Installation prices: planning estimates. Official BLS worker wage data is identified separately below.
Contractor costs in California
Regional labor cost ranges for common DIY projects in California. These are estimates for planning purposes - always get multiple quotes from licensed local contractors.
Construction labor wages in California
Official BLS data · OEWS 2025The actual pay range for 19 building trades in California — 10th percentile, median, and 90th percentile hourly wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These describe worker pay; they do not verify or calculate the installation prices below.
Scroll the table horizontally to compare all wage columns. Keyboard: focus the table, then use the arrow keys.
| Trade | 10th %ile | Median /hr | 90th %ile | Employed in CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction supervisors | $29.18 | $46.96 | $75.25 | 71,750 |
| Carpenters | $22.83 | $36.50 | $57.67 | 100,750 |
| Cement masons & concrete finishers | $22.36 | $30.15 | $48.95 | 28,700 |
| Drywall & ceiling-tile installers | $22.14 | $31.67 | $57.81 | 27,280 |
| Tapers | $22.02 | $35.32 | $55.47 | 4,540 |
| Tile & stone setters | $19.23 | $28.31 | $48.00 | 8,250 |
| Floor layers (non-carpet) | $20.23 | $29.43 | $58.06 | 4,330 |
| Carpet installers | $18.45 | $26.17 | $38.73 | 2,270 |
| Painters | $20.26 | $28.38 | $43.75 | 38,430 |
| Glaziers | $23.02 | $30.79 | $58.47 | 7,020 |
| Insulation workers | $19.07 | $23.48 | $50.69 | 3,080 |
| Plasterers & stucco masons | $22.34 | $28.82 | $45.79 | 6,780 |
| Brickmasons & blockmasons | $23.77 | $33.20 | $52.02 | 3,820 |
| Roofers | $23.38 | $30.58 | $42.79 | 21,190 |
| Electricians | $22.50 | $36.62 | $67.47 | 73,310 |
| Plumbers & pipefitters | $22.76 | $35.01 | $63.03 | 47,660 |
| HVAC technicians | $22.57 | $34.88 | $52.44 | 35,130 |
| Equipment operators | $25.37 | $41.90 | $63.56 | 36,020 |
| Construction laborers | $19.69 | $28.98 | $45.01 | 88,240 |
How building-trade pay has moved since 2019
Median hourly wage by year for California's headline trades — a 7-year OEWS series (2019–2025) that deepens with each annual BLS release.
$28.22 in 2019 → $36.50 in 2025
$31.06 in 2019 → $36.62 in 2025
$27.72 in 2019 → $35.01 in 2025
$21.83 in 2019 → $28.98 in 2025
State-specific BLS wage signals
These comparisons are calculated from the same official OEWS 2025 rows above, so they vary by California's actual trade mix instead of repeating a national average. These are worker wages, not contractor billing rates - a contractor's quote adds overhead, insurance, equipment, and margin.
Highest median wage in state
Construction supervisors
$46.96/hr
Source: BLS OEWS 2025
Largest reported construction trade
Carpenters
100,750 employed
Source: BLS OEWS 2025
Biggest premium vs trade median
Equipment operators
+$12.70/hr vs $29.20
Median across states with this BLS trade row, OEWS 2025
Fastest median-wage growth
Construction laborers
+ 33% since 2019
Source: BLS OEWS 2019-2025
Trade wage detail pages
Official BLS wage detail pages for high-employment construction trades in California.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS 2019–2025. These are worker wages, not contractor billing rates — a contractor's quote adds overhead, insurance, equipment, and margin. These additions vary by contractor and project.
Installation labor estimates
Labor only; materials excluded. These ranges have no published job sample or calculation on this page. Use them as a starting point for local quotes.
Notes for California
California labor costs are among the highest in the US due to prevailing wage laws and high cost of living. Contractors require C-8 or C-29 license for concrete work.
State background reference: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_minimumwage.htm. This reference does not substantiate the installation price ranges above.
Find a contractor in California
When a project is beyond DIY scale, get quotes from licensed local contractors. Always verify contractor license status with California's contractor licensing board.