Terrazzo Workers and Finishers
Terrazzo Workers and Finishers (SOC 47-2053) earn a median $76,170 a year ($36.62 an hour) in the United States, with 1,180 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is New York.
What terrazzo workers and finishers do
Terrazzo workers and finishers apply a mixture of cement, sand, pigment and marble chips to floors, stairways and cabinet fixtures to make durable, decorative surfaces. They measure the ingredients for the terrazzo or grout according to standard formulas, using graduated containers and scales, and load them into a portable mixer. Metal division strips are cut and pressed into the base to form joints, changes of color, designs or patterns, and to help prevent cracks. Marble chip mixtures are blended and placed into panels, and a roller is pushed over the surface to embed the chips. After curing, the surface is ground with a power grinder or polished with surfacing machines, while curved areas, stairways and cabinet tops that a machine cannot reach are ground with a portable hand grinder. The finished surface is washed, then sealer and curing agent are applied by brush or sprayer. Procedures for mixing, grouting, grinding and cleaning change with the type of installation or material.
Typical entry: Most workers in this occupation report a high school diploma or equivalent as their level of education, according to O*NET.
Also called: Artificial Marble Worker, Build Master, Buildmaster, Coat Agent, Concrete Journeyman.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $22.16 | $26.36 | $36.62 | $55.18 | $60.64 | $40.83 | 1,180 |
| Annual | $46,090 | $54,830 | $76,170 | $114,780 | $126,130 | $84,920 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where terrazzo workers and finishers earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York | Hourly | $35.68 | $51.11 | $59.53 | $60.64 | $60.65 | $53.54 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $74,220 | $106,300 | $123,820 | $126,130 | $126,150 | $111,360 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $21.09 | $47.20 | $51.54 | $51.61 | $51.61 | $44.55 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $43,860 | $98,180 | $107,190 | $107,350 | $107,350 | $92,670 | ||||
| Michigan | Hourly | $31.49 | $32.87 | $34.83 | $36.33 | $36.33 | $34.11 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $65,490 | $68,380 | $72,450 | $75,560 | $75,560 | $70,940 | ||||
| Wisconsin | Hourly | $26.18 | $27.35 | $27.85 | $28.72 | $29.15 | $28.81 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $54,450 | $56,880 | $57,930 | $59,740 | $60,630 | $59,910 | ||||
| New Jersey | Hourly | $23.09 | $23.43 | $27.67 | $34.56 | $35.44 | $28.92 | 100 | 0.02 | 3.04 |
| Annual | $48,020 | $48,740 | $57,550 | $71,880 | $73,710 | $60,140 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New Jersey | Hourly | $23.09 | $23.43 | $27.67 | $34.56 | $35.44 | $28.92 | 100 | 0.02 | 3.04 |
| Annual | $48,020 | $48,740 | $57,550 | $71,880 | $73,710 | $60,140 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $35.44 | $49.69 | $60.64 | $60.64 | $60.65 | $53.26 | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $73,710 | $103,360 | $126,130 | $126,130 | $126,150 | $110,770 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $48,680 for terrazzo workers and finishers in May 2021 and $76,170 in May 2025, with employment of 2,640 and 1,180.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $48,680 | $23.40 | 2,640 |
| May 2022 | $52,330 | $25.16 | 1,460 |
| May 2023 | $48,900 | $23.51 | 1,460 |
| May 2024 | $57,260 | $27.53 | 1,450 |
| May 2025 | $76,170 | $36.62 | 1,180 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
7 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York profile | $59.53 | $123,820 | $74,220 | $126,150 | ** | ** | ** |
| 2 | Illinois profile | $51.54 | $107,190 | $43,860 | $107,350 | ** | ** | ** |
| 3 | Michigan profile | $34.83 | $72,450 | $65,490 | $75,560 | ** | ** | ** |
| 4 | Wisconsin profile | $27.85 | $57,930 | $54,450 | $60,630 | ** | ** | ** |
| 5 | New Jersey profile | $27.67 | $57,550 | $48,020 | $73,710 | 100 | 0.02 | 3.04 |
| 6 | Florida profile | $23.80 | $49,500 | $40,230 | $75,310 | ** | ** | ** |
| 7 | California profile | $19.92 | $41,430 | $40,570 | $54,830 | ** | ** | ** |
Related occupations
Occupations in the same SOC broad group (47-2050), with their national median annual wage.
Part of Construction and Extraction Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 47-2053 Terrazzo Workers and Finishers.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 47-2053, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 47-2053.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.