Construction and Extraction · Holland code RCA

Plasterers and Stucco Masons

Apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials. May also set ornamental plaster.

Also called: Applicator, Plaster Mechanic, Plasterer, Plasterer Journeyman, Ornamental Plasterer, Plaster Applicator, Plasterer Mechanic, Plastering Contractor.

O*NET 47-2161.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $57,660; Middle half earn $47,970 to $71,310. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Less than a High School Diploma; 68% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Cover surfaces such as windows, doors, or sidewalks to protect from splashing.
Apply coats of plaster or stucco to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using trowels, brushes, or spray guns.
Rough the undercoat surface with a scratcher so the finish coat will adhere.
Set up scaffolds.
Clean and prepare surfaces for applications of plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials, such as by drywall taping.
Cure freshly plastered surfaces.
Create decorative textures in finish coat, using brushes or trowels, sand, pebbles, or stones.
Apply weatherproof, decorative coverings to exterior surfaces of buildings, such as by troweling or spraying on coats of stucco.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.0 / 5
Speaking2.9 / 5
Monitoring2.9 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.8 / 5
Critical Thinking2.8 / 5
Active Learning2.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Building and Construction4.1 / 5
Administration and Management3.2 / 5
Design3.2 / 5
English Language3.1 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.0 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.0 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic100
Investigative9
Artistic26
Social6
Enterprising1
Conventional38

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

plasterer · DE Stuckateur/Stuckateurin · FR plâtrier/plâtrière

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Plasterers (5321)38,800 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.76. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-2161).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test