Skilled Wages

Brickmason salary in California

Median $33.20 an hour for 3,820 brickmasons and blockmasons, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$33.20/hrMedian hourly wageCalifornia, May data
$69,050/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$23.77 – $52.0210th to 90th percentilehourly range
3,820Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Brickmason pay in California: the full range

Wage percentiles, CaliforniaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrCalifornia: 10th $23.77 · 25th $28.24 · median $33.20 · 75th $38.26 · 90th $52.02California$33.20$23.77$52.02United States: 10th $21.55 · 25th $24.57 · median $29.87 · 75th $38.15 · 90th $48.08United States$29.87
Hourly wage percentiles for brickmasons and blockmasons: California vs United States, May 2025.

California ranks 17th of 50 states for median brickmason pay, and 31st once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $29.99). 3,820 brickmasons and blockmasons work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$23.77 – $28.24$49,440 – $58,730roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$28.24 – $38.26$58,730 – $79,580the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$38.26 – $52.02$79,580 – $108,200the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Brickmason pay by metro in California

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrSan Francisco: $37.19San Francisco$37.19San Jose: $36.51San Jose$36.51Stockton: $36.29Stockton$36.29Santa Rosa: $35.77Santa Rosa$35.77Sacramento: $35.49Sacramento$35.49Fresno: $33.20Fresno$33.20Salinas: $31.46Salinas$31.46Oxnard: $30.77Oxnard$30.77Santa Maria: $30.58Santa Maria$30.58Los Angeles: $30.51Los Angeles$30.51Riverside: $30.45Riverside$30.45San Diego: $30.43San Diego$30.43
Median hourly wage for brickmasons and blockmasons by metro area in California, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
San Francisco$27.03$37.19$60.3234012% above
San Jose$24.17$36.51$61.8018010% above
Stockton$28.78$36.29$59.141509% above
Santa Rosa$27.50$35.77$46.67508% above
Sacramento$23.78$35.49$48.933407% above
Fresno$22.42$33.20$65.35170about the same as
Salinas$20.84$31.46$49.66405% below
Oxnard$20.42$30.77$44.87907% below
Santa Maria$23.20$30.58$36.30308% below
Los Angeles$23.77$30.51$49.841,2208% below
Riverside$21.79$30.45$48.525408% below
San Diego$23.32$30.43$48.952608% below

Brickmason wages in California over time

California, 1999-2025CaliforniaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$15$20$25$30$35$40200020052010201520202025$33.20California$29.87United States
Median hourly wage for brickmasons and blockmasons, California vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearCalifornia $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$20.64$39.89$19.365,000
2000$20.16$37.69$19.377,480
2001$19.59$35.61$20.005,980
2002$20.42$36.54$20.117,120
2003$20.83$36.45$19.986,670
2004$21.42$36.51$20.077,420
2005$21.68$35.74$20.139,330
2006$21.05$33.62$20.6610,350
2007$20.73$32.19$21.199,300
2008$23.30$34.84$21.947,440
2009$24.70$37.07$22.475,550
2010$27.11$40.03$22.564,140
2011$28.07$40.18$22.503,650
2012$28.58$40.08$22.333,130
2013$30.84$42.62$22.414,340
2014$28.48$38.73$22.914,420
2015$27.77$37.72$23.054,410
2016$28.23$37.87$23.684,550
2017$27.28$35.83$23.933,850
2018$27.45$35.19$24.493,340
2019$28.60$36.02$25.533,260
2020$31.75$39.49$26.483,170
2021$30.55$36.30$28.533,090
2022$33.75$37.13$28.373,000
2023$32.31$34.14$28.673,140
2024$31.93$32.77$29.233,480
2025$33.20$33.20$29.873,820

In today's dollars, the median brickmason wage in California changed by -12.0% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for brickmasons in California

On federally funded construction in California, contractors must pay brickmasons at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 52 of the 58 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $82.00 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $31.05). 6 of the 58 counties still use a survey rate dated 1985 or earlier (for example Amador County at $21.61). The market median for the state is $33.20.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, CAAlameda: $82.00 (union)Alpine: $85.52 (union)Amador: $21.61 (survey)Butte: $85.52 (union)Calaveras: $82.00 (union)Colusa: $85.52 (union)Contra Costa: $82.00 (union)Del Norte: $31.05 (survey)El Dorado: $85.52 (union)Fresno: $82.00 (union)Glenn: $85.52 (union)Humboldt: $31.05 (survey)Imperial: $77.95 (union)Inyo: $65.82 (union)Kern: $65.82 (union)Kings: $82.00 (union)Lake: $31.05 (survey)Lassen: $85.52 (union)Los Angeles: $65.82 (union)Madera: $82.00 (union)Marin: $85.52 (union)Mariposa: $82.00 (union)Mendocino: $31.05 (survey)Merced: $82.00 (union)Modoc: $85.52 (union)Mono: $65.82 (union)Monterey: $82.00 (union)Napa: $85.52 (union)Nevada: $85.52 (union)Orange: $65.82 (union)Placer: $85.52 (union)Plumas: $85.52 (union)Riverside: $65.82 (union)Sacramento: $85.52 (union)San Benito: $82.00 (union)San Bernardino: $65.82 (union)San Diego: $65.75 (union)San Francisco: $82.00 (union)San Joaquin: $82.00 (union)San Luis Obispo: $65.82 (union)San Mateo: $82.00 (union)Santa Barbara: $65.82 (union)Santa Clara: $82.00 (union)Santa Cruz: $82.00 (union)Shasta: $85.52 (union)Sierra: $85.52 (union)Siskiyou: $85.52 (union)Solano: $85.52 (union)Sonoma: $85.52 (union)Stanislaus: $82.00 (union)Sutter: $85.52 (union)Tehama: $85.52 (union)Trinity: $85.52 (union)Tulare: $15.18 (survey)Tuolumne: $82.00 (union)Ventura: $70.36 (union)Yolo: $85.52 (union)Yuba: $85.52 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$65.82$82.00$82.70survey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for brickmasons by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$20$40$60$80$100/hrButte (California): market median $33.20, prevailing (union) $85.52, gap +$52.32Butte (California)+$52.32Monterey (Salinas): market median $31.46, prevailing (union) $82.00, gap +$50.54Monterey (Salinas)+$50.54El Dorado (Sacramento): market median $35.49, prevailing (union) $85.52, gap +$50.03El Dorado (Sacramento)+$50.03Sonoma (Santa Rosa): market median $35.77, prevailing (union) $85.52, gap +$49.75Sonoma (Santa Rosa)+$49.75Fresno (Fresno): market median $33.20, prevailing (union) $82.00, gap +$48.80Fresno (Fresno)+$48.80Marin (San Francisco): market median $37.19, prevailing (union) $85.52, gap +$48.33Marin (San Francisco)+$48.33San Joaquin (Stockton): market median $36.29, prevailing (union) $82.00, gap +$45.71San Joaquin (Stockton)+$45.71San Benito (San Jose): market median $36.51, prevailing (union) $82.00, gap +$45.49San Benito (San Jose)+$45.49Ventura (Oxnard): market median $30.77, prevailing (union) $70.36, gap +$39.59Ventura (Oxnard)+$39.59Riverside (Riverside): market median $30.45, prevailing (union) $65.82, gap +$35.37Riverside (Riverside)+$35.37San Diego (San Diego): market median $30.43, prevailing (union) $65.75, gap +$35.32San Diego (San Diego)+$35.32Los Angeles (Los Angeles): market median $30.51, prevailing (union) $65.82, gap +$35.31Los Angeles (Los Angeles)+$35.31Santa Barbara (Santa Maria): market median $30.58, prevailing (union) $65.82, gap +$35.24Santa Barbara (Santa Maria)+$35.24
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for brickmasons, metro counties in California.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AlpineUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
ButteUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
ColusaUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
El DoradoUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
GlennUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
LassenUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
MarinUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
ModocUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
NapaUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
NevadaUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
PlacerUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
PlumasUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
SacramentoUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
ShastaUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007
SierraUnion BRCA0003-004 2024-05-01$57.02$28.50$85.52CA20260007

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the California prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in California?

898.7kConstruction jobsCalifornia, 2026-08
-1.4%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026200k400k600k800k1,000k1,200k19901995200020052010201520202025899kAug 2026
Construction employment in California (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Brickmason pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in California

Questions this page answers

How much do brickmasons make in California?

The median brickmason in California earned $33.20 an hour ($69,050 a year) in May 2025, 11% above the national median of $29.87. The middle half earn $28.24–$38.26; the top 10% earn more than $52.02.

Where does California rank for brickmason pay?

California ranks 17th of 50 states for brickmason pay, with a median of $33.20 an hour, and 31st after adjusting for California's cost of living (BEA price parity 110.7, US = 100).

What is the union brickmason rate in California?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for brickmasons in 52 counties, with a typical package of $82.00 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many brickmasons work in California?

BLS counted 3,820 brickmasons and blockmasons in California in May 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.62; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, California and metro areas, SOC 47-2021.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.