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Boston Career Explorer

Construction and Extraction

Stonemasons

Build stone structures, such as piers, walls, and abutments. Lay walks, curbstones, or special types of masonry for vats, tanks, and floors.

Also called: Marble Installer, Marble Shop Worker, Mason, Mason Mechanic, Stone Derrickman, Stone Installer

Median pay in Greater Boston
$72,540
$34.87/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
Not published
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−1.4%
50 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Apprenticeship

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$45,390$60,140$72,540$83,200$121,350

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Set vertical and horizontal alignment of structures, using plumb bob, gauge line, and level.
  • Lay out wall patterns or foundations, using straight edge, rule, or staked lines.
  • Set stone or marble in place, according to layout or pattern.
  • Remove wedges, fill joints between stones, finish joints between stones, using a trowel, and smooth the mortar to an attractive finish, using a tuck pointer.
  • Clean excess mortar or grout from surface of marble, stone, or monument, using sponge, brush, water, or acid.
  • Shape, trim, face and cut marble or stone preparatory to setting, using power saws, cutting equipment, and hand tools.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure3 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 3
  • Language-model AIOE 3
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 3

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

Stonemasonry has lower AI exposure, and observed AI use is little or none. Most of the work is hands-on: setting stone, filling joints, and finishing mortar. AI tools could help a little with planning layouts or wall patterns. Federal projections point to a different pressure: brickmasons are installing more stone products, and Massachusetts employment is projected to fall 1.4% from 2024 to 2034.

Likely to change

  • Planning wall patterns and layouts
  • Checking measurements and alignment plans

Still relies on people

  • Setting heavy stone by hand and eye
  • Finishing mortar joints to a clean look

What federal projections say

“Occupational substitution - share decreases as brickmasons and blockmasons increasingly install more stone products instead of stonemasons.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Brickmasons and Blockmasons

    Layout with plumb bobs and levels, joint work, and mortar skills carry over directly, and the move offers higher pay and projected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$24,420 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.3%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Your skill at plumb and level alignment and reading layouts carries over, and this apprenticeship trade offers much higher pay and projected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$48,300 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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