How much do cement masons make in California in 2026?

The median cement mason in California earns $62,700 a year, which works out to about $30.14 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number sits in the middle of a wide range — workers at the 25th percentile take home $51,450 (~$24.74/hr), while those at the 75th percentile reach $84,070 (~$40.42/hr). That's a $32,620 spread between the bottom quarter and the top quarter of earners in the state, which tells you experience, employer type, and location carry real weight in this trade. All figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025.

Starting out, most cement masons land somewhere below the $51,450 mark. Entry-level workers learning to screed, float, and finish concrete on commercial slabs and flatwork typically earn closer to $22–$24 an hour before they've built a track record. Once you clear the 25th percentile — usually after two to four years of consistent work — wages accelerate steadily toward the median. The jump from median to 75th percentile ($62,700 to $84,070) is where the biggest dollar gains happen, and it's driven largely by specialization: decorative concrete, large-scale tilt-up construction, bridge decks, and industrial slabs all pull higher rates than basic residential flatwork.

California's construction market is geographically uneven, and that shows up in cement mason pay. The San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles Basin, and San Diego metro consistently place workers above the statewide median due to the volume of commercial and infrastructure work and the higher cost of doing business. Inland Empire and Central Valley markets tend to cluster closer to or below the median, though large warehouse and logistics construction projects have tightened the gap in recent years. If you're willing to travel or relocate within the state, chasing major project concentrations is one of the fastest ways to push your annual earnings up.

Overtime is a significant factor that the annual salary figures don't fully capture. Cement work is time-sensitive — poured concrete doesn't wait — so finishers are routinely called to work early mornings, weekends, and extended shifts to meet cure windows and project schedules. California's overtime laws kick in at 8 hours per day (not just 40 hours per week), so daily OT is common on busy pours. A worker earning $30/hr who logs just five hours of daily overtime per week adds roughly $11,700 to $12,000 in overtime pay annually, pushing total compensation well above the BLS median figure, which reflects straight-time base wages only.

Apprenticeship is the structured path into this trade. California cement mason apprenticeship programs typically run three to four years and combine on-the-job hours with classroom instruction covering concrete chemistry, form setting, curing techniques, and safety. Apprentices start at a percentage of journeyman scale and step up at intervals — expect to enter at roughly 50–60% of full journeyman pay and reach 90–95% by the final period. Completing an apprenticeship not only lands you at journeyman wages but signals to larger commercial and public-works contractors that you can handle spec work and inspections.

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

Raising your pay above the 75th percentile threshold of $84,070 usually means one or more of the following: landing foreman or superintendent roles (which shifts your compensation to salary plus benefits), developing a specialty in decorative or stamped concrete that commands premium pricing, or moving into estimating and project management on the contractor side. Skilled lead finishers on large public infrastructure jobs — highway paving, airport aprons, transit stations — are also among the highest-compensated workers in the trade. California's prevailing wage law applies to public works projects above a certain contract threshold, and prevailing wage rates in major California counties frequently exceed the BLS median, sometimes substantially.

One thing to keep in mind about BLS OEWS data: it captures wages at a single point in time and reflects a broad cross-section of employers, from small residential contractors to large commercial firms. It does not capture total compensation — health insurance, pension contributions, and paid leave add meaningful value on top of the hourly rate and are not reflected in the figures on this page. Use the percentile range as a benchmark for negotiating base wages, but always ask about the full package when evaluating a job offer.