Tile Setters in the Birmingham area earn a median of $45,390 a year, 10% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #101 of 120 metros for tile setter pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Huntsville.
It's one of 2 Alabama metros with published pay for this trade; see tile setters across Alabama.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for tile setters here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (2.7%) and the population is growing slowly (+1.4% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 1,948 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $70,670 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $62/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Birmingham scorecard for tile setters Our calculation
Grades compare Birmingham 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 ($50,495).
Pay over time
The median pay for tile setters in the Birmingham area went from $34,890 in 2021 to $45,390 in 2025, up 30.1%. Prices rose 19% over the same period, so after inflation that's +8.9% — a real raise.
BLS OEWS, May 2021–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among tile setters in Birmingham.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker.
What the pay is really worth in Birmingham Our calculation
Prices in Birmingham run 8% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $49,529 would in a typical place, ranking #75 of 120 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 monthly budget for Birmingham from this pay, local rent and prices.
What tile setters do
Apply hard tile, stone, and comparable materials to walls, floors, ceilings, countertops, and roof decks.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges.
- Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge.
- Cut and shape tile to fit around obstacles and into odd spaces and corners, using hand and power cutting tools.
- Determine and implement the best layout to achieve a desired pattern.
- Mix, apply, and spread plaster, concrete, mortar, cement, mastic, glue or other adhesives to form a bed for the tiles, using brush, trowel and screed.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, tile setter jobs are projected to grow 9.8% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 3,300 openings a year. About 21% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often tile setters 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 Alabama Official source
The main state licensing office in Alabama is the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors. Electrical, HVAC and plumbing have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for tile setters.
Official Alabama licensing site ↗
Requirements for tile setters vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, tile setters have 138 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.6× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying AL metros for tile setters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| HuntsvilleALABAMA · AL | $46,680 | $50,155 | 30 |
| BirminghamALABAMA · AL | $45,390 | $49,529 | 70 |
See every metro in Alabama.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Birmingham area's unemployment rate was 2.7% in 2025 (all workers, not just tile setters), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.1% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Birmingham area is 27 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 16% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 79% drive alone, 1% take transit and 11% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Birmingham area's population grew 1.4% from 2020 to 2025 (1,181,801 → 1,197,766), ranking #239 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +18,755) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Birmingham
The Birmingham area has about 533,756 homes. 46% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 13% were built in 2010 or later. 71% of households own their home, and the median home value is $263,900.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Birmingham are up 6% from 2021 to 2025 (3,984 → 4,219).
In 2025 the Birmingham area approved permits for 4,219 new homes (3,116 single-family), or 3.6 per 1,000 residents, ranking #189 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 1,948 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $70,670 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Birmingham compares among the best cities to start a tile setter business.
They compete with 285 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 1,937 workers in total). 67% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Birmingham Government data
In an average year, Birmingham has 65 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 2 at 100°F or more, 47 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 81 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 1 inch of snow. Summer afternoons average 90°F and winter nights 37°F. That matters for tile setters: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Birmingham Airport, AL 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 $45,390 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 tile setter pricing & estimate templates →Compare Birmingham with another city →
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ToolBest cities for tile settersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in BirminghamSee where it falls among local tile setters, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolBirmingham budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Birmingham 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 Birmingham against every other metro for tile setters. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.