Scaffold Worker Salary in California

$37/hr

Read California carpenter wage ranges alongside scaffold duties, paid hours, training responsibilities and the costs attached to each offer.

Change trade or state

What Scaffold Workers Earn in California

California employee wages for Carpenters span $22.83–$57.67/hr, or $47,490–$119,950 a year. This broader occupation includes scaffold builders, so the figures cover more than scaffold erection. Premium pay and benefits are excluded. Match an offer to its scaffold systems, erection duties and paid hours, then compare health coverage, retirement contributions and travel arrangements separately. Ask who directs assembly and how required instruction fits your paid workday.

Hourly rates by level in California

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

Apprentice · 0–2 yrs
$22.83–$28.72/hr
▲ 1.47% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$28.72–$46.07/hr
▲ 1.47% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$46.07–$57.67/hr
▲ 1.47% from last year

Find Scaffold Worker jobs in California.

Browse open jobs

Where do you stand?

Enter your hourly rate to see how it compares to other scaffold 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 Scaffold Worker
California · Day Shift
Base rate$37.39
+ Western States Carpenters Training Fund Scaffold Erector Apprenticeship (journeyperson)$5.44
+ OSHA 30-Hour Construction$2.52
+ Fall Protection Competent Person$0.67
Effective hourly$46.03
Straight · 40 hrs$1,841
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$552
Weekly gross$2,393
Annualised · 50 weeks
$119,665
8 OT hrs/week · California

Who pays the most in California

These national carpenter figures cover three different construction employment settings. For California scaffold offers, ask how each employer pays staging, alterations and dismantling.

01 / 03$30.66/hr

Nonresidential Building Construction

Commercial building crews need scaffold access coordinated with following trades. Ask California employers how repeated platform alterations fit the paid schedule. Include required component sorting and movement when discussing the start and finish of shifts.

+ Larger projects
+ Trade coordination
– Restricted access
– Schedule changes
02 / 03$29.13/hr

Residential Building Construction

Housebuilding and remodeling involve access around changing elevations. Discuss paid component handling and moves between California housing sites with the employer. Ask where the paid day starts when crews report to a yard for materials.

+ Housing projects
+ Repeated assemblies
– Changing sites
– Weather exposure
03 / 03$28.80/hr

Other Specialty Trade Contractors

Specialist scaffold erection belongs within this broader contracting group. Compare California assignments by systems used, dismantling responsibilities and required work travel. Discuss the expected job duration and how the crew moves to its next assignment.

+ Scaffold specialization
+ System experience
– Travel demands
– Uneven workloads

Which states pay scaffold 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$36.50/hr
  2. 02Virginia$26.77/hr

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
Western States Carpenters Training Fund Scaffold Erector Apprenticeship (journeyperson)+$5.44$11,315$00 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$2.52$5,242$1592 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.84$1,747$592 weeks
Fall Protection Competent Person+$0.67$1,394$1496 weeks
Scaffold Competent Person+$0.42$874$896 weeks
Cal/OSHA Scaffold Erector/Dismantler Training (8 CCR 1637)+$0.67$1,394$1958 weeks

What overtime actually adds

Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $36.50/hr.

40 hr week
$1,460
No OT
50 hr week
$2,008
+$27,375/yr
60 hr week
$2,555
+$54,750/yr
70 hr week
$3,103
+$82,125/yr

Questions workers ask

Who sets a scaffold apprentice's wage increases?▾
Your DAS-approved apprenticeship standards do. Title 8 Section 212 requires those standards to include a progressively increasing wage schedule. Ask the program sponsor for the current steps and the hours each step requires.
Does dismantling count toward overtime?▾
Yes. Required dismantling is work time, just like erection and employer-directed staging. IWC Wage Order 16 generally requires overtime after eight daily or 40 weekly hours, with qualifying schedule and collective agreement exceptions. Keep daily records across both tasks.
What should I ask about public works pay?▾
Ask which prevailing wage classification covers your actual scaffold duties and where the project is located. DIR determinations govern covered public work. Compare the required wages and benefits with the written offer, including the treatment of overtime. Keep the applicable determination with your offer details for a clear comparison.

See Open Scaffold Worker Jobs in California

Verified positions matching this trade and location.

See Open JobsBuild My Profile — Free

Current BLS California employee wages for Carpenters, SOC 47-2031; a broader benchmark that includes scaffold builders, excluding premium pay and benefits.

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