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Merced County · Boilermaker
Boilermaker prevailing wage in Merced County, California
$100.68an hour, base wage + fringe benefits
$59.24 base wage + $41.44 fringe benefits
Merced County uses the same boilermaker rates as 37 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On California public works in Merced County, a boilermaker must be paid at least $100.68 an hour in total: $59.24 in wages plus $41.44 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $143.865 and Sunday and holiday work is $187.05.
DIR general determination C-14-X-2-2026-1, issued February 22, 2026 and still current in DIR's 2026-2 release. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 2 boilermaker rates for Merced County, from $39.08 to $100.68 an hour. See all of them.
DIR's expiration date for this determination was September 30, 2026. DIR hasn't issued a replacement, so this rate still applies, which is what the single asterisk on DIR's table means. A project keeps the rates in effect on its bid advertisement date for the life of the job.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $59.24 + $41.44
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 $100.68 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $59.24 |
| Health and welfare | $8.57 |
| Pension (footnote a, c) | $21.63 |
| Vacation and holiday (footnote c) | $5.50 |
| Training | $4.40 |
| Other payments | $1.34 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $100.68 |
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 C-14-X-2-2026-1, issued February 22, 2026.
Every boilermaker rate in Merced County
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boilermaker-BlacksmithArea 3 | $59.24 | $41.44 | $100.68 | $143.865 | C-14-X-2-2026-1 |
| Boilermaker-Blacksmith HelperArea 3 | $32.58 | $6.50 | $39.08 | $55.75 | C-14-X-2-2026-1 |
Davis-Bacon boilermaker rate in Merced County
Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. 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).
We don't put a federal figure next to DIR's here, because this page leads with a classification the federal determinations don't list one to one. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base wage | Total rate | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building, Highway, Heavy | BOILERMAKER (AREA 2: REMAINING COUNTIES)BOIL0549-001 | $45.60 | $84.59 | CA20260018 Mod 8 |
Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. California Davis-Bacon changes
How Merced County compares
The main boilermaker 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
- Merced Countybase $59.24 · Area 3$100.68
- Stanislaus Countybase $59.24 · Area 3$100.68
- San Benito Countybase $59.24 · Area 3$100.68
- Santa Clara Countybase $64.18 · Area 2$107.98
Boilermaker rates in nearby counties
Current DIR rates. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done, even if your shop is somewhere else.
DIR's boilermaker rates for Merced County are the same as in 37 other counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno and 29 more.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Merced County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 2) | $64.18 | $107.98 | +$7.30 |
| Merced County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 3) | $59.24 | $100.68 | |
| Stanislaus County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 3) | $59.24 | $100.68 | same |
| San Benito County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 3) | $59.24 | $100.68 | same |
| Mariposa County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 3) | $59.24 | $100.68 | same |
| Madera County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 3) | $59.24 | $100.68 | same |
| San Joaquin County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 3) | $59.24 | $100.68 | same |
California boilermaker 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.
- a Includes amount for Annuity Trust Fund.
- b Area 1: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo (only that portion that is within a 25-mile radius of the city of Santa Maria), and Ventura Counties. Area 2: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma Counties. Area 3: All other remaining counties.
- c Contribution is factored at the applicable overtime multiplier for each overtime hour worked.
- d Rate applies to the first 2 daily overtime hours and the first 10 hours worked on Saturday. All other overtime is paid at the Sunday/Holiday rate.
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.
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 $100.68. 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 C-14-X-2-2026-1, page 1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Statewide/C-014-X-2.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 Merced County as CSV · Report an error