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California prevailing wage rates
Current: DIR 2026-2, issued August 22, 2026Next: February 22, 2027Official source ↗Checked October 24, 2026
Pick a county to see every trade's rate there, or pick a trade to compare it across the state. All 16,854 rates come from the Department of Industrial Relations' general determinations for period 2026-2, issued August 22, 2026.
DIR issues new determinations on February 22 and August 22, and they take effect 10 days later. A project pays the rates in effect on its bid advertisement date for the life of the job, plus any increase DIR set in advance. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
Federally funded work here also uses the Davis-Bacon rates, shown on each rate page; what changed in California's Davis-Bacon determinations.
What is the prevailing wage rate in California?
It depends on the trade and on the county where the work is done. Taking each trade's main rate in each county, DIR's 2026-2 figures run from $16.97 an hour (landscape maintenance laborer, Solano County) to $149.76 (plumber or pipefitter, Lake County), wages and employer payments together. Pick a county or a trade below for the exact rate.
California prevailing wage rates by county
All 58 counties, A to Z. Each opens every trade's rate there.
- Alameda46 trades
- Alpine45 trades
- Amador46 trades
- Butte46 trades
- Calaveras46 trades
- Colusa45 trades
- Contra Costa46 trades
- Del Norte45 trades
- El Dorado46 trades
- Fresno45 trades
- Glenn45 trades
- Humboldt46 trades
- Imperial48 trades
- Inyo48 trades
- Kern48 trades
- Kings44 trades
- Lake44 trades
- Lassen46 trades
- Los Angeles49 trades
- Madera45 trades
- Marin45 trades
- Mariposa44 trades
- Mendocino45 trades
- Merced45 trades
- Modoc45 trades
- Mono48 trades
- Monterey46 trades
- Napa46 trades
- Nevada45 trades
- Orange49 trades
- Placer46 trades
- Plumas45 trades
- Riverside50 trades
- Sacramento46 trades
- San Benito45 trades
- San Bernardino50 trades
- San Diego49 trades
- San Francisco45 trades
- San Joaquin46 trades
- San Luis Obispo48 trades
- San Mateo46 trades
- Santa Barbara49 trades
- Santa Clara46 trades
- Santa Cruz45 trades
- Shasta46 trades
- Sierra45 trades
- Siskiyou46 trades
- Solano46 trades
- Sonoma45 trades
- Stanislaus46 trades
- Sutter45 trades
- Tehama45 trades
- Trinity45 trades
- Tulare44 trades
- Tuolumne45 trades
- Ventura49 trades
- Yolo46 trades
- Yuba46 trades
Map of the counties
California prevailing wage rates by trade
Each trade page maps that trade's main rate in every county. Carpenters, for example, range from $80.71 to $109.41 an hour in total.
- Asbestos & Lead Abatement Laborer$71.96–$78.54
- Boilermaker$100.68–$107.98
- Brick Tender$21.14–$73.66
- Bricklayer$70.25–$93.25
- Carpenter$80.71–$109.41
- Carpet & Soft Floor Layer$55.74–$99.34
- Cement Mason$80.69–$83.56
- Construction Inspector & Materials Tester$101.99–$104.53
- Directional Drilling Laborer$75.06
- Dredger$106.67–$115.70
- Drywall Finisher$68.39–$83.82
- Drywall Installer / Lather$78.63–$110.78
- Electrical Utility Lineman$98.82–$101.19
- Electrician$63.58–$147.73
- Elevator Constructor$119.815–$133.615
- Fence Builder$76.19
- Field Surveyor$17.40–$110.38
- Fire Safety Sealer$67.51
- Glazier$17.09–$98.60
- Gunite Worker$81.99
- Hauling Driver (On/Off Site)$19.465–$54.01
- Housemover$78.60
- Insulator (Heat & Frost / Asbestos Worker)$91.30–$125.97
- Ironworker$90.97–$97.56
- Laborer$71.96–$78.65
- Landscape & Irrigation Laborer$58.28–$76.67
- Landscape Maintenance Laborer$16.97–$20.32
- Light Fixture Maintenance Worker$17.53–$20.22
- Line Clearance Tree Trimmer$59.09–$67.13
- Marble Finisher$65.55–$66.94
- Marble Mason$98.61
- Metal Roofing Installer$18.35–$140.34
- Modular Furniture Installer$41.78–$69.17
- Operating Engineer$103.71–$108.51
- Painter$64.14–$88.74
- Pile Driver$105.06–$111.87
- Plaster Tender$78.13–$81.91
- Plasterer$81.20–$97.09
- Plumber / Pipefitter$94.22–$149.76
- Roofer$18.88–$86.42
- Sheet Metal Worker$53.26–$140.34
- Slurry Seal Worker$76.42
- Stator Rewinder$22.145
- Striping & Traffic Control Worker$76.27–$79.52
- Teamster (Truck Driver)$62.69–$82.60
- Telecommunications Technician$67.71–$70.68
- Terrazzo Finisher$60.53–$71.34
- Terrazzo Worker$68.51–$96.80
- Tile Finisher$56.24–$62.48
- Tile Setter$79.13–$89.59
- Tree Maintenance Laborer$38.57–$44.57
- Tunnel Worker$86.16
- Water Well Driller$51.14
Rate changes in 2026-2
Rates that moved since the last period, county by county. See every rate that changed in 2026-2.
How to read a DIR determination
Areas, footnote letters, asterisks and scheduled increases, explained on a real determination. How to read a prevailing wage determination.
Apprentice rates
This site covers journeyperson rates. DIR publishes apprentice rates separately, by craft, county and apprenticeship program, on its apprentice wage page.
California prevailing wage questions
Is California prevailing wage the same as Davis-Bacon?
No. California's own rates cover state and local public works, and Davis-Bacon rates come from the U.S. Department of Labor for federally funded or assisted construction. When a California awarding body runs a federally funded or assisted project, DIR's rates must be paid where they are higher than the Davis-Bacon rates (DIR public works FAQ).
How much does an electrician make on prevailing wage in California?
From $63.58 to $147.73 an hour for the main electrician classification, depending on the county; the median county is $96.77. See every county on one map.
How often do California prevailing wage rates change?
DIR issues new determinations on February 22 and August 22, and they take effect 10 days later. This site shows DIR period 2026-2, checked October 24, 2026.
Which DIR rates apply to my project?
A project pays the rates in effect on its bid advertisement date for the life of the job, plus any increase DIR set in advance.
Do apprentices get prevailing wage in California?
Registered apprentices are paid DIR's apprentice rates, which DIR publishes separately by craft, county and apprenticeship program on its apprentice wage page. The rates on this site are journeyperson rates.