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Skilled Trades

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.

Median salary (BLS)

$62,120

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$45k – $100k

Job outlook

+3% (about average)

AI exposure

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Brickmasons and Blockmasons" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Brickmasons and Blockmasons

    Entry / Junior

    $44,820

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Brickmasons and Blockmasons

    Established

    $62,120

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Brickmasons and Blockmasons

    Senior

    $81,065

Key skills

A typical 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.

Fields of study

Any field

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.