Construction and Extraction
Plasterers and Stucco Masons
Apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials. May also set ornamental plaster.
Also called: Applicator, Ornamental Plasterer, Plaster Applicator, Plaster Mechanic, Plasterer, Plasterer Journeyman
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- Not published
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 180
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +6.5%
- 10 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- No formal educational credential
- plus Long-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Cover surfaces such as windows, doors, or sidewalks to protect from splashing.
- Apply coats of plaster or stucco to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using trowels, brushes, or spray guns.
- Clean and prepare surfaces for applications of plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials, such as by drywall taping.
- Create decorative textures in finish coat, using brushes or trowels, sand, pebbles, or stones.
- Mix mortar and plaster to desired consistency or direct workers who perform mixing.
- Clean job sites.
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 exposure5 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 2
- Language-model AIOE 2
- GPTs-are-GPTs 10
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure for this job is lower, and AI tools are seen in little or no use in it today. They may help a little with estimating materials or planning jobs. Troweling, spraying, mixing, and creating textures by hand are not touched by AI tools.
Likely to change
- Estimating materials and planning jobs
- Scheduling and paperwork for projects
Still relies on people
- Applying plaster and stucco with trowels
- Creating decorative textures by hand
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
Mixing mortar, preparing surfaces, and finishing by hand carry over to masonry. Boston pay is $96,960, and you would train through an apprenticeship.
- Pay difference
- Not published
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +5.3%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
Smoothing and finishing wet materials with hand tools is familiar work. This move needs no formal credential and offers on-the-job training.
- Pay difference
- Not published
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +2.9%
- To get started
- No formal educational credential
Roofers
Spraying and coating surfaces to seal them builds on your finishing skills. It needs no formal credential, and growth is projected at 7.7%.
- Pay difference
- Not published
- 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 plasterers and stucco masons 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 plasterers and stucco masons, not who has openings.
59,724 worker hours from Oct 20, 2024 to Oct 19, 2026 (trades: Plasterer).
- 24.9%
- of hours by boston residents
- 42.3%
- of hours by people of color
- 5.8%
- of hours by women
| Employer | Worker hours | Boston resident share | Projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angelini Plastering Inc. | 13,070 | 10.3% | 4 |
| Ricmor Construction Inc. | 8,112 | 0.0% | 13 |
| Island International Industries New England, LLC | 7,333 | 46.9% | 4 |
| Kelmon Drywall Inc. | 6,888 | 43.4% | 4 |
| Clover Drywall | 6,151 | 48.3% | 3 |
| Ettesil Remodeling | 5,720 | 14.9% | 1 |
| Select Spray Systems, LLC | 3,831 | 0.2% | 2 |
| Norfolk Design & Construction | 2,892 | 69.3% | 3 |
Related occupations
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
- Roofers
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance
- Tile and Stone Setters
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
- Carpenters
- Tapers
- Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
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