High paying construction jobs in California with no experience

The best paid construction occupations in California that require neither a degree nor prior experience in a related job. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in California run 10.7% above the national average (2024), so a California salary is worth about 0.90× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in California.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find construction jobs in California

OccupationMedian, California · Employed

1Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$87,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,760 – $132,21036,020
2Sheet Metal Workers$76,590
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,410 – $132,1908,390
3Structural Iron and Steel Workers$76,370
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,480 – $118,0307,110
4Electricians$76,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,800 – $140,34073,310
5Carpenters$75,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,490 – $119,950100,750
6Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$72,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,350 – $131,10047,660
7Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers$65,880
No formal educational credential
$46,050 – $120,24027,280
8Glaziers$64,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,890 – $121,6207,020
9Roofers$63,600
No formal educational credential
$48,620 – $89,01021,190
10Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$62,700
No formal educational credential
$46,510 – $101,81028,700
11Solar Photovoltaic Installers$60,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,070 – $83,7706,830
12Construction Laborers$60,270
No formal educational credential
$40,950 – $93,62088,240
13Plasterers and Stucco Masons$59,940
No formal educational credential
$46,460 – $95,2406,780
14Highway Maintenance Workers$59,580
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,780 – $84,5208,150
15Painters, Construction and Maintenance$59,020
No formal educational credential
$42,130 – $91,00038,430
16Tile and Stone Setters$58,880
No formal educational credential
$39,990 – $99,8308,250
17Hazardous Materials Removal Workers$56,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,660 – $85,4707,340

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianCalifornia	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$87,160	$52,760 – $132,210	36,020
2	Sheet Metal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,590	$47,410 – $132,190	8,390
3	Structural Iron and Steel WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,370	$47,480 – $118,030	7,110
4	ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$76,160	$46,800 – $140,340	73,310
5	CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$75,920	$47,490 – $119,950	100,750
6	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$72,830	$47,350 – $131,100	47,660
7	Drywall and Ceiling Tile InstallersNo formal educational credential	$65,880	$46,050 – $120,240	27,280
8	GlaziersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,040	$47,890 – $121,620	7,020
9	RoofersNo formal educational credential	$63,600	$48,620 – $89,010	21,190
10	Cement Masons and Concrete FinishersNo formal educational credential	$62,700	$46,510 – $101,810	28,700
11	Solar Photovoltaic InstallersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,600	$47,070 – $83,770	6,830
12	Construction LaborersNo formal educational credential	$60,270	$40,950 – $93,620	88,240
13	Plasterers and Stucco MasonsNo formal educational credential	$59,940	$46,460 – $95,240	6,780
14	Highway Maintenance WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,580	$44,780 – $84,520	8,150
15	Painters, Construction and MaintenanceNo formal educational credential	$59,020	$42,130 – $91,000	38,430
16	Tile and Stone SettersNo formal educational credential	$58,880	$39,990 – $99,830	8,250
17	Hazardous Materials Removal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,120	$41,660 – $85,470	7,340

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in California. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for California

Metro areas in California

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in California

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in California to rank honestly.

High paying construction jobs in California with no experience

More for California

Metro areas in California

By field in California

Without a degree

High paying construction jobs in each state with no experience