Brickmasons in the Stockton area earn a median of $75,490 a year, 20% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #37 of 150 metros for brickmason salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in San Francisco and San Jose, but less in Sacramento.
It's one of 12 California metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide brickmason pay.
Brickmason pay in Stockton at a glance
- Brickmasons in the Stockton, CA metro earn a median $75,490 a year ($36.29 an hour), #37 of 150 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $59,850 and $123,010.
- After local prices, that median buys what $71,834 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,628 a month, 26% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among brickmasons in Stockton.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker. The median here works out to about $36 an hour in yearly terms.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for brickmasons here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and also above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (6.7%) and the population is growing faster than most (+5.5% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 281 one-person foundation, framing & exterior work businesses averaging $53,320 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $89/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Stockton scorecard for brickmasons Our calculation
Grades compare Stockton with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($62,950).
Pay over time
The median pay for brickmasons in the Stockton area went from $78,170 in 2021 to $75,490 in 2025, down 3.4%. Prices rose 19% over the same period, so after inflation that's -19.1% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2021–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Stockton Our calculation
Prices in the Stockton area run 5% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $71,834 would in a typical place, ranking #48 of 149 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a Stockton budget on this pay from this pay, local rent and prices.
What brickmasons do
Lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances, to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers, and other structures.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
- Construct corners by fastening in plumb position a corner pole or building a corner pyramid of bricks, and filling in between the corners using a line from corner to corner to steer each course, or layer, of brick.
- Apply and smooth mortar or other mixture over work surface.
- Calculate angles and courses and determine vertical and horizontal alignment of courses.
- Break or cut bricks, tiles, or blocks to size, using trowel edge, hammer, or power saw.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, brickmason jobs are projected to grow 1.1% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 4,100 openings a year. About 18% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often brickmasons deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Getting started: registered apprenticeship Government data
Most brickmasons train through a paid apprenticeship: you work and earn under experienced pros while taking classes, and pay usually rises as you progress. 727,586 people were active registered apprentices nationwide in FY2026, up 87% since FY2016, and construction is the largest field with 290,043 of them (40%), according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Search apprenticeship openings near Stockton ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Licensing in California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for brickmasons.
Official California licensing site ↗
Requirements for brickmasons vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, brickmasons have 131 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.5× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is falls, slips and trips.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying CA metros for brickmasons
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $77,350 | $66,904 | 340 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $75,930 | $68,763 | 180 |
| StocktonCALIFORNIA · CA | $75,490 | $71,834 | 150 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $74,410 | $69,036 | 50 |
| SacramentoCALIFORNIA · CA | $73,810 | $69,195 | 340 |
| FresnoCALIFORNIA · CA | $69,050 | $67,591 | 170 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $65,430 | $60,004 | 40 |
| OxnardCALIFORNIA · CA | $64,000 | $57,901 | 90 |
| Santa MariaCALIFORNIA · CA | $63,600 | $58,457 | 30 |
| Los AngelesCALIFORNIA · CA | $63,450 | $55,871 | 1,220 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Stockton area's unemployment rate was 6.7% in 2025 (all workers, not just brickmasons), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 8.3% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Stockton area is 35 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 27% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 72% drive alone, 1% take transit and 10% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Stockton area's population grew 5.5% from 2020 to 2025 (780,618 → 823,815), ranking #85 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +27,693) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Stockton
The Stockton area has about 266,936 homes. 42% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 14% were built in 2010 or later. 62% of households own their home, and the median home value is $562,500.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Stockton are down 43% from 2021 to 2025 (4,389 → 2,522).
In 2025 the Stockton area approved permits for 2,522 new homes (2,520 single-family), or 3.2 per 1,000 residents, ranking #210 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 281 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $53,320 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Stockton compares among the best cities to start a brickmason business.
They compete with 192 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 2,563 workers in total). 59% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Licensed contractors
The Stockton area has 31 active C-29 Masonry contractor licenses, about 0.4 per 10,000 residents (#17 of 25 California metros, where #1 is the most crowded). That's the competition you'd face bidding your own jobs.
California Contractors State License Board, License Master file, October 2026. Counted by the county in each license's address.
Working outdoors in Stockton Government data
In an average year, Stockton has 88 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 19 at 100°F or more, 19 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 32 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 93°F and winter nights 40°F. That matters for brickmasons: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Stockton Metro Airport, CA station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $75,490 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get brickmason pricing & estimate templates →Compare Stockton with another city →
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ToolBest cities for brickmasonsRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in StocktonSee where it falls among local brickmasons, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolStockton budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Stockton metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Stockton against every other metro for brickmasons. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.