Tile Setters in the Albuquerque area earn a median of $46,020 a year, 9% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #96 of 120 metros for tile setter salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Las Cruces.
It's one of 2 New Mexico metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide tile setter pay.
Tile Setter pay in Albuquerque at a glance
- Tile setters in the Albuquerque, NM metro earn a median $46,020 a year ($22.13 an hour), #96 of 120 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $34,140 and $58,730.
- After local prices, that median buys what $48,165 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,112 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 Albuquerque.
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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 about the same as in most metros (4.0%) and the population is growing slowly (+0.8% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 963 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $58,945 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $62/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Albuquerque scorecard for tile setters Our calculation
Grades compare Albuquerque 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 Albuquerque area went from $36,750 in 2021 to $46,020 in 2025, up 25.2%. Prices rose 19% over the same period, so after inflation that's +4.9% — 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
What the pay is really worth in Albuquerque Our calculation
Prices in the Albuquerque area run 4% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $48,165 would in a typical place, ranking #88 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 Albuquerque 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 New Mexico Official source
The main state licensing office in New Mexico is the New Mexico Construction Industries Division. It can point you to the right license for tile setters.
Official New Mexico 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 NM metros for tile setters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlbuquerqueNEW MEXICO · NM | $46,020 | $48,165 | 160 |
| Las CrucesNEW MEXICO · NM | $34,970 | $38,764 | 30 |
See every metro in New Mexico.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Albuquerque area's unemployment rate was 4.0% in 2025 (all workers, not just tile setters), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.5% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Albuquerque area is 26 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 12% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 72% drive alone, 0% take transit and 13% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Albuquerque area's population grew 0.8% from 2020 to 2025 (917,692 → 925,279), ranking #261 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +12,936) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Albuquerque
The Albuquerque area has about 408,160 homes. 40% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 11% were built in 2010 or later. 70% of households own their home, and the median home value is $322,700.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Albuquerque are down 30% from 2021 to 2025 (4,021 → 2,830).
In 2025 the Albuquerque area approved permits for 2,830 new homes (1,812 single-family), or 3.1 per 1,000 residents, ranking #215 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 963 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $58,945 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Albuquerque compares among the best cities to start a tile setter business.
They compete with 291 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 2,529 workers in total). 62% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Albuquerque Government data
In an average year, Albuquerque has 64 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 3 at 100°F or more, 93 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 24 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 8 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 90°F and winter nights 28°F. That matters for tile setters: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Albuquerque International Airport, NM 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 $46,020 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 Albuquerque with another city →
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ToolAlbuquerque budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Albuquerque 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 Albuquerque against every other metro for tile setters. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.