Plasterers and Stucco Masons
Apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials. May also set ornamental plaster.
19,310 people do this job in the US. $57,660 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 2%
- 0%
- 98%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 2%. Today's estimate: 2%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 15 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 26% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Apply coats of plaster or stucco to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using trowels, brushes, or spray guns.Done daily by most who do it. | 19% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Apply weatherproof, decorative coverings to exterior surfaces of buildings, such as by troweling or spraying on coats of stucco.Done daily by most who do it. | 15% | 5 h2.5 h to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Create decorative textures in finish coat, using brushes or trowels, sand, pebbles, or stones.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Clean and prepare surfaces for applications of plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials, such as by drywall taping.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Spray acoustic materials or texture finish over walls or ceilings.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Set up scaffolds.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h50 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Clean job sites.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Cover surfaces such as windows, doors, or sidewalks to protect from splashing.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 33 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Mold or install ornamental plaster pieces, panels, or trim.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Determine materials needed to complete the job and place orders accordingly.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons0% now, 0% by 2028
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers8% now, 8% by 2028
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters6% now, 6% by 2028
- Roofers2% now, 2% by 2028
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance4% now, 4% by 2028
- Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall2% now, 2% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).