Plasterers and Stucco Masons
Apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials. May also set ornamental plaster.
Also called: Applicator · Artisan Plasterer · Plaster and Stucco Worker · Plaster Applicator · Plaster Mechanic · Plasterer
Median pay (national)
$56,020
$38,610–$92,930 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
20,880
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+4.1%
~1,900 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for plasterers and stucco masons shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $92,930 versus $38,610 at the bottom 10% — 2.4x. The median of $56,020 leaves roughly 66% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +4.1% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 1,900 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 32 states with released data, Hawaii pays the most for this role (median $99,070, +77% vs the national median), while Georgia sits lowest at $41,130 — a 141% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Apply coats of plaster or stucco to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using trowels, brushes, or spray guns.
- Clean and prepare surfaces for applications of plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials, such as by drywall taping.
- Cover surfaces such as windows, doors, or sidewalks to protect from splashing.
- Mix mortar and plaster to desired consistency or direct workers who perform mixing.
- Create decorative textures in finish coat, using brushes or trowels, sand, pebbles, or stones.
- Apply insulation to building exteriors by installing prefabricated insulation systems over existing walls or by covering the outer wall with insulation board, reinforcing mesh, and a base coat.
- Clean job sites.
- Apply weatherproof, decorative coverings to exterior surfaces of buildings, such as by troweling or spraying on coats of stucco.
- Rough the undercoat surface with a scratcher so the finish coat will adhere.
- Set up scaffolds.
Tools & technology
- Linux
- Oracle Database
- Salesforce software
- A-Systems JobView
- Autodesk 3ds Max Design
- Autodesk Maya
- Construction Software Center EasyEst
- Corel Paint Shop Pro
- Corel Painter
- Cost estimating software
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Embedded systems development software
- IBM Maximo Asset Management
- Sage Construction Anywhere
- Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal
- Microsoft Excel
Knowledge areas
- Building and Construction
- Administration and Management
- Design
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Public Safety and Security
- Mathematics
- Mechanical