Tile Setters in the Springfield area earn a median of $42,210 a year, 16% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #116 of 120 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Kansas City and St. Louis.
It's one of 3 Missouri metros with published pay for this trade; see tile setters across Missouri.
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 (3.7%) and the population is growing faster than most (+5.1% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 1,222 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $62,463 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $59/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Springfield scorecard for tile setters Our calculation
Grades compare Springfield 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).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Springfield Our calculation
Prices in Springfield run 11% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $47,649 would in a typical place, ranking #95 of 120 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. 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.
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 Missouri Official source
Missouri licenses most trades at the city or county level. Check with the building or licensing office where you plan to work.
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 MO metros for tile setters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. LouisMISSOURI · MO | $63,640 | $66,927 | 280 |
| Kansas CityMISSOURI · MO | $57,100 | $61,701 | 290 |
| SpringfieldMISSOURI · MO | $42,210 | $47,649 | 50 |
See every metro in Missouri.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Springfield area's unemployment rate was 3.7% in 2025 (all workers, not just tile setters), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.3% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Springfield area is 22 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 9% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 77% drive alone, 0% take transit and 9% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Springfield area's population grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025 (476,379 → 500,694), ranking #95 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +24,043) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Springfield
The Springfield area has about 217,079 homes. 39% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 16% were built in 2010 or later. 65% of households own their home, and the median home value is $260,000.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Springfield are down 33% from 2021 to 2025 (2,638 → 1,761).
In 2025 the Springfield area approved permits for 1,761 new homes (1,407 single-family), or 3.6 per 1,000 residents, ranking #189 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 1,222 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $62,463 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Springfield compares among the best cities to start a tile setter business.
They compete with 185 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 1,056 workers in total). 69% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Springfield Government data
In an average year, Springfield has 40 days at 90°F or hotter (about typical; typical metro 33), including 2 at 100°F or more, 95 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 70 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 14 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 88°F and winter nights 27°F. That matters for tile setters: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Springfield, MO station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $42,210 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. 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 Springfield with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.