Masonry & Concrete recruiters serving Bakersfield.
BLS counts 3 business locations of nonresidential masonry contractors across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Bakersfield.
BLS counts about 2,910 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Bakersfield metro, the largest group being carpenters (about 1,100). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Masonry & Concrete hub.
Bricklayer / Mason
Bakersfield: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Concrete Finisher
Bakersfield: 600 employed · $58,670 median, 49th-highest of 111 metros
Concrete Form Setter / Carpenter
Bakersfield: 1,100 employed · $66,540 median, 19th-highest of 112 metros
Masonry Foreman
Bakersfield: 1,610 employed · $92,120 median, 21st-highest of 112 metros
Concrete Pump Operator
Bakersfield: 1,000 employed · $77,960 median, 23rd-highest of 112 metros
Estimator
Bakersfield: 410 employed · $82,390 median, 20th-highest of 111 metros
Project Manager
Bakersfield: 720 employed · $127,890 median, 19th-highest of 111 metros
Restoration Mason
Precast Concrete Technician
Bakersfield: 50 employed · $49,840 median, 14th-highest of 85 metros
Concrete Testing Technician
Bakersfield: 160 employed · $72,970 median, 28th-highest of 111 metros
What Masonry & Concrete roles earn in Bakersfield.
BLS publishes no Bakersfield pay for brickmasons and blockmasons; nationally the median is $62,120. Cement masons and concrete finishers in Bakersfield earn a median $58,670, level with the $57,020 national figure, and 49th of 111 metros. Pay runs $44,790 at the tenth percentile to $96,500 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, at $77,960 against $59,850 nationally. BLS withholds Bakersfield pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Bakersfield median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer / Mason · Restoration MasonBrickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021) | – | – | $62,120 | – | – |
| Concrete FinisherCement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051) | $58,670 | $44,790–$96,500 | $57,020 | +3% | 600 |
| Concrete Form Setter / CarpenterCarpenters (47-2031) | $66,540 | $45,120–$104,810 | $60,580 | +10% | 1,100 |
| Masonry ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $92,120 | $58,440–$132,820 | $79,920 | +15% | 1,610 |
| Concrete Pump OperatorOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $77,960 | $52,600–$126,170 | $59,850 | +30% | 1,000 |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $82,390 | $49,540–$145,340 | $78,740 | +5% | 410 |
| Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $127,890 | $83,600–$204,170 | $114,990 | +11% | 720 |
| Precast Concrete TechnicianMolders, Shapers, and Casters (51-9195) | $49,840 | $39,090–$59,950 | $46,170 | +8% | 50 |
| Concrete Testing TechnicianCivil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3022) | $72,970 | $48,470–$82,510 | $64,950 | +12% | 160 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Bakersfield metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.
How Bakersfield's masonry & concrete market has changed since 2018.
Bakersfield had 3 nonresidential masonry contractors in 2023, exactly as many as in 2018. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. How many people those 3 locations employ is not published: with a category this small, BLS would effectively be reporting individual employers' payrolls. Bakersfield lost nonresidential concrete contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 16 business locations to 14 (down 12%), behind the 11% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went down 12%, to about 271 people. Average annual pay there went from $57,788 to $68,395 (+18%), slower than the 25% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: business locations | 3 | 3 | +0% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: business locations | 16 | 14 | −12% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: employment | 307 | 271 | −12% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: average annual pay | $57,788 | $68,395 | +18% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free Masonry & Concrete hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to Masonry & Concrete · 2026 Masonry & Concrete Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for Masonry & Concrete
Bakersfield runs 35% more masonry and concrete workers per job than the country as a whole — well above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (nearest published occupation for this trade). Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Bakersfield's masonry and concrete market compares
In 2023 the Bakersfield metro had 14 nonresidential concrete contractors (counted by business location), with about 271 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $68,395, 8.6% below the national average of $74,865 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 12.4% over the year, faster than the 5.5% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. The number of these employers rose 7.7%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 1.5 per 100,000 residents against 1.9 nationally. Fewer local employers means experienced people are easier to identify, but many work for firms based outside the metro. These firms account for 1.7% of all construction employment in the metro.
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Bakersfield ranks 58th for headcount, 45th for median pay and 26th for concentration for cement masons and concrete finishers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 7,810 | $63,790 | 0.94 | 65 |
| Riverside | 4,740 | $59,550 | 2.08 | 38 |
| Sacramento | 2,580 | $60,240 | 1.80 | 17 |
| San Francisco | 2,420 | $75,970 | 0.77 | 18 |
| San Diego | 2,330 | $66,530 | 1.14 | 19 |
| San Jose | 1,500 | $75,520 | 1.00 | 8 |
| Fresno | 980 | $57,620 | 1.54 | 8 |
| Stockton | 640 | $56,980 | 1.66 | 7 |
| Bakersfield | 600 | $58,670 | 1.35 | 3 |
| Modesto | 350 | $76,500 | 1.33 | 3 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For masonry and concrete employers in Bakersfield, the local pool is deeper than most, so a well-run search can usually fill field roles from inside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Bakersfield metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Masonry & Concrete licensing in California.
California licenses specialty contractors by classification, including C-2 Insulation and Acoustical, C-8 Concrete and C-29 Masonry. The same state rules apply in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno, Stockton and Modesto, so candidates licensed there can work in Bakersfield without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Bakersfield talent.
The closest metro we cover is Los Angeles, about 100 miles away, with roughly 1,220 brickmasons and blockmasons. BLS does not publish Bakersfield figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Los Angeles has the largest pool within reach, about 1,220, and San Jose pays the most, a $75,930 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | – | – | – |
| Los Angeles | 101 mi | 1,220 | $63,450 |
| Fresno | 104 mi | 170 | $69,050 |
| Riverside | 135 mi | 540 | $63,330 |
| Modesto | 191 mi | – | – |
| San Jose | 210 mi | 180 | $75,930 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Bakersfield crews.
Not masonry & concrete work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Bakersfield in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Bakersfield Renewable Fuels refinery conversion$365M capital partnershipCompleted 2024; restructured 2025, now operating as Grapevine Energy Holdings
Converted a former crude-oil refinery into a renewable diesel bio-refinery producing roughly 250,000 gallons per day. The project went through a 2025 prepackaged Chapter 11 restructuring after a dispute with its EPC contractor and emerged 118 days later under new ownership - real turbulence, but the facility itself is operating.
- Regional clean-energy investment$69B (region-wide, as reported)Cumulative through 2026
Kern County has attracted a large wave of renewable natural gas, solar-to-hydrogen, and related facility investment, reshaping the region's traditional oil-and-gas industrial base.
These are the 2 projects we track in Bakersfield. The Bakersfield market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for masonry & concrete, and what kills offers in Bakersfield.
The 4 credentials that gate the work and the 4 things that most often end a masonry & concrete offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: Masonry & Concrete credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.
Frequently asked - Masonry & Concrete hiring in Bakersfield.
Which masonry & concrete roles pay the most in Bakersfield?
Of the roles we recruit for, Project Manager pays the most in Bakersfield, a $127,890 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Concrete Pump Operator at $77,960, 39% below it. Precast Concrete Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $49,840. Relative to national pay, Concrete Pump Operator is the strongest-paying role here (30% above).
How many nonresidential masonry contractors operate in Bakersfield?
BLS counted 3 nonresidential masonry contractors in Bakersfield in 2023. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (3). BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. BLS counted 14 nonresidential concrete contractors in Bakersfield in 2023, employing about 271 people between them. Down from 16 in 2018, a 12% decline against 11% growth nationally. That averages 19 people per location. They pay an average of $68,395, 9% below the $74,865 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Bakersfield for brickmasons and blockmasons?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Los Angeles (101 miles, about 1,220, $63,450 median), Fresno (104 miles, about 170, $69,050 median) and Riverside (135 miles, about 540, $63,330 median).
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