Tile and Stone Setters in Kentucky
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$38,709
after federal, FICA and Kentucky tax
Tax takes
$8,671
18.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$42,788
Kentucky costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Kentucky — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$47,380
Kept after tax
$38,709
Worth in national money
$42,788
State rank
33
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Kentucky is among the lower-paying states for tile and stone setters. The middle earner takes $47,380, ranking 33 of 47 states — about 14.92% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Tile and stone setters ranks 314 among 491 occupations Kentucky publishes pay for.
- Here is where Kentucky does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $47,380 you keep $38,709, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $42,788 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $46,510, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Kentucky ranks 33 of 47 for tile and stone setters, with a median of $47,380 — about 14.92% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Position 314 of 491 in Kentucky places tile and stone setters in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- After federal, FICA and Kentucky income tax, retained pay for tile and stone setters on $47,380 is $38,709. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $42,788 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $46,510 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Tile and Stone Setters
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $34,620 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $47,380 |
| Top tenth earn over | $56,290 |
| This salary | $47,380 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Kentucky | $38,709 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $40,250 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,368 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $45,463 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,654 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of tile and stone setters in Kentucky earn under $47,380 and half over. The published range runs $34,620 at the tenth percentile to $56,290 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Kentucky the take-home figure of $38,709, from $47,380, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 314 of 491 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $42,788 uses one figure for the whole of Kentucky. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 491 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 314.
- Figures are distribution medians for tile and stone setters in Kentucky, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $34,620 to $56,290; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Kentucky is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $38,709 from $47,380. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 314 of 491 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $42,788, worked from $47,380, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Kentucky address, on work sitting at 314 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $34,620 at the tenth percentile, $56,290 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Kentucky is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $42,788 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Kentucky then takes its own share, leaving $38,709.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 47 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($34,620 to $56,290) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Kentucky rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Kentucky's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $42,788 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $38,709 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Kentucky income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 47 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.