Construction Foreman Salary in California

$47/hr

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

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What Construction Foremen Earn in California

California first-line construction and extraction supervisors earn $29.18–$75.25/hr across the current 10th–90th percentile range, or $60,690–$156,530 annually. The median is $46.96/hr, or $97,680/year. This broader BLS supervisory occupation includes more than one foreman specialty. Compare trade, responsibility, and local project conditions rather than treating the statewide figure as an exact offer; contractor revenue is separate. These are gross earnings, not take-home pay; compare benefits, reimbursements, hours, and actual 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
$29.18–$36.89/hr
▲ 0.62% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$36.89–$61.87/hr
▲ 0.62% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$61.87–$75.25/hr
▲ 0.62% from last year

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Where do you stand?

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What are you making?

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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 Construction Foreman
California · Day Shift
Base rate$49.38
+ OSHA 30-Hour Construction$0.62
+ NCCER Site Supervisor/Foreman$1.38
+ First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned)$0.25
Effective hourly$51.63
Straight · 40 hrs$2,065
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$620
Weekly gross$2,685
Annualised · 50 weeks
$134,238
8 OT hrs/week · California

Who pays the most in California

California foreman opportunities differ between equipment contractors, commercial projects and structural packages. These national supervisor medians support comparisons across those settings, not a California pay ranking. Consider trade knowledge and coordination duties alongside the rate.

01 / 03$44.74/hr

Building Equipment Contractors

These contractors install building systems, including electrical, plumbing, heating, and cooling equipment. Compare the trade supervised, crew size, technical responsibilities, expected hours, travel, and benefits before interpreting the national supervisory wage benchmark. Ask whether the advertised position is temporary or permanent.

+ Specialist trade crews
+ Technical scope experience
– Complex trade coordination
– Restricted site access
02 / 03$39.17/hr

Nonresidential Building Construction

Commercial and institutional projects require coordination across trades and work packages. Compare crew responsibilities, decision authority, scheduling duties, expected hours, and benefits, including any documented incentives, when evaluating a foreman offer against this benchmark.

+ Large building projects
+ Structured site teams
– Project schedule pressure
– Complex crew handovers
03 / 03$36.30/hr

Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors

Specialist foundation, structural, and exterior contractors concentrate on defined building packages. Compare the supervised trade, crew responsibilities, project transfers, hours, and benefits rather than treating every foreman assignment as equivalent work with identical compensation.

+ Defined work packages
+ Trade-specific leadership development
– Changing weather exposure
– Variable project workloads

Which states pay construction foremen 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. 01Californiathis page$46.96/hr
  2. 02Virginia$37.81/hr

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
NCCER Site Supervisor/Foreman+$1.38$2,870$3166 weeks
Fall Protection Competent Person+$0.75$1,560$1866 weeks
NCCER Safety Technology+$1$2,080$2887 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$0.62$1,290$2139 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 $46.96/hr.

40 hr week
$1,878
No OT
50 hr week
$2,583
+$35,220/yr
60 hr week
$3,287
+$70,440/yr
70 hr week
$3,992
+$105,660/yr

Questions workers ask

Does a California foreman's salary eliminate overtime?▾
No. Under the Industrial Welfare Commission's Wage Order 16, the executive exemption requires qualifying duties and compensation, including the state salary threshold. Working foremen should examine their actual management and craft duties before assuming a salaried offer removes overtime.
Can a long day trigger overtime even in a short week?▾
Yes. Under the Labor Commissioner's rules, nonexempt California foremen receive time-and-a-half after eight daily hours and double time after twelve. Valid alternative workweeks or qualifying collective bargaining agreements can change the rules.
Does a working foreman earn prevailing wage on public works?▾
Yes. The Labor Commissioner's Public Works Manual says a working foreman who performs labor on the project is owed at least the prevailing rate for that type of work. The title alone, without covered work, does not trigger the requirement, so check how your project hours are reported.

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Current BLS California employee wages for First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers, SOC 47-1011; a broader foreman benchmark.

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