Brickmasons in the Rochester area earn a median of $73,860 a year, 17% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #41 of 150 metros for brickmasons nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Buffalo and Syracuse.
It's one of 5 New York metros with published pay for this trade; see brickmason pay in New York.
Brickmason pay in Rochester at a glance
- Brickmasons in the Rochester, NY metro earn a median $73,860 a year ($35.51 an hour), #41 of 150 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $50,440 and $94,350.
- After local prices, that median buys what $76,117 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,131 a month, 18% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for brickmasons here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and also above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.7%) and the population is shrinking (-0.7% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 570 one-person foundation, framing & exterior work businesses averaging $73,693 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $87/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Rochester scorecard for brickmasons Our calculation
Grades compare Rochester with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($62,950).
Pay over time
The median pay for brickmasons in the Rochester area went from $61,750 in 2020 to $73,860 in 2025, up 19.6%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -4.6% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Rochester Our calculation
Prices in Rochester run 3% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $76,117 would in a typical place, ranking #38 of 149 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a cost-of-living budget for Rochester from this pay, local rent and prices.
What brickmasons do
Lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances, to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers, and other structures.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
- Construct corners by fastening in plumb position a corner pole or building a corner pyramid of bricks, and filling in between the corners using a line from corner to corner to steer each course, or layer, of brick.
- Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
- Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
- Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, brickmason jobs are projected to grow 1.1% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 4,100 openings a year. About 18% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often brickmasons deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Getting started: registered apprenticeship Government data
Most brickmasons train through a paid apprenticeship: you work and earn under experienced pros while taking classes, and pay usually rises as you progress. 727,586 people were active registered apprentices nationwide in FY2026, up 87% since FY2016, and construction is the largest field with 290,043 of them (40%), according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Search apprenticeship openings near Rochester ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Licensing in New York Official source
New York licenses most trades at the city or county level (e.g. New York City). Check with the building or licensing office where you plan to work.
Requirements for brickmasons vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, brickmasons have 131 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.5× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is falls, slips and trips.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying NY metros for brickmasons
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New YorkNEW YORK · NY | $92,300 | $81,999 | 3,010 |
| AlbanyNEW YORK · NY | $76,890 | $77,225 | 80 |
| BuffaloNEW YORK · NY | $76,800 | $80,130 | 290 |
| SyracuseNEW YORK · NY | $73,880 | $77,166 | 180 |
| RochesterNEW YORK · NY | $73,860 | $76,117 | 180 |
See every metro in New York.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Rochester area's unemployment rate was 3.7% in 2025 (all workers, not just brickmasons), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.9% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Rochester area is 21 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 7% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 74% drive alone, 1% take transit and 12% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Rochester area's population shrank 0.7% from 2020 to 2025 (1,063,676 → 1,056,149), ranking #326 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -3,326).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Rochester
The Rochester area has about 484,702 homes. 67% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 7% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 66% of households own their home, and the median home value is $234,100.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Rochester are roughly flat from 2021 to 2025 (1,774 → 1,750).
In 2025 the Rochester area approved permits for 1,750 new homes (1,251 single-family), or 1.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #318 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 570 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $73,693 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Rochester compares among the best cities to start a brickmason business.
They compete with 367 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 2,168 workers in total). 74% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Rochester Government data
In an average year, Rochester has 8 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 129 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 81 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 102 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 80°F and winter nights 21°F. That matters for brickmasons: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Rochester Gtr International Airport, NY station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $73,860 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get brickmason pricing & estimate templates →Compare Rochester with another city →
Keep exploring
Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for brickmasonsRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in RochesterSee where it falls among local brickmasons, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolRochester budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Rochester metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Rochester against every other metro for brickmasons. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.