How much do brickmasons make in California in 2026?

The median brickmason in California earns $69,050 per year, which works out to about $33.20 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That puts California brickmasons solidly above the national median for the trade, reflecting the state's high construction demand and elevated cost of doing business. If you're trying to figure out where you stand or where you could land, those are the numbers to benchmark against.

The full spread tells a more complete story. The 25th percentile sits at $58,730 a year, or roughly $28.24 an hour. Workers in this range are typically earlier in their careers — apprentices who have recently journeyed out, or masons working in slower regional markets with less complex project types. The 75th percentile reaches $79,580 annually, about $38.26 an hour. That upper tier belongs to experienced journeymen and foremen on large commercial or institutional jobs, masons who have built a reputation for precision and speed, and workers in high-demand metro markets where contractors compete hard for skilled hands.

The $20,850 gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is meaningful. It's not just about seniority — it reflects specialization, geography, and the type of work you chase. Restoration and historic masonry commands a premium because fewer masons have the skill set. Decorative and architectural brickwork on commercial facades pays more than standard block wall construction. If you're laying CMU on warehouse tilt-ups, you're likely toward the lower end. If you're setting hand-cut face brick on a high-end project in San Francisco or doing detailed chimney and fireplace work in custom residential construction, you're pushing toward or past that 75th percentile.

Geography within California moves the needle. The Bay Area and Los Angeles metro consistently drive higher wages due to the concentration of large-scale commercial and mixed-use development, tight labor supply for skilled masonry specifically, and higher prevailing wage rates on public works projects. The Inland Empire and Central Valley markets tend to track closer to the median or below it, though that can shift when major infrastructure or industrial projects come through. Smaller markets like Redding or Eureka may offer fewer hours overall, which affects annual take-home even if the hourly rate is competitive.

Overtime is real in this trade. Busy seasons — typically spring through fall — can push annual earnings well above what the base hourly rate suggests. A mason earning $33 an hour who logs 300 hours of overtime in a year is clearing closer to $83,000 or more, depending on the overtime multiplier in their agreement. Winter slowdowns in Northern California can cut into hours, so annual income can swing by $8,000 to $12,000 depending on weather and project pipeline.

Prevailing wage work is one of the clearest ways to jump your hourly rate on public projects. California's prevailing wage rates are set by the Department of Industrial Relations and are often significantly higher than open-shop rates for the same work. Brickmasons on state-funded or federally-assisted construction — schools, hospitals, transit infrastructure — can access those higher rates regardless of union status. Knowing how to bid into and qualify for prevailing wage projects is worth understanding early in your career.

Some workers may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

Apprenticeship is the standard path into bricklaying in California. Programs typically run three to four years and combine on-the-job hours with classroom instruction covering layout, mortar mixing, blueprint reading, and safety. Apprentice wages are tiered, usually starting around 50–60% of journeyman scale and stepping up every six months. Completing a formal apprenticeship doesn't just qualify you for more jobs — it opens the door to prevailing wage work and positions you for foreman roles faster than informal entry routes.

All figures on this page come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. BLS data is based on employer-reported payroll and does not capture overtime, per diem, benefits value, or off-the-books pay — so real total compensation for many workers runs higher than these base figures suggest.