Tile Setters in the Detroit area earn a median of $47,800 a year, 5% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #77 of 120 metros for tile setter salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Toledo.
It's one of 3 Michigan metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide tile setter pay.
Tile Setter pay in Detroit at a glance
- Tile setters in the Detroit, MI metro earn a median $47,800 a year ($22.98 an hour), #77 of 120 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $31,660 and $74,630.
- After local prices, that median buys what $47,658 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,173 a month, 29% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among tile setters in Detroit.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for tile setters here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and also below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (5.0%) and the population is growing slowly (+0.1% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 11,345 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $60,806 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $64/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Detroit scorecard for tile setters Our calculation
Grades compare Detroit 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 Detroit area went from $61,870 in 2020 to $47,800 in 2025, down 22.7%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -38.4% — 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 Detroit Our calculation
Prices in Detroit run 0% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $47,658 would in a typical place, ranking #93 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 Detroit 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 Michigan Official source
The main state licensing office in Michigan is the LARA Bureau of Construction Codes. It can point you to the right license for tile setters.
Official Michigan 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 MI metros for tile setters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| KalamazooMICHIGAN · MI | $60,010 | $63,275 | 30 |
| DetroitMICHIGAN · MI | $47,800 | $47,658 | 470 |
| Grand RapidsMICHIGAN · MI | $46,500 | $48,668 | 180 |
See every metro in Michigan.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Detroit area's unemployment rate was 5.0% in 2025 (all workers, not just tile setters), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.0% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Detroit area is 26 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 15% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 76% drive alone, 1% take transit and 12% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Detroit area's population grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025 (4,385,353 → 4,390,913), ranking #289 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +6,116) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Detroit
The Detroit area has about 1,947,704 homes. 66% 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. 71% of households own their home, and the median home value is $271,600.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Detroit are roughly flat from 2021 to 2025 (8,598 → 8,805).
In 2025 the Detroit area approved permits for 8,805 new homes (4,859 single-family), or 2.0 per 1,000 residents, ranking #294 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 11,345 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $60,806 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Detroit compares among the best cities to start a tile setter business.
They compete with 1,465 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 8,981 workers in total). 72% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Detroit Government data
In an average year, Detroit has 13 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 112 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 67 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 81°F and winter nights 22°F. That matters for tile setters: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Detroit City Airport, MI 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 $47,800 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 Detroit 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 DetroitSee where it falls among local tile setters, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolDetroit budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Detroit 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 Detroit against every other metro for tile setters. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.