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Cement Mason prevailing wage in San Diego County, California
$83.53an hour, base wage + fringe benefits
$49.18 base wage + $34.35 fringe benefits
On California public works in San Diego County, a cement mason must be paid at least $83.53 an hour in total: $49.18 in wages plus $34.35 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $108.12 and Sunday and holiday work is $132.71.
DIR general determination SD-23-203-3-2026-1A, issued August 22, 2026. Expires June 30, 2027. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 2 cement mason rates for San Diego County, from $83.53 to $85.71 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $49.18 + $34.35
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 $83.53 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) | $49.18 |
| Health and welfare | $9.08 |
| Pension | $16.15 |
| Vacation and holiday | $5.75 |
| Training | $0.64 |
| Other payments (footnote c) | $2.73 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $83.53 |
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 SD-23-203-3-2026-1A, issued August 22, 2026; DIR's expiration date for it is June 30, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2027 | +$4.75 | $88.28 |
| July 1, 2028 | +$4.75 | $93.03 |
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).
Source: DIR increase PDF
Every cement mason rate in San Diego 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cement Mason (Engineering Construction): Cement Mason Building Construction: TYPE I & II | $49.18 | $34.35 | $83.53 | $108.12 | SD-23-203-3-2026-1A |
| CEMENT MASON#: Cement Mason (Engineering Construction): Cement Mason Engineering Construction | $51.36 | $34.35 | $85.71 | $111.39 | SD-23-203-3-2026-1 |
Davis-Bacon cement mason rate in San Diego 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 the federal determination lists more than one rate for this trade here. The federal rows for this trade are below; match the classification to the work.
| Construction | Federal classification | Base wage | Total rate | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building, Residential, Highway, Heavy | CEMENT MASON/CONCRETE FINISHER GROUP 3: ALL OTHER WORKPLAS0500-001 | $30.07 | $51.19 | CA20260001 Mod 3 |
| Building, Residential, Highway, Heavy | CEMENT MASON/CONCRETE FINISHER GROUP 2: Work classified as type I and II constructionPLAS0500-001 | $27.99 | $47.76 | CA20260001 Mod 3 |
| Building, Residential, Highway, Heavy | CEMENT MASON/CONCRETE FINISHER GROUP 1: Residential wood frame project of any size; work classified as Type III, IV or Type V construction; interior tenant …PLAS0500-001 | $26.34 | $46.11 | CA20260001 Mod 3 |
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 San Diego County compares
The main cement mason 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
- San Diego Countybase $49.18$83.53
- Riverside Countybase $50.00$80.69
- Orange Countybase $50.00$80.69
- Imperial Countybase $50.00$80.69
Cement Mason 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.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs San Diego County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego County | Cement Mason Building Construction: TYPE I & II | $49.18 | $83.53 | |
| Riverside County | Cement Mason, Curb and Gutter Machine Operator; Clary and Similar Type of Screed Operator (Cement only); Grinding Machine Operator (all types); Jackson Vibratory, Texas Screed and Similar Type Screed Operator; Scoring Machine Operator | $50.00 | $80.69 | −$2.84 |
| Orange County | Cement Mason, Curb and Gutter Machine Operator; Clary and Similar Type of Screed Operator (Cement only); Grinding Machine Operator (all types); Jackson Vibratory, Texas Screed and Similar Type Screed Operator; Scoring Machine Operator | $50.00 | $80.69 | −$2.84 |
| Imperial County | Cement Mason, Curb and Gutter Machine Operator; Clary and Similar Type of Screed Operator (Cement only); Grinding Machine Operator (all types); Jackson Vibratory, Texas Screed and Similar Type Screed Operator; Scoring Machine Operator | $50.00 | $80.69 | −$2.84 |
| Los Angeles County | Cement Mason, Curb and Gutter Machine Operator; Clary and Similar Type of Screed Operator (Cement only); Grinding Machine Operator (all types); Jackson Vibratory, Texas Screed and Similar Type Screed Operator; Scoring Machine Operator | $50.00 | $80.69 | −$2.84 |
| San Bernardino County | Cement Mason, Curb and Gutter Machine Operator; Clary and Similar Type of Screed Operator (Cement only); Grinding Machine Operator (all types); Jackson Vibratory, Texas Screed and Similar Type Screed Operator; Scoring Machine Operator | $50.00 | $80.69 | −$2.84 |
| Ventura County | Cement Mason, Curb and Gutter Machine Operator; Clary and Similar Type of Screed Operator (Cement only); Grinding Machine Operator (all types); Jackson Vibratory, Texas Screed and Similar Type Screed Operator; Scoring Machine Operator | $50.00 | $80.69 | −$2.84 |
California cement mason 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 Saturdays in the same workweek may be worked at the straight-time rate for the first 8 hours, if the employee was unable to complete the 40 hours during the normal workweek.
- d Troweling Machine Man shall receive an additional $0.25 per hour.
- c Includes amounts for Supplemental Dues and San Diego Construction Advancement Fund.
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 $83.53. 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 SD-23-203-3-2026-1A, page 2: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/SanDiego/SD-023-203-3.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 San Diego County as CSV · Report an error