How much does a tile installer charge per hour in California?
Typical tile installer rate, California
$69/hr
Most tile installers in California charge $56 to $87 an hour. A full 8-hour day runs about $552.
Updated October 2026 · Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
How we got $69
| Median tile installer wage in California | $28.31 |
|---|---|
| × 1.4 payroll taxes, workers' comp, insurance | $39.63 |
| ÷ 0.8 for hours nobody gets billed (driving, supply runs, estimates) | $49.54 |
| × 1.4 overhead (truck, tools, office) and profit | $69.36 |
| Typical rate | $69/hr |
What tile installers earn in California
| Pay level | Wage | Charges about |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level (10th percentile) | $19.23 | $47/hr |
| 25th percentile | $22.86 | $56/hr |
| Median (middle) | $28.31 | $69/hr |
| 75th percentile | $35.61 | $87/hr |
| Top earners (90th percentile) | $48.00 | $118/hr |
8,250 tile installers work in California. The middle earner makes $58,880 a year. Wages are from the BLS Tile and Stone Setters category.
How California compares
California tile installers earn 6% above the U.S., ranking #15 of 47 states for tile installer pay (#1 pays the most). The typical U.S. rate is $66 an hour.
| State | Typical | Most charge |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $93/hr | $72 to $120 |
| Washington | $92/hr | $74 to $115 |
| California | $69/hr | $56 to $87 |
| Oregon | $69/hr | $55 to $85 |
| United States | $66/hr | $53 to $83 |
What drives tile installer prices
Tile is often priced by the square foot, with more for small mosaics, large-format tile, patterns and shower waterproofing. Layout and surface prep take more hours than most people expect.
Common questions
How much does a tile installer charge per hour in California?
Most tile installers in California charge between $56 and $87 an hour, and about $69 is typical. A full 8-hour day runs about $552. These are estimates built from what tile installers earn in California (a median of $28.31 an hour, BLS May 2025), not quotes.
Why do tile installers charge so much more than they earn?
The wage is only part of the cost. On top of $28.31 an hour, the employer pays payroll taxes, workers' comp and insurance (about $39.63 in total), loses paid hours to driving, supply runs and estimates that nobody is billed for (about $49.54 per billed hour), and has to cover the truck, tools, office and a profit. That's how $28.31 becomes about $69.
What's the lowest rate a tile installer in California can charge without losing money?
About $50 an hour for a tile installer paid the California median. That covers pay, payroll taxes, insurance and unbilled time, but nothing for the truck, tools, office or profit, so a rate below it loses money on every hour.
Other trades in California
Rates are BidFlow estimates, not quotes. Each starts with the May 2025 wage from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, then multiplies by 1.4 for payroll taxes and insurance, divides by 0.8 for hours that can't be billed, and multiplies by 1.4 for overhead and profit. Updated October 2026. How we calculate
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