Skilled Wages

Construction manager salary in California

Median $64.02 an hour for 34,750 construction managers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$64.02/hrMedian hourly wageCalifornia, May data
$133,160/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$39.47 – $101.9110th to 90th percentilehourly range
34,750Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Construction manager pay in California: the full range

Wage percentiles, CaliforniaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$20$40$60$80$100$120/hrCalifornia: 10th $39.47 · 25th $49.41 · median $64.02 · 75th $80.80 · 90th $101.91California$64.02$39.47$101.91United States: 10th $33.50 · 25th $42.57 · median $55.28 · 75th $72.91 · 90th $91.08United States$55.28
Hourly wage percentiles for construction managers: California vs United States, May 2025.

California ranks 6th of 51 states for median construction manager pay, and 18th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $57.83). 34,750 construction managers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.6× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$39.47 – $49.41$82,100 – $102,780roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$49.41 – $80.80$102,780 – $168,070the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$80.80 – $101.91$168,070 – $211,970the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Construction manager pay by metro in California

Ranked median wages$0$25$50$75$100/hrSan Francisco: $79.82San Francisco$79.82San Jose: $78.39San Jose$78.39Napa: $66.70Napa$66.70San Diego: $64.04San Diego$64.04Santa Maria: $63.76Santa Maria$63.76Los Angeles: $63.31Los Angeles$63.31Oxnard: $62.84Oxnard$62.84El Centro: $62.80El Centro$62.80Sacramento: $62.23Sacramento$62.23Santa Cruz: $61.89Santa Cruz$61.89San Luis Obispo: $61.64San Luis Obispo$61.64Bakersfield: $61.49Bakersfield$61.49
Median hourly wage for construction managers by metro area in California, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
San Francisco$48.51$79.82$69.05$108.235,16025% above
San Jose$47.07$78.39$71.01$120.191,85022% above
Napa$40.06$66.70$59.24$104.691804% above
San Diego$39.56$64.04$57.23$100.173,800about the same as
Santa Maria$39.71$63.76$58.60$102.81290about the same as
Los Angeles$36.41$63.31$55.73$102.0810,1201% below
Oxnard$40.12$62.84$56.87$92.555802% below
El Centro$39.71$62.80$65.97$93.75602% below
Sacramento$38.14$62.23$58.32$95.522,7603% below
Santa Cruz$40.90$61.89$56.31$84.071503% below
San Luis Obispo$35.56$61.64$56.76$90.903704% below
Bakersfield$40.19$61.49$60.94$98.167204% below
Yuba City$37.01$60.67$58.22$87.95705% below
Riverside$38.75$60.60$56.95$90.003,4505% below
Modesto$39.79$60.48$58.10$95.013806% below
Santa Rosa$35.56$59.95$55.61$94.745606% below
Vallejo$28.04$58.96$54.34$97.304008% below
Salinas$40.53$57.90$53.12$87.1322010% below
Stockton$35.18$57.80$55.00$87.1956010% below
Chico$38.23$57.53$56.85$85.0114010% below
Merced$39.94$57.28$58.27$80.7610011% below
Fresno$36.07$56.97$55.74$84.6291011% below
Redding$23.81$53.61$53.24$86.5415016% below
Visalia$32.78$50.12$50.22$82.8623022% below
Hanford$37.53$49.94$49.15$75.235022% below

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Construction manager wages in California over time

California, 1999-2025CaliforniaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$20$40$60$80200020052010201520202025$64.02California$55.28United States
Median hourly wage for construction managers, California vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearCalifornia $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$33.18$64.12$26.7523,990
2000$33.20$62.07$28.0023,530
2001$35.45$64.44$29.3520,870
2002$36.66$65.61$30.5320,400
2003$37.67$65.91$31.9619,370
2004$41.02$69.91$33.5915,460
2005$41.29$68.06$34.7417,610
2006$42.25$67.47$35.4320,310
2007$45.78$71.08$36.6521,890
2008$48.15$72.00$38.3921,750
2009$49.88$74.85$39.5820,850
2010$49.58$73.20$40.3219,270
2011$48.63$69.60$40.5021,500
2012$48.15$67.52$39.8022,100
2013$49.24$68.05$40.5823,370
2014$48.70$66.23$41.1725,530
2015$46.81$63.58$42.0229,950
2016$46.77$62.74$42.9332,590
2017$48.87$64.19$43.9332,780
2018$51.47$65.99$44.8932,420
2019$53.80$67.75$45.8032,830
2020$56.76$70.61$46.7231,260
2021$56.80$67.48$47.5534,550
2022$57.60$63.36$48.7936,670
2023$59.95$63.34$50.4336,950
2024$62.02$63.65$51.4335,790
2025$64.02$64.02$55.2834,750

In today's dollars, the median construction manager wage in California changed by +0.7% over the last ten years of data and by -5.5% since 2019.

Are there more construction manager jobs in California?

+5.8%Jobs since 201932,830 then, 34,750 in 2025
+16.0%Jobs over 10 years2015 to 2025, employer survey
1.9Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.8× the US share, 32nd of 49 states

Since 1999, the number of construction managers counted in California has changed by +44.9%, against +58.2% for the country as a whole. Since 2019 the state count changed by +5.8%.

Construction managers in California vs United States, 1999 = 100CaliforniaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages50100150200200020052010201520202025158United States145California
Jobs counted by the BLS employer survey, California vs United States, indexed to 1999 = 100. Shaded bands mark survey method changes.
Table
YearCalifornia jobsCalifornia indexUS index
199923,990100100
200023,5309895
200120,8708789
200220,4008587
200319,3708182
200415,4606477
200517,6107380
200620,3108586
200721,8909190
200821,7509192
200920,8508785
201019,2708080
201121,5009081
201222,1009286
201323,3709789
201425,53010695
201529,950125100
201632,590136104
201732,780137110
201832,420135116
201932,830137122
202031,260130119
202134,550144118
202236,670153126
202336,950154137
202435,790149145
202534,750145158

Job counts are BLS OEWS survey estimates built from three years of samples, so moves of a few percent from one year to the next are within the survey's margin. Self-employed tradespeople are not counted. Areas with fewer than 3,000 jobs or a large sampling error are shown as a single figure rather than a trend.

Outlook for construction managers in California

+10.9%Projected growth in California2024–2034, state agency
4,780Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
54,300Jobs in 202460,200 projected for 2034
+9.1%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

California's labor market agency projects the number of construction managers in the state to change by +10.9% between 2024 and 2034, from 54,300 to 60,200, with about 4,780 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +9.1% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 34,750 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: California labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Is construction work growing in California?

895.7kConstruction jobsCalifornia, 2026-09
-0.5%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026200k400k600k800k1,000k1,200k19901995200020052010201520202025896kSep 2026
Construction employment in California (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at construction establishments by county (all employees, not just construction managers), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages. Across the 54 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 473,902 in 2015 to 577,497 in 2025, +21.9%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
San Francisco County1,90221,750$128,455$2,470
Santa Clara County4,36450,668$122,701$2,360
Tehama County1371,067$118,014$2,269
Alameda County3,40944,885$110,642$2,128
San Mateo County2,07416,098$108,677$2,090
Solano County93911,051$105,185$2,023
Yolo County4534,901$104,584$2,011
Contra Costa County2,88925,930$103,829$1,997
Napa County5204,086$100,027$1,924
Orange County8,628103,392$99,697$1,917
Marin County1,0867,358$95,794$1,842
Placer County1,72018,848$91,175$1,753

Keep comparing

Construction manager pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in California

More on California

Questions this page answers

How much do construction managers make in California?

The median construction manager in California earned $64.02 an hour ($133,160 a year) in May 2025, 16% above the national median of $55.28. The middle half earn $49.41–$80.80; the top 10% earn more than $101.91.

Where does California rank for construction manager pay?

California ranks 6th of 51 states for construction manager pay, with a median of $64.02 an hour, and 18th after adjusting for California's cost of living (BEA price parity 110.7, US = 100).

What is the union construction manager rate in California?

Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a construction manager classification for most California counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.

How many construction managers work in California?

BLS counted 34,750 construction managers in California in May 2025, 1.9 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.78; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is construction manager work growing in California?

The BLS employer survey count of construction managers in California went from 29,950 in 2015 to 34,750 in 2025, +16.0%, and +5.8% since 2019. California's labor market agency projects +10.9% growth for construction managers between 2024 and 2034, from 54,300 to 60,200 jobs.

How many construction manager openings a year are there in California?

California projects about 4,780 openings a year for construction managers over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 49,700 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, California and metro areas, SOC 11-9021. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: California labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.