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Santa Cruz County · Electrician
Electrician prevailing wage in Santa Cruz County, California
$105.25an hour, total · Inside Wireman, Technician
$70.41 wage + $34.84 employer payments
Santa Cruz County uses the same electrician rates as 2 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On California public works in Santa Cruz County, an electrician working as inside wireman, technician must be paid at least $105.25 an hour in total: $70.41 in wages plus $34.84 in employer payments to health, pension, training and other funds. Daily overtime is $157.88 and Sunday and holiday work is $210.50.
DIR general determination 061-234-1, issued February 22, 2026 and still current in DIR's 2026-2 release. Expires December 27, 2026. Checked against dir.ca.gov on October 24, 2026.
DIR lists 5 electrician rates for Santa Cruz County, from $89.88 to $114.43 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe: $70.41 + $34.84
The basic hourly rate is the taxable wage. The other lines, usually called fringe benefits, 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 $105.25 or more.
| Basic hourly rate (taxable wage) (footnote Q) | $70.41 |
| Health and welfare (footnote R) | $15.25 |
| Pension | $15.45 |
| Training (footnote R) | $0.95 |
| Other payments (footnote T) | $1.08 |
| Added to the total by footnote S | $2.11 |
| Total straight-time hourly rate | $105.25 |
Straight time covers an 8-hour day.
Davis-Bacon electrician rate in Santa Cruz 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 + fringe | Base | WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building, Highway, Heavy | ELECTRICIAN ZONE A : ALL OF SANTA CRUZ, MONTEREY, AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES WITHIN 25 AIR MILES OF HIGHWAY 1 AND DOLAN ROAD IN MOSS LANDING, AND AN AREA …ELEC0234-001 | $104.17 | $70.41 | CA20260018 Mod 8 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | ELECTRICIAN ZONE B: ANY AREA OUTSIDE OF ZONE A (MONTEREY, SAN BENITO AND SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES)ELEC0234-001 | $111.42 | $77.45 | CA20260018 Mod 8 |
| Building, Highway, Heavy | ELECTRICIAN: ALL OTHER WORK (CALAVERAS AND SAN JOAQUIN COUNTIES)ELEC0595-002 | $81.41 | $49.45 | CA20260018 Mod 8 |
| Residential | ELECTRICIAN (SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY) WORK ON RESIDENTIAL WOOD FRAME REMODEL AND REPAIR IN ALL WOOD-CONSTRUCTED BUILDINGS NOT TO EXCEED 24 LIVING UNITS; AND NEW …ELEC0006-005 | $81.14 | $55.50 | CA20260019 Mod 6 |
| Residential | ELECTRICIAN: ALL OTHER WORK (SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY:)ELEC0006-009 | $139.30 | $91.25 | CA20260019 Mod 6 |
| Residential | ELECTRICIAN: ZONE A: (MONTEREY, SAN BENITO, AND SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES) ZONE A: ALL OF SANTA CRUZ, MONTEREY, AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES WITHIN 25 AIR MILES OF …ELEC0234-002 | $104.17 | $70.41 | CA20260019 Mod 6 |
| Residential | ELECTRICIAN: ZONE B: (MONTEREY, SAN BENITO, AND SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES) ZONE B: ANY AREA OUTSIDE OF ZONE AELEC0234-002 | $111.42 | $77.45 | CA20260019 Mod 6 |
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
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 |
|---|---|---|
| December 28, 2026 | +$4.70 | $109.95 |
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 under Scheduled increases above draws the same figures with the increases that follow.
| Release | Total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2 | $95.72 | |
| 2025-1 | $100.50 | +$4.78 |
| 2025-2 | $100.50 | no change |
| 2026-1 | $105.25 | +$4.75 |
| 2026-2 | $105.25 | no change |
Every electrician rate in Santa Cruz County
As DIR lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Cable Splicer$114.43
- Inside Wireman (When Welding)$112.59
- Inside Wireman, Technician$105.25
- Comm & System Tech.$98.94
- Comm & System Installer$89.88
| Classification | Total | Base | Employer payments | Daily OT | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable Splicer | $114.43 | $79.21 | $35.22 | $171.64 | 061-234-1 |
| Electrician: Comm & System Installer | $89.88 | $58.33 | $31.55 | $120.06 | 061-X-7(NO-2) |
| Electrician: Comm & System Tech. | $98.94 | $67.08 | $31.86 | $133.65 | 061-X-7(NO-2) |
| Inside Wireman (When Welding) | $112.59 | $77.45 | $35.14 | $168.89 | 061-234-1 |
| Inside Wireman, Technician | $105.25 | $70.41 | $34.84 | $157.88 | 061-234-1 |
How Santa Cruz County compares
The main electrician 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
Wage and employer payments, nearby
- Santa Cruz Countybase $70.41$105.25
- Santa Clara Countybase $95.53$147.73
- San Mateo Countybase $88.00$143.33
- Alameda Countybase $79.25$131.67
Electrician 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 electrician rates for Santa Cruz County are the same as in 2 other counties: Monterey, San Benito.
| County | Classification | Total | Base | vs Santa Cruz County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara County | Inside Wireman, Technician | $147.73 | $95.53 | +$42.48 |
| San Francisco County | Inside Wireman | $146.16 | $95.75 | +$40.91 |
| San Mateo County | Inside Wireman, Technician | $143.33 | $88.00 | +$38.08 |
| Alameda County | Inside Wireman | $131.67 | $79.25 | +$26.42 |
| Contra Costa County | Inside Wireman, Technician | $107.17 | $68.26 | +$1.92 |
| Santa Cruz County | Inside Wireman, Technician | $105.25 | $70.41 | |
| San Benito County | Inside Wireman, Technician | $105.25 | $70.41 | same |
California electrician 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.
- Q All of Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties within twenty-five (25) air-miles of highway 1 and dolan road in moss landing, and an area extending five (5) miles east and west of highway 101 south to the San Luis Obispo county line. For wage rates in an area outside of this description, please contact the Office of the Director - Research Unit.
- R Contribution is factored at the applicable overtime multiplier for each overtime hour worked.
- S Contribution is factored at the applicable overtime multiplier for each overtime hour worked. In addition, an amount equal to 3% of the basic hourly rate is added to the total hourly rate and overtime hourly rates for the National Employees Benefit Board. Pursuant to Labor Code sections 1773.1 and 1773.8 the amount paid for this employer payment may vary resulting in a lower taxable basic hourly wage rate, but the total hourly rates for straight time and overtime may not be less than the general prevailing rate of per diem wages.
- T Contribution is factored at the applicable overtime multiplier for each overtime hour worked. Includes an amount equal to 1.25% of the basic hourly rate for administrative maintenance fund
- U Rate applies to the first 2 daily overtime hours and the first 8 hours on Saturday only. All other time and work performed on a Saturday that immediately follows a designated holiday that is observed on a Friday are paid at the Sunday and holiday overtime hourly 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 $105.25. 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 061-234-1: www.dir.ca.gov/oprl/2026-2/PWD/Determinations/Subtrades/STZ.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 Santa Cruz County as CSV · Report an error