Demolition Worker Salary in California

$29/hr

Read California construction laborer wage ranges alongside demolition duties, job hours, union terms and the employer's removal scope.

Change trade or state

What Demolition Workers Earn in California

California construction laborer employee wages span $19.69–$45.01/hr, with wages of $40,950–$93,620 a year. BLS includes demolition labour within this broader occupation. Interior strip-out and debris handling fit that comparison, while specialist abatement needs a separate benchmark. The figures exclude premium pay and benefits. For an offer, put the removal duties beside the hourly range and expected paid hours. Separate the offered wage from allowances for tools and travel. Confirm whether public projects pay a prevailing wage rate.

Hourly rates by level in California

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

Apprentice · 0–2 yrs
$19.69–$23.15/hr
▼ 0.45% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$23.15–$37.75/hr
▼ 0.45% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$37.75–$45.01/hr
▼ 0.45% from last year

Find Demolition Worker jobs in California.

Browse open jobs

Where do you stand?

Enter your hourly rate to see how it compares to other demolition workers in California.

What are you making?

Type your hourly rate. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere — it stays in your browser.

$/ 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 Demolition Worker
California · Day Shift
Base rate$30.45
+ SoCal Laborers Apprenticeship (journeyperson)$4.83
+ 40-Hour HAZWOPER$3.00
+ OSHA 10-Hour Construction$0.73
Effective hourly$39.01
Straight · 40 hrs$1,560
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$468
Weekly gross$2,029
Annualised · 50 weeks
$101,426
8 OT hrs/week · California

Who pays the most in California

These national construction laborer medians cover three settings for demolition work. Match each employer's business and duties to the setting.

01 / 03$24.01/hr

Nonresidential Building Construction

Commercial rebuilding involves selective removal around retained structures. Ask California employers how they schedule strip-out, dust containment and movement between work areas. Discuss who handles salvage and protects occupied parts of buildings.

+ Larger crews
+ Phased projects
– Restricted access
– Sequencing changes
02 / 03$22.79/hr

Other Specialty Trade Contractors

Site preparation firms include building demolition and concrete breaking. Discuss machine separation and debris duties under California's demolition supervision rules. Ask which tasks require separate equipment training before accepting assignments.

+ Demolition focus
+ Varied equipment
– Changing sites
– Debris exposure
03 / 03$22.38/hr

Residential Building Construction

House replacement and remodeling create removal tasks beside retained finishes. Clarify salvage duties and the air district's asbestos requirements for the property. Include preparation and cleanup hours when reviewing the wage offer.

+ Interior practice
+ Salvage experience
– Tight spaces
– Material sorting

Which states pay demolition 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. 01Californiathis page$28.98/hr
  2. 02Virginia$20.94/hr

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
SoCal Laborers Apprenticeship (journeyperson)+$4.83$10,046$00 weeks
40-Hour HAZWOPER+$3$6,240$2402 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$2.18$4,534$1592 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.73$1,518$593 weeks

What overtime actually adds

Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $28.98/hr.

40 hr week
$1,159
No OT
50 hr week
$1,594
+$21,735/yr
60 hr week
$2,029
+$43,470/yr
70 hr week
$2,463
+$65,205/yr

Questions workers ask

Who pays for my respirator and medical evaluation?▾
Your employer. Cal/OSHA's Title 8 Section 5144 requires employers to provide required respirators, training and medical evaluations at no cost to employees. Ask when fit testing happens before dusty removal begins.
Must the employer supply my demolition tools?▾
Yes, generally. The Industrial Welfare Commission's Wage Order 16 requires employers to provide and maintain required tools and equipment. Employees earning at least twice the state minimum wage can be required to supply hand tools customarily used in the trade. Ask which hand tools you must bring.
Are cleanup and loading paid work?▾
Yes. Required debris loading, tool preparation and cleanup count as work. Keep a record of those hours alongside removal time. Under the Labor Commissioner's overtime rules, overtime generally applies after eight daily or 40 weekly hours, with exceptions for qualifying arrangements. Ask how the employer records those duties.

See Open Demolition Worker Jobs in California

Verified positions matching this trade and location.

See Open JobsBuild My Profile — Free

Current BLS California employee wages for Construction Laborers, SOC 47-2061; BLS has no demolition-specific occupation. These are employee wages for construction laborers, the occupation that includes demolition labour. They exclude asbestos/lead abatement workers, SOC 47-4041, demolition contractor or equipment-hire charges, premium pay and benefits.

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