Concrete Worker Salary in California

$30/hr

Compare California concrete worker pay ranges and compensation factors to evaluate written offers for your skills and experience.

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What Concrete Workers Earn in California

California cement masons and concrete finishers earn $22.36–$48.95/hr across the current 10th–90th percentile range, or $46,510–$101,810 annually. The statewide median is $30.15/hr, or $62,700/year. These BLS employee estimates describe a distribution, not guaranteed starting or maximum pay. Location, work scope, and employment arrangements matter; contractor revenue and general labor wages require different comparisons. These are gross earnings, not take-home pay; compare benefits, reimbursements, hours, and assigned job responsibilities separately.

Hourly rates by level in California

What each rung of the trade is paid, before overtime and per diem.

Apprentice · 0–2 yrs
$22.36–$24.73/hr
▼ 2.43% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$24.73–$40.42/hr
▼ 2.43% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$40.42–$48.95/hr
▼ 2.43% from last year

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Where do you stand?

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$/ hr

Use your base rate, not what you take home after overtime.

You're right around the middle

$28.00 is above roughly 46% of this market. The top quarter starts at $36.00, and the median sits at $29.00.

10th
$18
25th
$23
Median
$29
75th
$36
90th
$45
YOU · $28.00
Your percentile
46th
Among this market
Your annual · 40 hrs
$58,240
Before overtime and per diem
Gap to median
−$2,080
Below the median

Calculate pay with extra credentials

Pick your level, add certifications, select shift — the estimate updates live.

1Your level

2Certifications you hold

3Shift & work type

4Overtime & per diem

Weekly overtime hours8 hrs
Per diem (per day away)$0

An estimate, not an offer. Overtime is paid at time and a half past forty hours.

American RecruitsEstimate
Journeyman Concrete Worker
California · Day Shift
Base rate$32.58
+ OSHA 10-Hour Construction$0.38
+ NCCER Concrete$0.75
+ First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned)$0.25
Effective hourly$33.96
Straight · 40 hrs$1,358
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$407
Weekly gross$1,766
Annualised · 50 weeks
$88,283
8 OT hrs/week · California

Who pays the most in California

The cards compare commercial buildings, residential construction and specialist concrete contractors. National employee medians help put California offers in context, but cannot establish a California industry ranking. Look closely at finishing responsibility and project continuity.

01 / 03$29.41/hr

Nonresidential Building Construction

Commercial and institutional projects can involve slabs, floors, and structural concrete work. Compare finishing responsibility, site coordination, expected hours, travel requirements, and benefits before judging an offer against this national employee benchmark. Ask whether the advertised position is temporary or permanent.

+ Larger project crews
+ Multiple trade coordination
– Restricted site access
– Changing pour schedules
02 / 03$27.96/hr

Residential Building Construction

Residential projects can involve concrete foundations, slabs, and associated building work. Compare finishing duties, travel between developments, expected hours, benefits, and project continuity rather than assuming every homebuilding offer provides the same compensation package.

+ Local building projects
+ Repeated foundation layouts
– Changing weather exposure
– Variable building demand
03 / 03$27.12/hr

Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors

Specialist contractors perform foundation, structural, and exterior packages rather than managing every building activity. Compare concrete duties, project transfers, equipment responsibility, expected hours, and benefits before treating a national employee benchmark as an offer.

+ Focused concrete work
+ Varied project assignments
– Travel between projects
– Uneven contract workloads

Which states pay concrete workers the most

Median hourly across every state with a published guide for this trade. Cost of living is not netted out — compare take-home, not just the rate.

  1. 01Alaska$35/hr
  2. 02Californiathis page$30.15/hr
  3. 03Virginia$24.49/hr

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
Fall Protection Competent Person+$0.75$1,560$1866 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.38$790$1037 weeks
NCCER Heavy Equipment Operations+$1.12$2,330$3167 weeks
NCCER Concrete+$0.75$1,560$2308 weeks
First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned)+$0.25$520$869 weeks

What overtime actually adds

Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $30.15/hr.

40 hr week
$1,206
No OT
50 hr week
$1,658
+$22,613/yr
60 hr week
$2,111
+$45,225/yr
70 hr week
$2,563
+$67,838/yr

Questions workers ask

Does a long California pour trigger daily overtime?▾
Yes. Under the Labor Commissioner's rules, covered nonexempt workers generally receive time-and-a-half after eight daily hours and double time after twelve. Weekly and seventh-day rules also apply. Check applicable exceptions and agreements rather than counting only weekly hours.
Is a union concrete package all cash wages?▾
No. Laborers Training School publishes wages and benefits separately. Ask what reaches your paycheck and what funds health or retirement benefits before comparing the total package with a nonunion cash offer. Compare cash wages with health and retirement contributions separately.
Do weather cancellations always earn reporting-time pay?▾
No. California reporting-time rules, enforced by the Labor Commissioner, include exceptions for threats to workers or property and specified events beyond employer control. Routine lack of work is different. Review why the pour was canceled and whether you reported. Record the reporting instructions and the specific cancellation circumstances.

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Current BLS California employee wages for Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers, SOC 47-2051; general labor and form carpentry differ.

Last updated October 23, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.