Plasterers and Stucco Masons
Also called: Applicator, Plaster Mechanic, Plasterer, Plasterer JourneymanApply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials. May also set ornamental plaster.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 15 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 98% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.12.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $49,510 | $46,390 to $60,460 | 1,910 |
| California | $59,940 | $49,730 to $74,130 | 6,780 |
| Colorado | $47,570 | $41,960 to $73,490 | 480 |
| Florida | $47,420 | $39,180 to $52,760 | 1,970 |
| Hawaii | $104,260 | $79,490 to $106,890 | 110 |
| Illinois | $93,790 | $76,290 to $105,660 | 270 |
| Indiana | $53,930 | $48,580 to $63,170 | 60 |
| Kansas | $53,440 | $48,560 to $59,880 | 80 |
| Louisiana | $49,950 | $44,550 to $56,070 | 40 |
| Maryland | $56,890 | $51,900 to $60,810 | 140 |
| Massachusetts | not published | not published | 260 |
| Michigan | $72,990 | $62,370 to $77,450 | 210 |
| Minnesota | $102,530 | $66,990 to $108,160 | 160 |
| Missouri | $79,380 | $73,420 to $87,710 | 420 |
| Montana | $46,540 | $46,340 to $58,740 | 50 |
| Nevada | $53,610 | $48,390 to $64,020 | 1,150 |
| New Hampshire | $93,000 | $61,260 to $104,520 | not published |
| New Jersey | $69,990 | $62,060 to $96,600 | 50 |
| New Mexico | $45,350 | $37,440 to $56,040 | 460 |
| New York | $120,180 | $73,000 to $120,190 | not published |
| Ohio | $62,200 | $52,570 to $65,240 | 180 |
| Oklahoma | $49,450 | $49,450 to $49,800 | not published |
| Oregon | $71,180 | $56,470 to $82,210 | 170 |
| Pennsylvania | $70,030 | $62,600 to $78,200 | 180 |
| Texas | $51,140 | $45,920 to $60,370 | 1,400 |
| Utah | $53,710 | $48,930 to $68,660 | 820 |
| Virginia | $64,120 | $56,730 to $64,310 | 100 |
| Washington | $51,840 | $48,370 to $58,860 | 440 |
| Wisconsin | $50,700 | $48,270 to $54,090 | 40 |
Nationally: $57,660. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 15 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Apply coats of plaster or stucco to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using trowels, brushes, or spray guns. | Not published |
| Not much | Cover surfaces such as windows, doors, or sidewalks to protect from splashing. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean job sites. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and prepare surfaces for applications of plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials, such as by drywall taping. | Not published |
| Not much | Mix mortar and plaster to desired consistency or direct workers who perform mixing. | Not published |
| Not much | Create decorative textures in finish coat, using brushes or trowels, sand, pebbles, or stones. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
See all 15 tasks
| Not much | Cure freshly plastered surfaces. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| AI + software | Determine materials needed to complete the job and place orders accordingly. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Rough the undercoat surface with a scratcher so the finish coat will adhere. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Set up scaffolds. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Apply weatherproof, decorative coverings to exterior surfaces of buildings, such as by troweling or spraying on coats of stucco. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | 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. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Spray acoustic materials or texture finish over walls or ceilings. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Install guide wires on exterior surfaces of buildings to indicate thickness of plaster or stucco and nail wire mesh, lath, or similar materials to the outside surface to hold stucco in place. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Mold or install ornamental plaster pieces, panels, or trim. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 15 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 15 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #36 Purchase goods or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apply decorative finishes | |||
| Build structures | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Perform general construction or extraction activities | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Determine resource needs of projects or operations | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly |
Show all 10 activities
| Fabricate devices or components | |||
| Set up protective structures or coverings near work areas |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report16%
- Advice or a recommendation12%
- A chart or visualization12%
- Data or a spreadsheet12%
- A plan or strategy12%
How they worked with Claude
60% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for plasterers and stucco masons specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 604 moves out
- 1 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 15%
- 2 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 14%
- 3 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 7%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 6%
Where people moved in from
of 681 moves in
- 1 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 12%
- 2 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 11%
- 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 10%
- 4 Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity Moderate +4.1% 9%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 9%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 68% less than high school
- 28% high school
- 3% postsecondary certificate
- 1% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 26 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 47% less than high school
- 35% high school
- 14% some college
- 3% associate's
- 1% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 173 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (PLASTERER). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Plasterers and Stucco Masons” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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