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California operating engineer prevailing wage, county by county
An operating engineer's prevailing wage on California public works runs from $103.71 an hour in San Diego County to $108.51 in Alameda County, wages and employer payments together. The median county is $108.51.
Main operating engineer classification in each county, DIR period 2026-2. DIR sets this trade by region, so neighboring counties often share a rate. Checked October 24, 2026.
How much does an operating engineer make on prevailing wage?
3 groups of counties with identical rates and 28 counties with rates of their own, highest main rate first, each split into wage and employer payments on one scale. The table below lists which counties are in each group.
- Sacramento County group12 counties$108.51
- Santa Clara County group7 counties$108.51
- Alpine County1 county$108.51
- Amador County1 county$108.51
- Calaveras County1 county$108.51
- Colusa County1 county$108.51
- Del Norte County1 county$108.51
- El Dorado County1 county$108.51
- Fresno County1 county$108.51
- Glenn County1 county$108.51
- Humboldt County1 county$108.51
- Lake County1 county$108.51
- Lassen County1 county$108.51
- Madera County1 county$108.51
- Mariposa County1 county$108.51
- Mendocino County1 county$108.51
- Modoc County1 county$108.51
- Monterey County1 county$108.51
- Nevada County1 county$108.51
- Placer County1 county$108.51
- Plumas County1 county$108.51
- Shasta County1 county$108.51
- Sierra County1 county$108.51
- Siskiyou County1 county$108.51
- Sonoma County1 county$108.51
- Tehama County1 county$108.51
- Trinity County1 county$108.51
- Tulare County1 county$108.51
- Tuolumne County1 county$108.51
- Southern California11 counties$103.75
- San Diego County1 county$103.71
Which counties pay which rate
| Counties | Main classification | Total | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento County group, 12 counties: Butte, Kings, Merced, Napa, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Santa Clara County group, 7 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Alpine County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Amador County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Calaveras County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Colusa County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Del Norte County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| El Dorado County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Fresno County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Glenn County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Humboldt County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Lake County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Lassen County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Madera County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Mariposa County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Mendocino County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Modoc County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Monterey County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Nevada County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Placer County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Plumas County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Shasta County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Sierra County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Siskiyou County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Sonoma County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Tehama County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Trinity County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Tulare County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Tuolumne County | Group 1 | $108.51 | $72.22 |
| Southern California, 11 counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura | Group 1 | $103.75 | $64.40 |
| San Diego County | Group 1 | $103.71 | $62.40 |
3 groups of counties with identical DIR rates, and 28 counties with rates of their own.
These are journeyperson rates. Apprentices are paid from separate DAS determinations that DIR publishes by craft, county and program.
Determinations: NC-23-63-1-2026-2, NC-23-63-1-2026-2A, NC-23-63-1-2026-2C, NC-23-63-1-2026-2D, NC-23-63-1-2026-2D1, NC-63-3-75-2026-1, SC-23-63-2-2026-2, SC-23-63-2-2026-2C, SC-63-12-33-2026-2, SC-63-12-41-2025-1, SD-23-63-3-2026-2, SD-23-63-3-2026-2C
Questions about California operating engineer pay
What is the operating engineer prevailing wage in Los Angeles County?
$103.75 an hour: a $64.40 base wage plus $39.35 in employer payments (fringe benefits), under DIR determination SC-23-63-2-2026-2. Overtime and every operating engineer classification in Los Angeles County.
Does operating engineer prevailing wage include fringe benefits?
Yes. In Los Angeles County the $103.75 total is a $64.40 base wage plus $39.35 in employer payments (fringe benefits), about 38% of the total. The employer owes the full amount for every hour worked.
Do apprentice operating engineers get this rate?
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.
Why do some counties have the same operating engineer rate?
DIR sets many trades by area or region rather than one county at a time. Across California, the 58 counties with an operating engineer rate fall into 31 distinct sets of rates, and 3 of those sets are shared by more than one county; the largest covers 12 counties (the Sacramento County group).
Which county pays operating engineers the most in California?
Alameda County, at $108.51 an hour for the main classification. The lowest is San Diego County at $103.71, and the median county is $108.51.