Statewide pay Government data
Plasterers in Pennsylvania earn a statewide median of $70,030 a year, 19% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #9 of 28 states. About 180 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Pennsylvania
See all states on the plasterer overview.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes plasterer pay for 2 Pennsylvania metros: Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhiladelphiaPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $78,200 | $76,253 | 80 |
| PittsburghPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $66,330 | $70,064 | 50 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
The job (national)
Apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials. May also set ornamental plaster.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,500 openings a year. Typical training: long-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, plasterers have 157 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.8× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
What the work is like Government data
How often plasterers 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.
Registered apprenticeships Government data
Of plasterer apprentices in Pennsylvania who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 42% completed (U.S.: 34%), about 4 graduates a year. The typical program runs 4,000 hours, about 2 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, drywall and plaster contractors in Pennsylvania filed 33 severe injury reports (a hospital stay, amputation or loss of an eye), 2 of them involving an amputation. The most common cause was falls, slips and trips (76% of reports). These cover everyone at those employers, not only plasterers.
OSHA Severe Injury Reports, January 2015–December 2024 (states under federal OSHA only).
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 plasterers.
Official Pennsylvania licensing site ↗
Requirements for plasterers 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 plasterers.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Pennsylvania
All trades in Pennsylvania.