Plasterers in the Providence area earn a median of $59,590 a year, 1% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #28 of 58 metros for plasterer salaries across the U.S..
It's the only Rhode Island metro with published pay for this trade; see plasterer pay in Rhode Island, including rural areas.
Plasterer pay in Providence at a glance
- Plasterers in the Providence, RI metro earn a median $59,590 a year ($28.65 an hour), #28 of 58 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $33,820 and $63,480.
- After local prices, that median buys what $58,552 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,529 a month, 31% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among plasterers in Providence.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for plasterers here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.7%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+2.1% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 3,914 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $69,950 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $74/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Providence scorecard for plasterers Our calculation
Grades compare Providence 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 ($58,820).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Providence Our calculation
Prices in the Providence area run 2% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $58,552 would in a typical place, ranking #24 of 58 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 Providence budget on this pay from this pay, local rent and prices.
What plasterers do
Apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials. May also set ornamental plaster.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- 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.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, plasterer jobs are projected to grow 2.8% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 1,500 openings a year. About 17% are self-employed.
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.
Licensing in Rhode Island Official source
The main state licensing office in Rhode Island is the Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board. It can point you to the right license for plasterers.
Official Rhode Island licensing site ↗
Requirements for plasterers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
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.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Providence area's unemployment rate was 4.7% in 2025 (all workers, not just plasterers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Providence area is 28 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 19% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 72% drive alone, 2% take transit and 11% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Providence area's population grew 2.1% from 2020 to 2025 (1,673,210 → 1,708,161), ranking #214 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +40,279) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Providence
The Providence area has about 734,331 homes. 68% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 6% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 64% of households own their home, and the median home value is $471,000.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Providence are up 28% from 2021 to 2025 (2,258 → 2,894).
In 2025 the Providence area approved permits for 2,894 new homes (1,169 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 3,914 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $69,950 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Providence compares among the best cities to start a plasterer business.
They compete with 932 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 5,843 workers in total). 74% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Providence Government data
In an average year, Providence has 12 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 109 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 79 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 37 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 81°F and winter nights 24°F. That matters for plasterers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Providence T F Green Airport, RI 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 $59,590 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 plasterer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Providence with another city →
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Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for plasterersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in ProvidenceSee where it falls among local plasterers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolProvidence budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Providence 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 Providence against every other metro for plasterers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.