Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Tile Setter Salary in Columbus
2024 BLS OEWS Data · Construction · COL Index: 93
Tile Setters in Columbus, OH earn a median annual wage of $48,700 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $37,820 and the 90th at $64,180. After cost of living, that translates to $52,366 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: D (42/100).
What Tile Setters Take Home in Columbus
The $26,360 spread between entry-level and top-decile tile setters in Columbus is relatively narrow — about 54% of the median. That tight band usually signals a trade where pay scales primarily with experience rather than employer or specialization. New entrants can expect to climb steadily toward median pay over their first 5-10 years.
Columbus's cost-of-living index of 93 sits below the U.S. average, so the $48,700 median wage for tile setters here actually translates upward — to roughly $52,366 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Below-average rent, groceries, and services mean wages tend to go further here than nominal numbers suggest.
With a Trade Pay Score of 42 (D), this trade-city pairing is below average. That typically reflects either weak nominal wages, sluggish 5-year wage growth, a high cost of living that hollows out real pay, or some combination. Workers should examine both the per-trade page (other cities for the same trade) and the per-city page (other trades in the same metro) to find a stronger fit.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Level | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Apprentice / Entry) | $37,820 | $40,667 |
| 25th Percentile (Early Career) | $44,940 | $48,323 |
| 50th Percentile (Journeyman / Median) | $48,700 | $52,366 |
| 75th Percentile (Experienced) | $60,590 | $65,151 |
| 90th Percentile (Master / Foreman) | $64,180 | $69,011 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure here comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — a survey of about 1.2 million employers per release covering more than 800 occupations and every U.S. metropolitan statistical area. The Trade Pay Score combines raw median pay (30%), 5-year wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade. Read the full methodology.
Career outlook detail — projected 2032 employment levels for tile setters, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in Columbus are listed at apprenticeship.gov. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Tile Setter make in Columbus?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median tile setter salary in Columbus, OH is $48,700. The 10th percentile is $37,820 (typical for entry-level or apprentice-tier positions); the 90th percentile reaches $64,180 (master, foreman, or specialty roles).
How does Columbus pay compare for Tile Setters?
With a Trade Pay Score of 42/100 and a grade of D, the Columbus-Tile Setter pairing is below average — workers should consider whether a different metro for the same trade might deliver a higher grade.
What is the apprenticeship path for Tile Setters in Columbus?
Tile Setters typically complete a 3-year registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay, starting around the 10th percentile ($37,820) and progressing toward the median. Registered apprenticeship programs in the area are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
How does cost of living affect Tile Setter pay in Columbus?
Columbus has a cost-of-living index of 93. The median tile setter salary of $48,700 translates to $52,366 in U.S.-average purchasing power — an upward adjustment because the metro is less expensive than average.
Where does this salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is a real BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median or percentile from the 2024 release at https://www.bls.gov/oes/, which surveys roughly 1.2 million U.S. employers per release. Career outlook context (projected employment growth through 2032) comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. Both are public-domain U.S. government data sources.
Tile Setters in Columbus, OH earn a median annual wage of $48,700 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $37,820 and the 90th at $64,180. After cost of living, that translates to $52,366 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: D (42/100).
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.