Stone setter vs stone mason

The differences between stone setters and stone masons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a stone setter, becoming a stone mason takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a stone mason has an average salary of $49,042, which is higher than the $48,004 average annual salary of a stone setter.

The top three skills for a stone setter include physical labor, laser and prong. The most important skills for a stone mason are retaining walls, hand tools, and customer service.

Stone setter vs stone mason overview

	Stone Setter	Stone Mason
Yearly salary	$48,004	$49,042
Hourly rate	$23.08	$23.58
Growth rate	-2%	-2%
Number of jobs	1,927	9,635
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	4

Stone setter vs stone mason salary

Stone setters and stone masons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Stone Setter	Stone Mason
Average salary	$48,004	$49,042
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $73,000	Between $32,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	Clay, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Alaska
Best paying company	Matthews International	Brinker International
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between stone setter and stone mason education

There are a few differences between a stone setter and a stone mason in terms of educational background:

	Stone Setter	Stone Mason
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Stone setter vs stone mason demographics

Here are the differences between stone setters' and stone masons' demographics:

	Stone Setter	Stone Mason
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%	Male, 95.4% Female, 4.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 25.4% Asian, 1.8% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 1.9% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	1%	1%

Differences between stone setter and stone mason duties and responsibilities

Stone setter example responsibilities.

Align and levele stone using yardstick, square, plumb line, wedges and crowbar.
Remove or add stencils during blasting to create differing cut depths, intricate designs, or rough, pit finishes.
Perform various household maintenance jobs including mowing and landscaping.
Perform various household maintenance jobs including mowing and landscaping.

Stone mason example responsibilities.

Remove wedges, fill joints between stones, finish joints between stones to an attractive finish.
Perform various household maintenance jobs including mowing and landscaping.
Ensure the historical integrity of properties through application of masonry techniques and detail cosmetic repairs.
Hand engraving, cast cleaning and solder assembly as needed.

Stone setter vs stone mason skills

Common stone setter skills

Physical Labor, 32%
Laser, 31%
Prong, 16%
DIG, 6%
RAN, 5%
Gem, 5%

Common stone mason skills

Retaining Walls, 20%
Hand Tools, 12%
Customer Service, 10%
Bobcat, 6%
Construction Sites, 5%
Horizontal Alignment, 5%

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Setter responsibilities

Updated January 8, 2025

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