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California · Drywall Finisher · 7 counties
Drywall Finisher prevailing wage, Orange County group, California (7 counties)
DIR sets the same drywall finisher rates, row for row, in 7 counties: Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. Every figure on this page applies in each of them.
$83.82an hour, base wage + fringe benefits
$52.33 base wage + $31.49 fringe benefits
On California public works in each of these 7 counties, a drywall finisher must be paid at least $83.82 an hour in total: $52.33 in wages plus $31.49 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $109.99 and Sunday and holiday work is $136.15.
DIR general determination 200-X-18, issued August 22, 2026. Expires August 31, 2027. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $52.33 + $31.49
The basic hourly rate is the taxable wage. The other lines, the fringe benefits DIR calls employer payments, 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 $83.82 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) (footnote H) | $52.33 |
| Health and welfare | $9.20 |
| Pension | $13.08 |
| Vacation and holiday | $7.07 |
| Training | $0.92 |
| Other payments | $1.22 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $83.82 |
Straight time covers an 8-hour day.
When does this rate change?
- 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 (DIR FAQ).
- DIR issues new determinations on February 22 and August 22, and they take effect 10 days later. This rate is from determination 200-X-18, issued August 22, 2026; DIR's expiration date for it is August 31, 2027.
Scheduled increases
DIR has already set these increases. Work on or after each date is paid the higher rate. DIR often leaves part of an increase "to be allocated to wages and/or employer payments" and confirms the split when it comes due, and it can reduce a scheduled increase in a later notice, so check DIR's increase page before you pay it.
| Takes effect | Increase per hour | Total after increase |
|---|---|---|
| September 1, 2027 | +$3.50 | $87.32 |
| September 1, 2028 | +$4.25 | $91.57 |
| September 1, 2029 | +$4.50 | $96.07 |
The double asterisk after DIR's expiration date means the next rate is already set. If the work runs past that date you have to pay the new rate, and DIR says to build it into contracts signed now (DIR FAQ, Q8).
Rate history since 2024
Total hourly rate for this classification in each DIR release. The chart above draws the same figures with the increases that follow.
| Release | Total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2 | $77.32 | |
| 2025-1 | $77.32 | no change |
| 2025-2 | $80.82 | +$3.50 |
| 2026-1 | $80.82 | no change |
| 2026-2 | $83.82 | +$3.00 |
Davis-Bacon drywall finisher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial County | DRYWALL FINISHER/TAPER | $76.15 | CA20260002 Mod 4 | DIR +$7.67 |
| Orange County | DRYWALL FINISHER/TAPER | $76.15 | CA20260024 Mod 4 | DIR +$7.67 |
| Riverside County | DRYWALL FINISHER/TAPER | $76.15 | CA20260025 Mod 4 | DIR +$7.67 |
| San Bernardino County | DRYWALL FINISHER/TAPER | $76.15 | CA20260026 Mod 4 | DIR +$7.67 |
| San Luis Obispo County | DRYWALL FINISHER/TAPER | $76.15 | CA20260012 Mod 5 | DIR +$7.67 |
| Santa Barbara County | DRYWALL FINISHER/TAPER | $76.15 | CA20260014 Mod 7 | DIR +$7.67 |
| Ventura County | DRYWALL FINISHER/TAPER | $76.15 | CA20260015 Mod 5 | DIR +$7.67 |
How the Orange County group compares
The main drywall finisher 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
Base wage and fringe benefits, nearby
- Orange County groupbase $52.33$83.82
- Los Angeles Countybase $48.20$79.69
- San Diego Countybase $43.59$68.39
- Ventura Countybase $52.33$83.82
Which county is in which drywall finisher group
Every California county with a drywall finisher 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 | Base wage | Total rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County group, 7 counties: Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura | Drywall Finisher | $52.33 | $83.82 |
| Kern County group, 3 counties: Inyo, Kern, Mono | Drywall Finisher | $48.20 | $79.69 |
| Los Angeles County | Drywall Finisher | $48.20 | $79.69 |
| San Diego County | Drywall Finisher | $43.59 | $68.39 |
2 groups of counties with identical DIR rates, and 2 counties with rates of their own.
California drywall finisher prevailing wage by county, with a map
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.
- H Includes amount withheld for dues check off.
- L Rate applies to first 8 hours only. Double time thereafter. Saturdays in the same work week may be worked at straight-time if job is shut down during the normal work week due to inclement weather.
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: Imperial · Orange · Riverside · San Bernardino · San Luis Obispo · Santa Barbara · Ventura
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 $83.82. 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 200-X-18. DIR prints it in one file per county:
- Imperial: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/IMP.html
- Orange: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/ORA.html
- Riverside: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/RIV.html
- San Bernardino: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/SBR.html
- San Luis Obispo: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/SLO.html
- Santa Barbara: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/STB.html
- Ventura: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/VEN.html
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