Signal Person Salary in California

$29/hr

Read California construction-laborer wage ranges alongside signaling duties, lift conditions and the hours included in each offer.

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What Signal Persons Earn in California

California construction-laborer employee wages span $19.69–$45.01/hr, or $40,950–$93,620 a year. These figures provide a broader benchmark for workers assigned signalling. BLS has no separate signal-person occupation. Discuss the actual lifting duties when comparing offers, especially if the employer also expects rigging or crane operation. Premium pay and benefits sit outside these figures. Read the bands as wage comparisons for the broader occupation, without assuming that experience determines qualification.

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 Signal Person
California · Day Shift
Base rate$30.45
+ IUOE Local 12 Operating Engineer Apprenticeship (journeyperson)$6.62
+ SoCal Laborers Apprenticeship (journeyperson)$4.83
+ OSHA 10-Hour Construction$0.73
Effective hourly$42.63
Straight · 40 hrs$1,705
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$512
Weekly gross$2,217
Annualised · 50 weeks
$110,838
8 OT hrs/week · California

Who pays the most in California

These national construction-laborer medians describe three employer settings for signaling work. Discuss local assignments, crew responsibilities and paid hours when comparing written California job offers.

01 / 03$24.08/hr

Highway and Bridge Construction

Bridge and road crews coordinate lifts around traffic and changing access. Ask how closure schedules affect signaling shifts and paid hours. Include the work required to prepare communication before the crane starts moving.

+ Infrastructure experience
+ Crew coordination
– Traffic exposure
– Changing access
02 / 03$24.01/hr

Nonresidential Building Construction

Commercial building deliveries bring lifting crews alongside other trades. Discuss who controls placement areas and how delivery delays affect paid time. Clarify whether the job includes rigging loads as well as directing movements.

+ Building experience
+ Varied lifts
– Delivery delays
– Congested sites
03 / 03$22.79/hr

Other Specialty Trade Contractors

Site preparation and demolition contractors handle changing work areas. Ask which assignments combine signaling with ground duties and travel between projects. Separate the rate offered for employee work from any proposed subcontract price.

+ Project variety
+ Ground experience
– Changing duties
– Site travel

Which states pay signal persons 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
IUOE Local 12 Operating Engineer Apprenticeship (journeyperson)+$6.62$13,770$00 weeks
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
NCCCO Rigger Level I+$1.16$2,413$2005 weeks
NCCCO Signalperson+$0.58$1,206$2009 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

Do small public crane jobs pay prevailing wage?▾
Yes, when the public works project is over $1,000. DIR's Labor Commissioner says the threshold rises when the awarding body has a labor compliance program. It becomes $25,000 for construction and $15,000 for repair or maintenance.
How should I compare public works offers?▾
Ask which DIR prevailing wage classification covers the duties you will perform. Compare the applicable wage and benefit requirements with the written offer. Keep signaling, rigging and other assigned work clear so the employer can explain the classification used.
What should I ask about long lifting shifts?▾
Ask how the employer records setup, required waiting and transfers between sites. IWC Wage Order 16 generally requires overtime after eight daily or 40 weekly hours, with exceptions for qualifying schedules and agreements. Compare ordinary wages, overtime terms and benefits separately in each written offer.

See Open Signal Person Jobs in California

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Current BLS California employee wages for Construction Laborers, SOC 47-2061; broader benchmark for workers assigned signalling, excluding premium pay and benefits.

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