Tile and Stone Setters Salary
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, tile and stone setters earn $59,770 at the median, or about $28.73 an hour. The range runs from $45K at the entry level to $110K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.9), so that salary is closer to $54,386 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $4,214/month, about 108% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $60K get you in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Cruz-Watsonville’s Regional Price Parity (109.9). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About tile and stone setters
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What this looks like in Santa Cruz-Watsonville
Tile and stone setters pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville tracks closely to the national median, $60K locally vs. $56K nationwide, a 7% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $4,214/month, which is 105% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 10% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.9), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tile and stone setters in metros near Santa Cruz-Watsonville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $59K | $52K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $64K | $56K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $55K | $52K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $58K | $52K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Entry-level tile and stone setters (10th percentile) start around $45K. Mid-career wages sit at $60K. Top earners bring in $110K or more, a $65K spread from bottom to top.
Tile and Stone Setters pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Tile and Stone Setters salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $81K | +46% | 410 |
| Hawaii | $79K | +42% | 440 |
| Washington | $78K | +40% | 660 |
| Maine | $71K | +27% | 60 |
| Minnesota | $71K | +27% | 610 |
| Pennsylvania | $70K | +26% | 880 |
| Illinois | $67K | +21% | 730 |
| Connecticut | $63K | +13% | 230 |
| Wisconsin | $63K | +13% | 410 |
| New Jersey | $62K | +12% | 460 |
| New York | $61K | +10% | 2,990 |
| Nevada | $61K | +10% | 1,450 |
| Missouri | $61K | +9% | 470 |
| Nebraska | $59K | +7% | N/A |
| California | $59K | +6% | 8,250 |
| Oregon | $59K | +6% | 790 |
| Montana | $59K | +5% | 240 |
| Colorado | $58K | +4% | 870 |
| Vermont | $56K | +0% | 140 |
| Kansas | $55K | -1% | 310 |
| Iowa | $54K | -2% | 240 |
| Arizona | $52K | -7% | 1,060 |
| West Virginia | $51K | -9% | 50 |
| South Dakota | $51K | -9% | 30 |
| New Hampshire | $50K | -10% | 40 |
| Utah | $49K | -11% | 1,590 |
| Rhode Island | $49K | -12% | N/A |
| Virginia | $49K | -12% | 750 |
| Indiana | $48K | -13% | 540 |
| Michigan | $48K | -14% | 1,010 |
| Idaho | $48K | -14% | 570 |
| Georgia | $48K | -14% | 360 |
| Kentucky | $47K | -15% | 180 |
| Florida | $47K | -15% | 4,070 |
| Texas | $47K | -16% | 1,260 |
| Ohio | $46K | -17% | 670 |
| Maryland | $46K | -18% | 240 |
| Alabama | $45K | -20% | 260 |
| Louisiana | $45K | -20% | 190 |
| North Carolina | $45K | -20% | 680 |
| New Mexico | $45K | -20% | 280 |
| Oklahoma | $44K | -20% | 280 |
| Tennessee | $44K | -22% | 350 |
| South Carolina | $44K | -22% | N/A |
| North Dakota | $43K | -23% | 70 |
| Mississippi | $39K | -30% | 60 |
| Arkansas | $39K | -30% | 160 |
Showing 1–10 of 47 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track tile and stone setters salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Santa Cruz-Watsonville numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a tile and stone setter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $60K, rent takes 105% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $4,214/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for tile and stone setters in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tile and stone setters typically earn — is $45K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,729/month. At HUD’s $4,214/month FMR, rent would take 154% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is tile and stone setter a high-paying job in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $60K locally vs. $56K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville compare to the national average for tile and stone setters?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville pays $60K median vs. the U.S. average of $56K — that’s +7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $54K — below the national median.
How much do tile and stone setters make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The median is $59,770 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $45,490, and experienced tile and stone setters can clear $110,300. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $60K enough to live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,015/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $4,214/month, which eats 105% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a tile and stone setters salary go in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville has a Regional Price Parity of 109.9 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median tile and stone setters salary is worth about $54,386 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do tile and stone setters get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.