Road Construction Worker Salary in California

$29/hr

California construction-laborer wages help you assess road-crew offers alongside project duties, paid hours, benefits and covered public-works requirements.

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What Road Construction Workers Earn in California

California employee wages for Construction Laborers span $19.69–$45.01/hr, with published annual wages of $40,950–$93,620 a year. This occupation includes highway and street labour alongside other construction work. Equipment operators and drivers have separate duties and wage benchmarks. Match the offer to laborer duties before comparing the figures. Read the bands as broad wage comparisons. Registered apprentices follow their program's wage schedule, and covered public works use the applicable prevailing-wage determination.

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

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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 Road Construction Worker
California · Day Shift
Base rate$30.45
+ SoCal Laborers Apprenticeship (journeyperson)$4.83
+ OSHA 30-Hour Construction$2.18
+ ATSSA Flagger Certification$0.29
Effective hourly$37.75
Straight · 40 hrs$1,510
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$453
Weekly gross$1,963
Annualised · 50 weeks
$98,150
8 OT hrs/week · California

Who pays the most in California

These national construction-laborer figures cover roadbuilding, specialist site work and commercial construction. For California public projects, match duties to the prevailing-wage determination.

01 / 03$24.08/hr

Highway and Bridge Construction

Paving and road repairs put laborers beside moving traffic. On Caltrans projects, ask about closure hours, crew access and traffic-control duties. Include required setup and cleanup when comparing shift length with advertised hours.

+ Roadbuilding experience
+ Crew coordination
– Traffic exposure
– Closure schedules
02 / 03$24.01/hr

Nonresidential Building Construction

Commercial building crews support materials handling and site preparation. For work near street entrances, discuss delivery routes and separation from public traffic. Ask who directs materials handling when deliveries coincide with other trades.

+ Varied tasks
+ Building experience
– Delivery conflicts
– Changing phases
03 / 03$22.79/hr

Other Specialty Trade Contractors

Site-preparation firms handle excavation and grading within this broader group. Ask about silica controls, equipment interfaces and moves between road-related assignments. Discuss how each move affects your reporting point and recorded work time.

+ Groundwork skills
+ Varied sites
– Dust exposure
– Equipment interfaces

Which states pay road construction 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
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$2.18$4,534$1592 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.73$1,518$593 weeks
ATSSA Flagger Certification+$0.29$603$12511 weeks
Cal/OSHA Silica in Construction (8 CCR 1532.3) Training+$0.07$146$3011 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

Can hauling off a public road job pay prevailing wage?▾
Yes, in some situations. Caltrans's Labor Compliance Manual lists off-haul to disposal and ready-mix concrete hauling as work state law can cover. Ask payroll which DIR classification applies to your hauling duties.
Does setup count when a lane closure starts later?▾
Yes. Required loading, setup and cleanup count as work under IWC Wage Order 16, enforced by DIR's Labor Commissioner. Record when those duties begin and end. General overtime rules apply after eight daily or 40 weekly hours, with qualifying schedule and collective-agreement exceptions. Keep full-shift records.
Are apprentices on public road jobs paid prevailing rates?▾
Yes, at the apprentice rate for their program level. DIR's Division of Apprenticeship Standards generally requires registered apprentices on public works contracts of $30,000 or more. The ratio is one apprentice hour for every five journeyman hours.

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Current BLS California employee wages for Construction Laborers, SOC 47-2061; the occupation includes highway and street labour, and employee wages exclude premium pay and benefits.

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