Statewide pay Government data
Brickmasons in Pennsylvania earn a statewide median of $69,560 a year, 11% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #15 of 49 states and DC. About 2,910 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Pennsylvania
See all states on the brickmasons nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes brickmason pay for 9 Pennsylvania metros. The highest-paying is Altoona at $92,010, followed by Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| AltoonaPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $92,010 | $102,796 | 70 |
| PittsburghPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $76,940 | $81,271 | 590 |
| PhiladelphiaPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $75,970 | $74,078 | 1,210 |
| HarrisburgPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $72,730 | $73,725 | 80 |
| ReadingPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $69,990 | $72,110 | 90 |
| LancasterPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $63,430 | $64,555 | 350 |
| AllentownPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $62,400 | $62,420 | 100 |
| YorkPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $60,140 | $62,646 | 60 |
| EriePENNSYLVANIA · PA | $58,740 | $64,585 | 40 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Pennsylvania's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
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.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,100 openings a year. Typical training: apprenticeship.
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.
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 ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Registered apprenticeships Government data
Of brickmason apprentices in Pennsylvania who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 38% completed (U.S.: 37%), about 30 graduates a year. The typical program runs 6,000 hours, about 3 years of full-time work. Some apprentices here are registered through a state agency that reports only partly to the federal system, so counts may be low. Search open registered programs near you on the official Apprenticeship Finder.
U.S. Department of Labor, RAPIDS apprentice records (Completion Rate Analysis), FY2020–2024 exits.
Serious injuries & deaths reported to OSHA Government data
From 2015 to 2024, masonry contractors in Pennsylvania filed 35 severe injury reports (a hospital stay, amputation or loss of an eye), 3 of them involving an amputation. The most common cause was falls, slips and trips (54% of reports). These cover everyone at those employers, not only brickmasons. OSHA also opened 7 fatality investigations at masonry contractors in Pennsylvania over the same years (federal and state programs).
OSHA Severe Injury Reports, January 2015–December 2024 (states under federal OSHA only).
Fatality investigations: OSHA Fatality Inspection Data, events 2015–2024, all states.
Where to train in Pennsylvania Government data
9 schools in Pennsylvania offer masonry programs below the bachelor's level, 8 of them at public colleges. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamson College of the Trades Media, PA · Private nonprofit | Associate degree | $38,050 | 13 | — |
| Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Lancaster, PA · Public | Associate degree | $19,898 | 10 | — |
| Berks Career & Technology Center Leesport, PA · Public | Certificate | $16,006 | 2 | — |
| Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Lancaster, PA · Public | Certificate | $19,898 | 1 | — |
| Clearfield County Career and Technology Center Clearfield, PA · Public | Certificate | $23,525 | 0 | — |
| Lehigh Career & Technical Institute Schnecksville, PA · Public | Certificate | $27,445 | 0 | — |
| Indiana County Technology Center Indiana, PA · Public | Certificate | $25,636 | 0 | — |
| Greater Altoona Career & Technology Center Altoona, PA · Public | Certificate | $21,091 | 0 | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Licensing in Pennsylvania Official source
The main state licensing office in Pennsylvania is the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Home improvement contractors register with the state; most trades are licensed locally. It can point you to the right license for brickmasons.
Official Pennsylvania licensing site ↗
Requirements for brickmasons vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 10.9% of wage and salary workers in Pennsylvania were union members, above the U.S. rate of about 10% (#20 of 51 states and D.C.), and 11.7% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only brickmasons.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Pennsylvania
All trades in Pennsylvania.