Tile Setters in the Modesto area earn a median of $50,970 a year, 1% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #58 of 120 metros for tile setter salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Stockton and San Jose.
It's one of 18 California metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide tile setter pay.
Tile Setter pay in Modesto at a glance
- Tile setters in the Modesto, CA metro earn a median $50,970 a year ($24.50 an hour), #58 of 120 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $37,560 and $76,950.
- After local prices, that median buys what $48,959 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,378 a month, 32% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among tile setters in Modesto.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for tile setters here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (7.2%) and the population is growing slowly (+0.7% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 560 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $50,461 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $67/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Modesto scorecard for tile setters Our calculation
Grades compare Modesto 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 Modesto area went from $53,700 in 2020 to $50,970 in 2025, down 5.1%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -24.3% — 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 Modesto Our calculation
Prices in the Modesto area run 4% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $48,959 would in a typical place, ranking #81 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 Modesto budget on this pay 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 California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for tile setters.
Official California 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 CA metros for tile setters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| VisaliaCALIFORNIA · CA | $71,280 | $71,405 | 110 |
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $64,430 | $55,729 | 1,020 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $62,580 | $56,673 | 430 |
| Santa CruzCALIFORNIA · CA | $59,770 | $54,388 | 50 |
| StocktonCALIFORNIA · CA | $58,970 | $56,114 | 180 |
| Santa MariaCALIFORNIA · CA | $58,680 | $53,935 | 160 |
| Los AngelesCALIFORNIA · CA | $58,600 | $51,600 | 2,170 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $58,430 | $53,585 | 140 |
| San DiegoCALIFORNIA · CA | $58,240 | $52,053 | 910 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $58,070 | $53,876 | 280 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Modesto area's unemployment rate was 7.2% in 2025 (all workers, not just tile setters), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 8.2% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Modesto area is 30 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 22% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 78% drive alone, 1% take transit and 8% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Modesto area's population grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025 (553,702 → 557,719), ranking #266 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -5,617).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Modesto
The Modesto area has about 187,031 homes. 45% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 6% were built in 2010 or later. 62% of households own their home, and the median home value is $468,300.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Modesto are up 49% from 2021 to 2025 (811 → 1,205).
In 2025 the Modesto area approved permits for 1,205 new homes (894 single-family), or 2.2 per 1,000 residents, ranking #280 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 560 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $50,461 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Modesto compares among the best cities to start a tile setter business.
They compete with 203 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 1,632 workers in total). 67% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Licensed contractors
The Modesto area has 97 active C-54 Tile contractor licenses, about 1.8 per 10,000 residents (#12 of 25 California metros, where #1 is the most crowded). That's the competition you'd face bidding your own jobs.
California Contractors State License Board, License Master file, October 2026. Counted by the county in each license's address.
Working outdoors in Modesto Government data
In an average year, Modesto has 90 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 18 at 100°F or more, 12 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 30 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 93°F and winter nights 40°F. That matters for tile setters: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Modesto City Co Airport, CA 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 $50,970 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 Modesto with another city →
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ToolModesto budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Modesto 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 Modesto against every other metro for tile setters. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.