Commercial trades hiring in Modesto.
Sutter Health broke ground on a $380M, 165,000 sq ft cancer center, while a new expressway and hundreds of new homes add sustained demand. Medical gas plumbers now run above the national rate.
A $380M cancer center, plus new roads and homes.
Modesto's construction share of employment runs at 5.9%, above the 5.5% national figure, driven by a genuinely large healthcare project alongside significant infrastructure and residential growth.
Sutter Health broke ground in January 2026 on a $380M Advanced Cancer Center and Care Complex - a four-story, 165,000 sq ft facility on the Memorial Medical Center campus with cancer treatment on the first two floors, a 4-OR ambulatory surgery center on the third, and 50+ outpatient exam rooms on the fourth, completing by 2029.
Separately, North County Corridor Phase 1 is building a new four-lane, access-controlled expressway with a Roselle Avenue interchange and grade-separated rail crossings, and Seventh Street Village is a $56M, 79-unit downtown apartment building completing late 2027.
Major capital projects driving Modesto commercial trades demand
- Sutter Health Advanced Cancer Center and Care Complex$380MGroundbreak January 2026, completion by 2029
A four-story, 165,000 sq ft facility on the Memorial Medical Center campus - cancer treatment on floors 1-2, a 4-OR ambulatory surgery center on floor 3, and 50+ outpatient exam rooms on floor 4.
- North County Corridor Phase 1UndisclosedUnder construction
A new four-lane, access-controlled expressway with a new interchange at Roselle Avenue and grade-separated structures over the BNSF rail line.
- Seventh Street Village apartments$56M ($33M in state funding)Completing late 2027
A five-story, 79-unit downtown Modesto apartment building for low-income residents.
What you'll actually pay - by role.
Hourly wages for the Modesto, CA area, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release for May 2025. These are the 25th percentile, median and 75th percentile BLS reports — not our estimate of them. Each row names the BLS occupation it was read from, because our job titles and BLS's occupations are not the same list.
Measured against the BLS national median for the same occupation, field trades in the Modesto area run from −1% for plumbers and pipefitters to +51% for heavy equipment operators. The spread between trades is wider than the gap between most cities, which is why a single "market premium" figure is not much use when you are pricing a specific role.
| Role | Modesto hourly | National hourly | Median vs US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial construction superintendentBLS Construction Managers (11-9021) | $46.73 – $76.78median $60.48 | $42.57 – $72.91median $55.28 | +9% |
| Commercial electrician (journeyman)BLS Electricians (47-2111) | $28.42 – $48.36median $36.88 | $23.76 – $40.36median $30.38 | +21% |
| Commercial plumber, pipefitter or steamfitter (journeyman)BLS Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $26.76 – $38.00median $30.42 | $24.13 – $40.92median $30.67 | −1% |
| Heavy equipment operatorBLS Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $32.57 – $62.15median $43.54 | $23.40 – $37.10median $28.78 | +51% |
| Sheet metal workerBLS Sheet Metal Workers (47-2211) | $28.03 – $46.21median $34.07 | $22.99 – $39.24median $29.71 | +15% |
| Commercial rooferBLS Roofers (47-2181) | $28.54 – $35.26median $30.26 | $22.24 – $31.44median $26.65 | +14% |
| Commercial HVAC technicianBLS Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers (49-9021) | $27.68 – $37.98median $31.13 | $23.25 – $37.05median $29.33 | +6% |
| Commercial estimatorBLS Cost Estimators (13-1051) | $29.56 – $51.55median $39.10 | $29.40 – $48.97median $37.86 | +3% |
BLS counts plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters and sprinkler fitters as one occupation. We do not split them here, because splitting them would mean inventing a number BLS does not publish.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. 25th–75th percentile hourly, Modesto, CA, retrieved October 15, 2026. Download the source file (40 MB .zip) and check any figure. BLS publishes no commercial-only, journeyman-only or certification-specific wage, so we do not print one.
What's happening in Modesto, trade by trade.
Quick read of the current Modesto market for each of our 20 commercial trades verticals.
HVAC & Mechanical
Sutter Health's 165,000 sq ft cancer center needs hospital-grade mechanical systems across four floors. Standard commercial HVAC carries a solid regional premium.
Commercial Electrical
Healthcare-construction electricians for Sutter Health's $380M cancer center run above the national rate - the clear premium in this metro.
Commercial Plumbing
Medical gas plumbing for the cancer center's ambulatory surgery center is the standout specialty at +10%. Standard commercial plumbing carries a solid regional premium.
Commercial Construction
Superintendents with healthcare delivery experience are the clear premium hire against the largest capital project in this market's recent history.
Commercial Roofing
Sutter Health's four-story facility and Seventh Street Village's five-story tower both carry real roofing scope; standard commercial roofing carries a solid regional premium.
Fire Protection
Healthcare-grade suppression for the cancer center's surgical suites is specialized, code-heavy demand.
Paving & Asphalt
North County Corridor Phase 1's new expressway and interchange is a substantial heavy-civil driver; equipment operators run above the national rate.
Commercial Landscaping
Standard institutional and corporate landscaping demand tracks the metro's broader healthcare and infrastructure construction.
Commercial Flooring
Healthcare-grade seamless resinous flooring for Sutter Health's cancer center is a distinct, higher-skill installation than conventional commercial flooring.
Commercial Painting
Healthcare-grade coatings for Sutter Health's facility are a real niche; conventional commercial painting carries a solid regional premium.
Commercial Cleaning & FM
Healthcare-grade cleaning and facilities management for Sutter Health's cancer center is a distinct, higher-skill tier from conventional office cleaning.
Welding & Fabrication
Structural fabrication for North County Corridor's grade-separated rail structures and Sutter Health's facility is steady demand.
Commercial Irrigation
A specialist trade most contractors still source through agriculture or generalist staffing - we recruit it directly, not as an afterthought.
Commercial Pest Control
Licensing-driven and referral-heavy - a maintained, license-verified pipeline outperforms reactive posting in this trade specifically.
Commercial Trucking
A licensing-bottlenecked market where CDL credentials and clean records matter more than resume keywords.
Elevator Maintenance
A small, credential-gated labor pool most generalist recruiters can't actually verify.
Insulation
Mechanical insulators and building-envelope installers are two distinct hiring pools most recruiters treat as one.
LED & Solar
One of the fastest-growing trades we track nationally, and one of the least served by specialist recruiters.
Masonry & Concrete
A small, referral-driven labor pool where reputation moves faster than job postings.
Physical Security
Installers and integrators need both electrical and IT skill - a dual-skillset hiring problem most firms get wrong.
The positions we fill in Modesto, most often.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial trades contractors in Modesto - from senior leadership down to field roles. The positions we recruit for in this market:
- Medical gas certified plumber - the hardest hire in the region
- Healthcare-construction electrician
- Superintendent with healthcare delivery experience
- Project manager (healthcare, infrastructure, commercial GC)
- Senior estimator
- Heavy equipment operator (highway/interchange work)
- Service manager (HVAC, electrical, plumbing)
For a full list of the 80+ commercial trades positions we recruit for, see the individual industry pages - each lists the 10 most-recruited roles for that trade with current wage ranges.
Frequently asked — commercial trades hiring in Modesto.
How do you hire commercial trades talent in Modesto in 2026?
Commercial trades hiring in Modesto in 2026 is shaped by a major healthcare project running alongside significant infrastructure and residential development. Sutter Health broke ground in January 2026 on a $380M, four-story, 165,000 sq ft Advanced Cancer Center and Care Complex on the Memorial Medical Center campus - cancer treatment, a 4-OR ambulatory surgery center, and 50+ outpatient exam rooms - completing by 2029. Separately, North County Corridor Phase 1 is building a new four-lane expressway with a Roselle Avenue interchange, and Seventh Street Village is a $56M, 79-unit downtown apartment building completing late 2027. Against the BLS national median for the same occupation, field trades here run from −1% for plumbers and pipefitters to +51% for heavy equipment operators. California licenses contractors statewide through the CSLB with C-10/C-36/C-20 specialty classifications. My Trade Talent screens Modesto candidates against both the general market premium and the healthcare-specific skills premium.
How long does it take to hire a commercial trades professional in Modesto?
For field roles: typically 4-6 weeks from intake to signed offer. Medical gas plumbers and healthcare-construction electricians run slightly longer, 6-8 weeks, because Sutter Health's $380M cancer center is drawing on a specialized labor pool ahead of its 2029 completion.
Are commercial trades wages in Modesto higher than the national average?
Against the BLS national median for the same occupation, field trades here run from −1% for plumbers and pipefitters to +51% for heavy equipment operators.
What's driving commercial trades demand in Modesto right now?
A major healthcare project running alongside significant infrastructure and residential development. Sutter Health broke ground in January 2026 on a $380M, four-story, 165,000 sq ft Advanced Cancer Center and Care Complex on the Memorial Medical Center campus, completing by 2029. Separately, North County Corridor Phase 1 is building a new four-lane expressway with a Roselle Avenue interchange, and Seventh Street Village is a $56M, 79-unit downtown apartment building completing late 2027.
What licensing applies to commercial trades contractors in Modesto?
California licenses contractors statewide through the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), with C-10 (electrical), C-36 (plumbing), and C-20 (HVAC) specialty classifications. As of Assembly Bill 2622 (January 2025), any project valued at $1,000 or more requires a licensed contractor.
Hiring commercial trades in Modesto?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you wages, timeline, and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.
