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California · Carpenter · 3 counties
Carpenter prevailing wage, California Area 2 (3 counties)
DIR sets the same carpenter rates, row for row, in 3 counties: Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz. Every figure on this page applies in each of them.
$103.53an hour, total
$64.38 wage + $39.15 employer payments
On California public works in each of these 3 counties, a carpenter must be paid at least $103.53 an hour in total: $64.38 in wages plus $39.15 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $135.72 and Sunday and holiday work is $167.91.
DIR general determination NC-23-31-1-2026-1, issued August 22, 2026. Expires June 30, 2027. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 5 carpenter rates for each of these counties, from $103.53 to $118.19 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe: $64.38 + $39.15
The basic hourly rate is the taxable wage. The other lines, usually called fringe benefits, are what DIR expects the employer to pay into health, pension and other plans for each hour worked. An employer can pay part of that as extra wages instead, as long as the total per hour stays at $103.53 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $64.38 |
| Health and welfare | $15.87 |
| Pension | $11.70 |
| Vacation and holiday (footnote b) | $6.28 |
| Training | $1.36 |
| Other payments (footnote c) | $3.94 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $103.53 |
Straight time covers an 8-hour day.
Davis-Bacon carpenter rates in these counties
The counties share DIR's rates, but not always the same federal wage determination. 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).
| County | Federal classification | Base + fringe | WD | vs DIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey County | CARPENTERS: JOURNEYMAN CARPENTER (MONTEREY COUNTY) | $80.46 | CA20260018 Mod 8 | DIR +$23.07 |
| San Benito County | CARPENTERS: JOURNEYMAN CARPENTER (SAN BENITO COUNTY) | $80.46 | CA20260018 Mod 8 | DIR +$23.07 |
| Santa Cruz County | CARPENTERS: JOURNEYMAN CARPENTER (SANTA CRUZ COUNTY) | $80.46 | CA20260018 Mod 8 | DIR +$23.07 |
Every carpenter rate in California Area 2
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Bridge Builder/Highway Carpenter (Special Single Shift)$118.19
- Bridge Builder/Highway Carpenter$109.41
- MillwrightArea 2$107.63
- Hardwood Floorlayer, Power Saw Operator, Saw Filer, Shingler, Steel Scaffold and Steel Shoring ErectorArea 2$103.68
- CarpenterArea 2$103.53
| Classification | Total | Base | Employer payments | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenter#: Bridge Builder/Highway Carpenter | $109.41 | $70.26 | $39.15 | $144.54 | NC-23-31-1-2026-1A |
| Carpenter#: Bridge Builder/Highway Carpenter (Special Single Shift) | $118.19 | $79.04 | $39.15 | $144.54 | NC-23-31-1-2026-1A |
| CarpenterArea 2 | $103.53 | $64.38 | $39.15 | $135.72 | NC-23-31-1-2026-1 |
| Hardwood Floorlayer, Power Saw Operator, Saw Filer, Shingler, Steel Scaffold and Steel Shoring ErectorArea 2 | $103.68 | $64.53 | $39.15 | $135.95 | NC-23-31-1-2026-1 |
| Carpenter#: MillwrightArea 2 | $107.63 | $66.88 | $40.75 | $141.07 | NC-23-31-1-2026-1B |
How California Area 2 compares
The main carpenter rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and in the nearest counties. All bars use the same scale.
Every county in California
Wage and employer payments, nearby
- California Area 2base $64.38 · Area 2$103.53
- San Benito Countybase $64.38 · Area 2$103.53
- Santa Cruz Countybase $64.38 · Area 2$103.53
- Merced Countybase $63.03 · Area 4$102.18
Which county is in which carpenter group
Every California county with a carpenter rate. Counties DIR treats alike share one page; the rest have their own. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done, even if your shop is somewhere else.
| Counties | Main classification | Total | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area 1, 9 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma | Carpenter (Area 1) | $109.41 | $70.26 |
| Area 2, 3 counties: Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz | Carpenter (Area 2) | $103.53 | $64.38 |
| Area 3, 3 counties: Sacramento, San Joaquin, Yolo | Carpenter (Area 3) | $103.53 | $64.38 |
| El Dorado County* | Carpenter (Area 3) | $103.53 | $64.38 |
| Placer County* | Carpenter (Area 3) | $103.53 | $64.38 |
| Area 4, 29 counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yuba | Carpenter (Area 4) | $102.18 | $63.03 |
| Southern California, 11 counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura | Carpenter , Cabinet Installer, Insulation Installer, Hardwood Floor Worker, Acoustical Installer | $84.32 | $54.41 |
| San Diego County | Carpenter | $80.71 | $51.11 |
5 groups of counties with identical DIR rates, and 3 counties with rates of their own. * County split between areas; its page shows the rate for each part.
Footnotes on this rate
DIR's footnotes, in DIR's words. Several change the rate itself: zone pay, a percentage added to the total, or which overtime hours get which rate.
- b Includes an amount per hour worked for Work Fees and Vacation.
- c Includes Annuity Trust Fund, Industry Promotion, Carpenters International Training Fund, Work Preservation, Carpenter Employers Contract Administration, and Vacation/Holiday/Sick Leave Admin.
- d The overtime rates for shift work are based on the non-shift overtime rates.
- e For building construction, rate applies to the first 4 hours daily overtime. For all heavy, highway and engineering construction overtime worked, Monday through Friday, rate applies to the first 4 hours daily overtime.
- f In the event that work cannot be performed Monday through Friday because of inclement weather or major mechanical breakdown, employees may voluntarily make up such day on Saturday and shall be paid at the applicable straight time rates.
- g Rate applies to the first 8 hours for building construction and for the first 10 hours worked on heavy, highway and engineering construction.
- h Time and one-half shall be paid for the first eight (8) hours worked on the four (4) days of each year selected by the Union as designated off/holidays listed in the Holiday Provision.
DIR's other marks: # means an apprenticeable craft, * means in effect until superseded, ** means the next rate is already set.
More from DIR on this rate
- Holidays (DIR PDF)
- Scope of work: which tasks this rate covers
- Travel and subsistence
- Apprentice rates: DIR publishes these separately, by program. Look them up on DIR.
Every trade's rates, county by county: Monterey · San Benito · Santa Cruz
Are you being paid this rate?
Add your hourly wage to what your employer pays into health, pension and other plans for you, and compare it with $103.53. Plan payments only count if the money goes into the plan; your pay stub won't show them, but plan statements will. The training amount goes to the California Apprenticeship Council or an apprenticeship program, not to you. Check a week of pay.
Contractors on most public works jobs file certified payroll with the state, and anyone can look it up in DIR's CPR public search. If your total comes up short, you can file a public works complaint with the California Labor Commissioner.
Source
California Department of Industrial Relations, general prevailing wage determination NC-23-31-1-2026-1, page 1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Northern/NC-023-31-1.pdf
Each figure is copied from DIR's file and checked by a second, separate reader. How we check · How to read a determination · Download every California rate as CSV · Report an error