Best Cities for Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setterss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setterss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	MissouriState	1.51	$63,720	$71,919	19%
2	WashingtonState	1.49	$76,180	$70,997	30%
3	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.43	$77,990	$68,233	34%
4	IowaState	1.40	$59,220	$66,390	19%
5	WisconsinState	1.35	$59,390	$64,345	22%
6	OhioState	1.34	$57,410	$63,507	22%
7	PennsylvaniaState	1.28	$58,930	$60,753	26%
8	IndianaState	1.26	$54,090	$59,768	23%
9	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	1.22	$65,870	$58,035	47%
10	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.20	$61,420	$56,976	35%
11	MassachusettsState	1.18	$61,020	$56,240	44%
12	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.18	$57,980	$56,019	33%
13	DelawareState	1.17	$56,340	$55,782	29%
14	HawaiiState	1.17	$61,020	$55,473	47%
15	New YorkState	1.16	$62,020	$55,129	36%
16	ConnecticutState	1.15	$59,080	$54,907	32%
17	North DakotaState	1.14	$50,120	$54,125	23%
18	South DakotaState	1.14	$49,150	$54,130	23%
19	TennesseeState	1.14	$49,560	$54,164	30%
20	WyomingState	1.09	$48,070	$51,688	25%
21	NebraskaState	1.08	$47,000	$51,366	27%
22	IdahoState	1.07	$48,950	$50,725	29%
23	MontanaState	1.06	$48,710	$50,529	28%
24	OregonState	1.05	$51,230	$49,738	37%
25	UtahState	1.05	$50,100	$50,000	36%
26	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.05	$45,540	$49,934	32%
27	MichiganState	1.04	$45,540	$49,339	29%
28	VermontState	1.02	$49,570	$48,361	34%
29	KansasState	1.01	$43,270	$48,078	29%
30	ColoradoState	1.00	$49,980	$47,419	44%
31	ArkansasState	0.97	$39,810	$46,130	26%
32	New HampshireState	0.96	$48,540	$45,792	39%
33	OklahomaState	0.95	$39,970	$45,164	29%
34	West VirginiaState	0.95	$37,870	$44,976	27%
35	CaliforniaState	0.94	$49,590	$44,797	55%
36	NevadaState	0.94	$44,720	$44,631	39%
37	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.93	$43,470	$44,132	47%
38	New JerseyState	0.92	$47,480	$43,640	45%
39	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	0.91	$52,070	$43,319	72%
40	AlabamaState	0.90	$37,390	$42,928	31%
41	IllinoisState	0.90	$41,530	$42,639	38%
42	VirginiaState	0.89	$43,960	$42,473	43%
43	New MexicoState	0.87	$37,960	$41,261	33%
44	North CarolinaState	0.87	$39,230	$41,557	40%
45	TexasState	0.87	$39,630	$41,454	42%
46	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	0.87	$39,550	$41,284	46%
47	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	0.87	$48,220	$41,391	56%
48	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	0.86	$39,700	$40,844	48%
49	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	0.84	$45,030	$39,920	53%
50	FloridaState	0.83	$40,160	$39,567	51%
51	South CarolinaState	0.83	$36,180	$39,326	42%
52	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.77	$39,470	$36,378	62%
53	District of ColumbiaState	0.76	$41,430	$36,247	61%
54	LouisianaState	0.74	$31,740	$35,228	40%
55	ArizonaState	0.71	$34,220	$33,915	53%
56	MarylandState	0.69	$35,840	$32,821	56%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).