Tile Setters in the Cleveland area earn a median of $49,910 a year, 1% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #65 of 120 metros for tile setter pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Akron.
It's one of 7 Ohio metros with published pay for this trade; see tile setters across Ohio.
Tile Setter pay in Cleveland at a glance
- Tile setters in the Cleveland, OH metro earn a median $49,910 a year ($23.99 an hour), #65 of 120 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $38,260 and $73,170.
- After local prices, that median buys what $53,139 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,039 a month, 25% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among tile setters in Cleveland.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for tile setters here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and above 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 shrinking (-0.8% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 5,315 one-person building finishing work businesses averaging $64,505 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $66/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Cleveland scorecard for tile setters Our calculation
Grades compare Cleveland 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 Cleveland Our calculation
Prices in Cleveland run 6% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $53,139 would in a typical place, ranking #49 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 monthly budget for Cleveland 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 Ohio Official source
The main state licensing office in Ohio is the Ohio Department of Commerce. Home of the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board. It can point you to the right license for tile setters.
Official Ohio 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 OH metros for tile setters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ClevelandOHIO · OH | $49,910 | $53,139 | 150 |
| ColumbusOHIO · OH | $47,050 | $49,283 | 130 |
| AkronOHIO · OH | $46,760 | $50,080 | 50 |
| CincinnatiOHIO · OH | $46,630 | $48,894 | 110 |
| DaytonOHIO · OH | $46,190 | $49,831 | 50 |
| ToledoOHIO · OH | $45,090 | $49,303 | 50 |
| YoungstownOHIO · OH | $42,700 | $48,859 | 40 |
See every metro in Ohio.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Cleveland 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 5.8% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Cleveland area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 10% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 72% drive alone, 2% take transit and 14% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Cleveland area's population shrank 0.8% from 2020 to 2025 (2,184,166 → 2,165,775), ranking #329 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Cleveland
The Cleveland area has about 1,022,657 homes. 70% 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. 68% of households own their home, and the median home value is $234,700.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Cleveland are roughly flat from 2024 to 2025 (4,289 → 4,174).
In 2025 the Cleveland area approved permits for 4,174 new homes (2,866 single-family), or 1.9 per 1,000 residents, ranking #301 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 5,315 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $64,505 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Cleveland compares among the best cities to start a tile setter business.
They compete with 737 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 4,764 workers in total). 68% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Cleveland Government data
In an average year, Cleveland has 9 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 92 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 74 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 79°F and winter nights 26°F. That matters for tile setters: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Cleveland Burke Airport, OH 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 $49,910 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 Cleveland 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 ClevelandSee where it falls among local tile setters, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolCleveland budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Cleveland 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 Cleveland against every other metro for tile setters. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.