Construction Laborers salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Construction Laborers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Construction Laborers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earns $57,180 a year ($27.49 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Construction Laborers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn between $48,480 and $71,390 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $39,600 or less and the top 10 percent earn $86,000 or more. BLS estimates 8,850 Construction Laborers jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area — 5.752 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.82 (below the national concentration). That is 0.8% of all Construction Laborers employment in the United States (1,096,780 jobs nationally). By employment, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is the #23 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Construction Laborers. In aggregate, Construction Laborers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn about $0.54 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $48,395.06 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Construction Laborers is about $0.43 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 7% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #11 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Construction Laborers. By employment, Construction Laborers is the #29 largest of the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Construction Laborers, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $57,180 falls between the national median ($47,120) and the national 75th percentile ($59,740). Across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median is $58,690 a year — Construction Laborers pay is 2.6% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $29.08 | $60,490 |
| 10th percentile | $19.04 | $39,600 |
| 25th percentile | $23.31 | $48,480 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $27.49 | $57,180 |
| 75th percentile | $34.32 | $71,390 |
| 90th percentile | $41.35 | $86,000 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Construction Laborers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn 2.2 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($86,000 against $39,600). The middle half spans $22,910 — from $48,480 to $71,390. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($41.35) is 2.17 times the 10th ($19.04). In the upper half of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $71,390 takes home $55,748.40 and the 90th percentile wage of $86,000 takes home $64,604.08 — $8,855.68 more net for $14,610 more gross. Against the median take-home of $45,976.86, the top decile keeps 1.41 times as much. The mean wage of $60,490 sits 5.8% above the median: higher-paid Construction Laborers pull the average up in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, Construction Laborers ranks #12 by median pay. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Construction Laborers sits between Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks at $58,580 and First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers at $56,300. Construction Laborers accounts for 0.6% of all employment in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 17,175 Construction Laborers; San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA employs 0.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $57,180.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $4,681.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,545.16 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $829.11 |
| California income tax | $1,403.88 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $743.34 |
| Total deductions | $11,203.14 |
| Net pay (annual) | $45,976.86 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,768.34 |
| Total deduction rate | 19.59% of gross |
At the median, $45,976.86 of the $57,180 gross is kept ($1,768.34 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 19.59%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.79% at the 10th percentile, 18.28% at the 25th percentile, 21.91% at the 75th percentile, 24.88% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $16,132.58 on a gross rise of $22,910.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($39,600) | $32,951.80 | $1,267.38 | 16.79% |
| 25th percentile ($48,480) | $39,615.82 | $1,523.69 | 18.28% |
| Median ($57,180) | $45,976.86 | $1,768.34 | 19.59% |
| 75th percentile ($71,390) | $55,748.40 | $2,144.17 | 21.91% |
| 90th percentile ($86,000) | $64,604.08 | $2,484.77 | 24.88% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $32,951.80 a year at the 10th percentile to $64,604.08 at the 90th — a spread of $31,652.28 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median wage of $58,690 takes home $47,079.96 a year ($1,810.77 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.78%). The Construction Laborers median take-home of $45,976.86 sits $1,103.10 (below that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Construction Laborers earns $47,120 a year ($22.66 an hour). The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $57,180 is $10,060 (21.3%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $60,490 a year in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA against $52,030 nationally, a gap of $8,460 (16.3%).
Set against the whole local market, the Construction Laborers 90th percentile of $86,000 is 56% of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($152,580), and its 10th percentile of $39,600 is 109% of the area-wide 10th ($36,250).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $57,180 | $27.49 | $60,490 |
| United States | $47,120 | $22.66 | $52,030 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Construction Laborers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$57,180 a year ($27.49 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $60,490 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #11 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $57,180 in California?
About $45,976.86 a year ($1,768.34 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 19.59% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $71,390, take-home is $55,748.40.
How does pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA compare with the national median for Construction Laborers?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $57,180 is $10,060 (21.3%) above the national median of $47,120 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $86,000, against a national 90th percentile of $78,090.
How much do the top 10% of Construction Laborers earn in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$86,000 a year or more ($41.35 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Construction Laborers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
On $86,000 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $64,604.08 a year ($2,484.77 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 24.88%.
How many Construction Laborers jobs are there in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
BLS estimates 8,850 Construction Laborers jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — 5.752 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Construction Laborers jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
The location quotient is 0.82 — below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Construction Laborers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
From $32,951.80 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($39,600) to $64,604.08 at the 90th ($86,000), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Construction Laborers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
About $0.54 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 8,850 multiplied by the mean wage of $60,490.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.