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Salary Guides / California
Construction Foreman Salary in California
Compare California construction foreman pay ranges and compensation factors to evaluate written offers for your skills and experience.
What Construction Foremen Earn in California
California first-line construction and extraction supervisors earn $29.18–$75.25/hr across the current 10th–90th percentile range, or $60,690–$156,530 annually. The median is $46.96/hr, or $97,680/year. This broader BLS supervisory occupation includes more than one foreman specialty. Compare trade, responsibility, and local project conditions rather than treating the statewide figure as an exact offer; contractor revenue is separate. These are gross earnings, not take-home pay; compare benefits, reimbursements, hours, and actual responsibilities separately.
Hourly rates by level in California
What each rung of the trade is paid, before overtime and per diem.
Where do you stand?
Enter your hourly rate to see how it compares to other construction foremen in California.
What are you making?
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Use your base rate, not what you take home after overtime.
You're right around the middle
$28.00 is above roughly 46% of this market. The top quarter starts at $36.00, and the median sits at $29.00.
Calculate pay with extra credentials
Pick your level, add certifications, select shift — the estimate updates live.
1Your level
2Certifications you hold
3Shift & work type
4Overtime & per diem
An estimate, not an offer. Overtime is paid at time and a half past forty hours.
Who pays the most in California
California foreman opportunities differ between equipment contractors, commercial projects and structural packages. These national supervisor medians support comparisons across those settings, not a California pay ranking. Consider trade knowledge and coordination duties alongside the rate.
Building Equipment Contractors
These contractors install building systems, including electrical, plumbing, heating, and cooling equipment. Compare the trade supervised, crew size, technical responsibilities, expected hours, travel, and benefits before interpreting the national supervisory wage benchmark. Ask whether the advertised position is temporary or permanent.
Nonresidential Building Construction
Commercial and institutional projects require coordination across trades and work packages. Compare crew responsibilities, decision authority, scheduling duties, expected hours, and benefits, including any documented incentives, when evaluating a foreman offer against this benchmark.
Which states pay construction foremen the most
Median hourly across every state with a published guide for this trade. Cost of living is not netted out — compare take-home, not just the rate.
What each certification is worth
Sorted by payback speed.
| Certification | Rate bump | Extra / year | Cost | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCCER Site Supervisor/Foreman | +$1.38 | $2,870 | $316 | 6 weeks |
| Fall Protection Competent Person | +$0.75 | $1,560 | $186 | 6 weeks |
| NCCER Safety Technology | +$1 | $2,080 | $288 | 7 weeks |
| OSHA 30-Hour Construction | +$0.62 | $1,290 | $213 |
What overtime actually adds
Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $46.96/hr.
Questions workers ask
Does a California foreman's salary eliminate overtime?▾
Can a long day trigger overtime even in a short week?▾
Must I buy all my own tools?▾
See Open Construction Foreman Jobs in California
Verified positions matching this trade and location.
Current BLS California employee wages for First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers, SOC 47-1011; a broader foreman benchmark.
Last updated October 21, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.