Construction and Extraction
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
Smooth and finish surfaces of poured concrete, such as floors, walks, sidewalks, roads, or curbs using a variety of hand and power tools. Align forms for sidewalks, curbs, or gutters; patch voids; and use saws to cut expansion joints.
Also called: Cement Finisher, Cement Mason, Concrete Finisher, Concrete Mason, Finisher, Mason
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $62,870
- $30.23/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 950
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +2.9%
- 120 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- No formal educational credential
- plus Moderate-term on-the-job training
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $49,350 | $55,880 | $62,870 | $77,940 | $111,910 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Check the forms that hold the concrete to see that they are properly constructed.
- Set the forms that hold concrete to the desired pitch and depth, and align them.
- Spread, level, and smooth concrete, using rake, shovel, hand or power trowel, hand or power screed, and float.
- Monitor how the wind, heat, or cold affect the curing of the concrete throughout the entire process.
- Mold expansion joints and edges, using edging tools, jointers, and straightedge.
- Signal truck driver to position truck to facilitate pouring concrete, and move chute to direct concrete on forms.
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 exposure2 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 1
- Language-model AIOE 1
- GPTs-are-GPTs 3
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. Pouring, leveling, and finishing concrete are physical tasks that depend on timing and weather. Federal notes say more precast concrete may mean fewer workers are needed to build forms and pour on site. That is a change in how concrete is made, not an AI effect.
Likely to change
- Planning pours and checking schedules
- Estimating concrete amounts and costs
Still relies on people
- Troweling and finishing wet concrete by hand
- Judging how weather affects curing
What federal projections say
“Sourcing change - share decreases as more precast and prefabricated concrete products are installed and fewer workers are needed onsite to build forms and pour concrete.”
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
Masonry also uses levels, straightedges, and finishing skills. It pays a Boston median of $96,960 and projects 5.3% growth in Massachusetts.
- Pay difference
- +$34,090 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +5.3%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Structural Iron and Steel Workers
Checking forms and alignment builds toward checking steel alignment. It pays a Boston median of $120,840 and is learned through an apprenticeship.
- Pay difference
- +$57,970 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +6.1%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Roofers
Your experience working outdoors and with coatings carries over. Roofing projects 7.7% growth in Massachusetts and needs no formal credential.
- Pay difference
- +$3,480 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +7.7%
- To get started
- No formal educational credential
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.
Who employs cement masons and concrete finishers on Boston construction projects
Hours worked on projects covered by the Boston Residents Jobs Policy over the last 24 months. This shows who has employed cement masons and concrete finishers, not who has openings.
60,273 worker hours from Oct 20, 2024 to Oct 19, 2026 (trades: Cement Mason).
- 2.5%
- of hours by boston residents
- 42.1%
- of hours by people of color
- 2.5%
- of hours by women
| Employer | Worker hours | Boston resident share | Projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| G&C Concrete | 42,734 | 2.2% | 19 |
| S & F Concrete | 10,872 | 3.3% | 19 |
| Marguerite Concrete | 3,288 | 2.1% | 13 |
| JL Marshall & Sons | 1,210 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Back Bay Concrete | 1,138 | 0.7% | 6 |
Related occupations
- Construction Laborers
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons
- Miscellaneous Construction and Related Workers
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
- Tile and Stone Setters
- Stonemasons
- Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
- Plasterers and Stucco Masons
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers
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.
Talk to a career coach