Home / California / Orange County / Boilermaker
Orange County · Boilermaker
Boilermaker prevailing wage in Orange County, California
$101.43an hour, base wage + fringe benefits
$57.98 base wage + $43.45 fringe benefits
Orange County uses the same boilermaker rates as 8 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On California public works in Orange County, a boilermaker must be paid at least $101.43 an hour in total: $57.98 in wages plus $43.45 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $145.24 and Sunday and holiday work is $189.05.
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 4 boilermaker rates for Orange County, from $37.89 to $101.43 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: $57.98 + $43.45
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 $101.43 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $57.98 |
| Health and welfare | $8.57 |
| Pension (footnote a, c) | $20.64 |
| Vacation and holiday (footnote c) | $9.00 |
| Training | $3.90 |
| Other payments | $1.34 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $101.43 |
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 Orange County
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Boilermaker-BlacksmithArea 1$101.43
- Boilermaker-BlacksmithArea 3$100.68
- Boilermaker-Blacksmith HelperArea 3$39.08
- Boilermaker-Blacksmith HelperArea 1$37.89
| Classification | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boilermaker-BlacksmithArea 1 | $57.98 | $43.45 | $101.43 | $145.24 | C-14-X-2-2026-1 |
| Boilermaker-BlacksmithArea 3 | $59.24 | $41.44 | $100.68 | $143.865 | C-14-X-2-2026-1 |
| Boilermaker-Blacksmith HelperArea 1 | $31.89 | $6.00 | $37.89 | $54.215 | 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 Orange 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).
The federal determinations for Orange County list no boilermaker classification.
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 Orange 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
- Orange Countybase $57.98 · Area 1$101.43
- Los Angeles Countybase $57.98 · Area 1$101.43
- San Diego Countybase $57.98 · Area 1$101.43
- Tulare Countybase $59.24 · Area 3$100.68
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 Orange County are the same as in 8 other counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara. The closest county with a different rate is Tulare County, at $100.68.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Orange County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 1) | $57.98 | $101.43 | |
| Los Angeles County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 1) | $57.98 | $101.43 | same |
| San Diego County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 1) | $57.98 | $101.43 | same |
| Ventura County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 1) | $57.98 | $101.43 | same |
| Riverside County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 1) | $57.98 | $101.43 | same |
| San Bernardino County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 1) | $57.98 | $101.43 | same |
| Kern County | Boilermaker-Blacksmith (Area 1) | $57.98 | $101.43 | 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 $101.43. 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 Orange County as CSV · Report an error