technical College
Deatsville, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
17Mason/Masonry21%
11Williamson College of the Trades
Media, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
17Mason/Masonry83%$1,42122%
12Escondido Adult School
Escondido, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
14Mason/Masonry
13Piedmont Technical College
Greenwood, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
11Mason/Masonry33%
14Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, CA Public · 1 feeder programs
10Mason/Masonry48%
15Tulsa Technology Center
Tulsa, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
10Mason/Masonry81%
16Milwaukee Area Technical College
Milwaukee, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
9Mason/Masonry25%
17SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY Public · 1 feeder programs
9Mason/Masonry55%76%
18Pamlico Community College
Grantsboro, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
8Mason/Masonry54%
19Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
Lancaster, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
8Mason/Masonry71%71%
20City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy - King College
Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs
6Mason/Masonry31%
21Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Green Bay, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
6Mason/Masonry51%
22Salt Lake Community College
Salt Lake City, UT Public · 1 feeder programs
5Mason/Masonry29%
23Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
Fennimore, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
5Mason/Masonry66%
24Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Upper Cumberland
Crossville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs
5Mason/Masonry84%
25Albany Technical College
Albany, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
4Mason/Masonry42%
26Fort Scott Community College
Fort Scott, KS Public · 1 feeder programs
4Mason/Masonry35%
27Mid - Del Technology Center
Midwest City, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
4Mason/Masonry70%
28Orange Technical College - South Campus
Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
4Mason/Masonry35%
29Emily Griffith Technical College
Denver, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
3Mason/Masonry97%
30Columbus Technical College
Columbus, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
1Mason/Masonry27%
31Gordon Cooper Technology Center
Shawnee, OK Public · 1 feeder programs
1Mason/Masonry90%
32Lehigh Career & Technical Institute
Schnecksville, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
1Mason/Masonry
33Riveroak Technical College
Live Oak, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
1Mason/Masonry75%

What brickmasons and blockmasons earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage
$62,120
Mean annual
$68,280
Median hourly
$29.87/hr
People employed
52,550
What the range looks like
10th pct$44,820Median$62,12090th pct$100,010

Top-paying metro areas

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$96,960median
1,060 jobs
Rochester, MN
$93,070median
50 jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$92,300median
3,010 jobs
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
$97,960median
820 jobs
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
$97,830median
310 jobs
Lima, OH
$94,220median
40 jobs
Altoona, PA
$92,010median
70 jobs
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
$86,990median
450 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+3.2%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
5,600
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
2,400
74,100 → 76,400
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Plus apprenticeship

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
StateMedian payJobsConcentrationSchoolsGraduates / yr
Arizonalimited$59,2601,1901.09×280
North Carolinamoderate$49,9401,7601.06×473
Alabamalimited$49,7103700.52×242
Wisconsinmoderate$80,1201,0501.06×440
Indianalimited$73,1101,7701.64×136
Nebraskalimited$61,2003501.00×133
Pennsylvaniamoderate$69,5602,9101.42×326
Californialimited$69,0503,8200.62×224
Oklahomamoderate$50,6205801.00×315
South Carolinalimited$49,0104100.52×111
New Yorklimited$84,4103,7901.16×19
Illinoislimited$89,9802,4901.21×16
Floridalimited$52,7602,6100.78×25
Georgialimited$50,65025
Tennesseelimited$63,8501,0500.94×15
Utahlimited$60,4501,5902.71×15
Kansaslimited$59,2203300.68×14
Coloradolimited$65,2608700.89×13

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

  • Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
  • Construct corners by fastening in plumb position a corner pole or building a corner pyramid of bricks, and filling in between the corners using a line from corner to corner to guide each course, or layer, of brick.
  • Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
  • Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
  • Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.
  • Interpret blueprints and drawings to determine specifications and to calculate the materials required.
  • Remove excess mortar with trowels and hand tools, and finish mortar joints with jointing tools, for a sealed, uniform appearance.
  • Fasten or fuse brick or other building material to structure with wire clamps, anchor holes, torch, or cement.

Skills

  • Critical Thinking3.1
  • Active Listening3.0
  • Monitoring3.0
  • Speaking3.0
  • Active Learning2.9
  • Mathematics2.9
  • Reading Comprehension2.8
  • Writing2.3

Knowledge areas

  • Building and Construction4.8
  • Mathematics3.5
  • English Language3.3
  • Public Safety and Security3.1
  • Production and Processing3.1
  • Design3.1

Abilities

  • Trunk Strength4.0
  • Extent Flexibility3.9
  • Static Strength3.8
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness3.8
  • Near Vision3.8
  • Manual Dexterity3.8

Core activities

  • Handling and Moving Objects4.2
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.1
  • Getting Information4.1
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.0
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates3.9
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events3.9

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology
Intuit QuickBookshotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft WindowshotConstruction Management Software ProEstCPR Visual EstimatorDaystar iStructural.comEstimating softwareRISA Technologies RISA-3DTradesman's Software Master Estimator

How to get in

How to become a Brickmason

Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Apprenticeship

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 1 majors mapped to Brickmasons and Blockmasons1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 46.0101Mason/Masonry

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Brickmason?+

High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Mason/Masonry, which awarded 422 degrees in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Brickmason?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Mason/Masonry. Together they graduate about 422 people a year.

How much do brickmasons and blockmasons earn?+

The median is $62,120 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $44,820 at the 10th percentile to $100,010 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for brickmasons and blockmasons growing?+

BLS projects a +3.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 5,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

33 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do brickmasons and blockmasons work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Mason, Bricklayer, Block Layer, Brick and Block Mason among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 47-2021.

Programs that lead hereMason/Masonry

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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