Tile Setters in the Kiryas Joel area earn a median of $59,700 a year, 18% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #29 of 120 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Bridgeport and New York.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for tile setters here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and also above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.6%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+3.0% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 1,286 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $69,350 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $75/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Kiryas Joel scorecard for tile setters Our calculation
Grades compare Kiryas Joel 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 Kiryas Joel Our calculation
Prices in the Kiryas Joel area run 9% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $54,559 would in a typical place, ranking #41 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 New York Official source
New York licenses most trades at the city or county level (e.g. New York City). 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 NY metros for tile setters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| RochesterNEW YORK · NY | $61,710 | $63,596 | 110 |
| New YorkNEW YORK · NY | $61,410 | $54,556 | 2,600 |
| SyracuseNEW YORK · NY | $60,290 | $62,971 | 100 |
| Kiryas JoelNEW YORK · NY | $59,700 | $54,559 | 80 |
| BuffaloNEW YORK · NY | $58,250 | $60,776 | 110 |
| AlbanyNEW YORK · NY | $57,670 | $57,921 | 110 |
See every metro in New York.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Kiryas Joel area's unemployment rate was 3.6% in 2025 (all workers, not just tile setters), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Kiryas Joel area is 34 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 26% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 69% drive alone, 6% take transit and 12% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Kiryas Joel area's population grew 3.0% from 2020 to 2025 (697,282 → 718,377), ranking #169 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +9,478) account for part of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Kiryas Joel
The Kiryas Joel area has about 276,690 homes. 58% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 9% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 67% of households own their home, and the median home value is $434,900.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Kiryas Joel are down 21% from 2024 to 2025 (2,805 → 2,220).
In 2025 the Kiryas Joel area approved permits for 2,220 new homes (841 single-family), or 3.1 per 1,000 residents, ranking #215 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 1,286 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $69,350 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 383 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 1,375 workers in total). 84% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
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 $59,700 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 Kiryas Joel 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.