Construction Laborers in the Sacramento area earn a median of $60,560 a year, 29% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #24 of 391 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Vallejo and Modesto, but less in Yuba City.
Sacramento scorecard for construction laborers Our calculation
Grades compare Sacramento 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 ($46,850).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Sacramento Our calculation
Prices in the Sacramento area run 7% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $56,773 would in a typical place, ranking #68 of 385 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. 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.
What construction laborers do
Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris, and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
- Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
- Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
- Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
- Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, construction laborer jobs are projected to grow 7.3% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 120,000 openings a year. About 27% are self-employed.
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 construction laborers.
Official California licensing site ↗
Requirements for construction laborers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, construction laborers have 218 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 2.5× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying CA metros for construction laborers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $72,610 | $62,804 | 11,620 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $68,470 | $62,007 | 4,420 |
| VallejoCALIFORNIA · CA | $62,500 | $57,615 | 1,080 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $61,680 | $56,565 | 950 |
| ModestoCALIFORNIA · CA | $60,630 | $58,238 | 1,070 |
| SacramentoCALIFORNIA · CA | $60,560 | $56,773 | 7,390 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $60,270 | $55,917 | 1,550 |
| San Luis ObispoCALIFORNIA · CA | $60,140 | $55,380 | 1,030 |
| HanfordCALIFORNIA · CA | $59,870 | $58,920 | 100 |
| NapaCALIFORNIA · CA | $59,800 | $53,130 | 540 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Sacramento area's unemployment rate was 5.0% in 2025 (all workers, not just construction laborers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.3% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Sacramento area is 28 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 16% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 68% drive alone, 2% take transit and 17% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Sacramento are down 14% from 2021 to 2025 (12,434 → 10,689).
In 2025 the Sacramento area approved permits for 10,689 new homes (7,716 single-family), or 4.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking #154 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 2,967 one-person businesses (no employees) in site prep & specialty contracting, averaging $76,526 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 519 site prep & specialty contracting companies that have employees (about 4,441 workers in total). 59% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $60,560 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
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 construction laborer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Sacramento with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.