How to Become a Mason: Certification, Licensing & Pay
Masons build and repair walls, chimneys, facades, and other structures using brick, block, and stone. The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons under one occupation since they use similar tools and techniques on different materials. Most masons learn the trade on the job or through a paid apprenticeship rather than a college degree.
Apprenticeship Path
Many masons start as helpers and pick up bricklaying, blocklaying, or stonework skills from experienced masons on the job after earning a high school diploma or equivalent. Others enter a registered apprenticeship — the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) union runs a 3- to 4-year earn-while-you-learn program with roughly 5,000 to 6,700 hours of paid field work over the program plus about 160 hours of related classroom instruction per year, covering masonry techniques, blueprint reading, and safety.
Certification & Licensing
Most states don't license individual masons — a completed apprenticeship earns a journey-level card from the sponsoring union or program rather than a government license. Most states do require a contractor's license to run a masonry business, though the threshold varies: some kick in above a specific project dollar value, others apply mainly to structural or commercial work.
Whether a contractor's license is required, and what it takes to get one, varies by state, locality, and project value — verify current requirements with your state's contractor licensing board before you rely on them.
Mason Pay
The median mason in the US earned $61,480 per year as of May 2025 — the middle 80% earned between $43,590 and $99,210.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Brickmasons, Blockmasons, and Stonemasons (SOC 47-2020), May 2025.
OEWS is published once a year, not continuously — "May 2025" is BLS's label for that annual release, not a live figure. See methodology.
Job Outlook
The BLS projects employment of masons to grow 2% from 2024–34, slower than the average for all occupations, with about 20,700 openings projected each year on average (most from workers transferring to other occupations or retiring, not net-new growth alone).
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Brickmasons, Blockmasons, and Stonemasons, 2024–34 projections.
Keep Exploring
Sources & Last Updated
Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Brickmasons, Blockmasons, and Stonemasons (SOC 47-2020), May 2025.
Job outlook: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Brickmasons, Blockmasons, and Stonemasons, 2024–34 projections.
Licensing and apprenticeship requirements vary by state — start with the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational license finder or apprenticeship.gov.
Full source list: methodology.
Last updated: May 2025.