How much does a tile installer charge per hour in North Carolina?
Typical tile installer rate, North Carolina
$53/hr
Most tile installers in North Carolina charge $47 to $60 an hour. A full 8-hour day runs about $424.
Updated October 2026 · Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
How we got $53
| Median tile installer wage in North Carolina | $21.47 |
|---|---|
| × 1.4 payroll taxes, workers' comp, insurance | $30.06 |
| ÷ 0.8 for hours nobody gets billed (driving, supply runs, estimates) | $37.57 |
| × 1.4 overhead (truck, tools, office) and profit | $52.60 |
| Typical rate | $53/hr |
What tile installers earn in North Carolina
| Pay level | Wage | Charges about |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level (10th percentile) | $16.87 | $41/hr |
| 25th percentile | $19.02 | $47/hr |
| Median (middle) | $21.47 | $53/hr |
| 75th percentile | $24.36 | $60/hr |
| Top earners (90th percentile) | $27.93 | $68/hr |
680 tile installers work in North Carolina. The middle earner makes $44,650 a year. Wages are from the BLS Tile and Stone Setters category.
How North Carolina compares
North Carolina tile installers earn 20% below the U.S., ranking #40 of 47 states for tile installer pay (#1 pays the most). The typical U.S. rate is $66 an hour.
| State | Typical | Most charge |
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | $60/hr | $50 to $66 |
| Virginia | $58/hr | $45 to $73 |
| Georgia | $56/hr | $51 to $68 |
| Florida | $56/hr | $45 to $71 |
| Maryland | $54/hr | $45 to $61 |
| North Carolina | $53/hr | $47 to $60 |
| South Carolina | $51/hr | $46 to $65 |
| 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 North Carolina?
Most tile installers in North Carolina charge between $47 and $60 an hour, and about $53 is typical. A full 8-hour day runs about $424. These are estimates built from what tile installers earn in North Carolina (a median of $21.47 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 $21.47 an hour, the employer pays payroll taxes, workers' comp and insurance (about $30.06 in total), loses paid hours to driving, supply runs and estimates that nobody is billed for (about $37.57 per billed hour), and has to cover the truck, tools, office and a profit. That's how $21.47 becomes about $53.
What's the lowest rate a tile installer in North Carolina can charge without losing money?
About $38 an hour for a tile installer paid the North Carolina 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 North Carolina
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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