Masonry & Concrete recruiters serving San Francisco.
Brickmasons and blockmasons are scarcer in San Francisco than in most of the country, 57% fewer per job, so the roughly 340 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 18 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 San Francisco.
BLS counts about 22,520 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the San Francisco metro, the largest group being carpenters (about 14,010). Relative to the size of the local economy, brickmasons and blockmasons are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.43). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Masonry & Concrete hub.
Bricklayer / Mason
San Francisco: 340 employed · $77,350 median, 15th-highest of 91 metros
Concrete Finisher
San Francisco: 2,420 employed · $75,970 median, 5th-highest of 111 metros
Concrete Form Setter / Carpenter
San Francisco: 14,010 employed · $89,200 median, 2nd-highest of 112 metros
Masonry Foreman
San Francisco: 9,810 employed · $120,810 median, 3rd-highest of 112 metros
Concrete Pump Operator
San Francisco: 4,080 employed · $124,750 median, highest of 112 metros
Estimator
San Francisco: 3,300 employed · $101,630 median, 2nd-highest of 111 metros
Project Manager
San Francisco: 5,160 employed · $166,030 median, highest of 111 metros
Restoration Mason
Precast Concrete Technician
San Francisco: 400 employed · $57,300 median, 4th-highest of 85 metros
Concrete Testing Technician
San Francisco: 1,270 employed · $97,510 median, 2nd-highest of 111 metros
What Masonry & Concrete roles earn in San Francisco.
Brickmasons and blockmasons in San Francisco earn a median $77,350, 25% over the $62,120 national figure, and 15th of 91 metros. Pay runs $56,220 at the tenth percentile to $125,460 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, at $124,750 against $59,850 nationally.
| Role | San Francisco median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricklayer / Mason · Restoration MasonBrickmasons and Blockmasons (47-2021) | $77,350 | $56,220–$125,460 | $62,120 | +25% | 340 |
| Concrete FinisherCement Masons and Concrete Finishers (47-2051) | $75,970 | $53,330–$120,700 | $57,020 | +33% | 2,420 |
| Concrete Form Setter / CarpenterCarpenters (47-2031) | $89,200 | $59,020–$132,760 | $60,580 | +47% | 14,010 |
| Masonry ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $120,810 | $73,860–$166,330 | $79,920 | +51% | 9,810 |
| Concrete Pump OperatorOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators (47-2073) | $124,750 | $60,910–$149,260 | $59,850 | +108% | 4,080 |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $101,630 | $58,910–$167,780 | $78,740 | +29% | 3,300 |
| Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $166,030 | $100,910–$225,120 | $114,990 | +44% | 5,160 |
| Precast Concrete TechnicianMolders, Shapers, and Casters (51-9195) | $57,300 | $40,740–$76,390 | $46,170 | +24% | 400 |
| Concrete Testing TechnicianCivil Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3022) | $97,510 | $67,210–$130,660 | $64,950 | +50% | 1,270 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, San Francisco 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 San Francisco's masonry & concrete market has changed since 2018.
San Francisco lost nonresidential masonry contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 25 business locations to 18 (down 28%), behind the 6% national decline. Headcount at those firms went down 41%, to about 151 people. Average annual pay there went from $77,765 to $82,131 (+6%), slower than the 23% national increase. San Francisco had 36 nonresidential concrete contractors in 2023, exactly as many as in 2018. BLS stops short of publishing headcount and pay for them here, which happens when a handful of firms account for most of the work.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: business locations | 25 | 18 | −28% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: employment | 257 | 151 | −41% |
| Nonresidential masonry contractors: average annual pay | $77,765 | $82,131 | +6% |
| Nonresidential concrete contractors: business locations | 36 | 36 | +0% |
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
San Francisco runs 23% fewer masonry and concrete workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep 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 San Francisco's masonry and concrete market compares
In 2023 the San Francisco metro had 36 nonresidential concrete contractors (counted by business location). BLS publishes that count but withholds headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. That works out to 0.8 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.
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, San Francisco ranks 15th for headcount, 4th for median pay and 63rd for concentration for cement masons and concrete finishers. Pay here is among the highest we see, so offers need to start near the top of the range.
| 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 San Francisco, the headline number is misleading. About 2,420 cement masons and concrete finishers work here, one of the larger workforces we cover, but relative to the size of the local economy the trade is thinner than average, so every other employer is drawing on the same people. Local employers have been shedding headcount, so the experienced people who remain are usually well placed and slow to move. Expect to recruit people who are already employed, and to make the case for moving.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, San Francisco 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 Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton and Modesto, so candidates licensed there can work in San Francisco without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a masonry & concrete search in San Francisco yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in San Francisco than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Roofing ShinglerThree weeks to add a safety-conscious shingler to a crew the client keeps building year-round.
- Roofing Project ManagerTwo decades of superintendent and project management experience against a five-year bar - placed in days.
- Commercial Construction ForemanFifteen years of construction with foreman-level crew leadership on both commercial and residential builds.
Nearby markets competing for San Francisco talent.
The closest metro we cover is San Jose, about 40 miles away, with roughly 180 brickmasons and blockmasons (0.5 times San Francisco's 340). San Francisco pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($77,350 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Fresno at $69,050.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | – | 340 | $77,350 |
| San Jose | 42 mi | 180 | $75,930 |
| Stockton | 63 mi | 150 | $75,490 |
| Sacramento | 75 mi | 340 | $73,810 |
| Modesto | 78 mi | – | – |
| Fresno | 162 mi | 170 | $69,050 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for San Francisco crews.
Not masonry & concrete work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into San Francisco in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Transbay district high-rise towers (downtown SF)Real trend, no verified regional totalRolling
Salesforce Tower district build-out continues with adjacent office + residential towers. Seismic-rated high-rise structural + MEP at the highest wage scale in the country.
- BART / regional transit modernizationReal trend, no verified regional totalRolling
Transit infrastructure and station rebuilds. Seismic-rated civil, structural, and systems electrical work across a multi-year public pipeline.
- South San Francisco life-sciences build-outsReal trend, no verified regional totalRolling
Biotech capital of the world. Lab TI, cleanroom mechanical, and process piping. Specialty MEP with life-sciences experience commands large premiums.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The San Francisco market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for masonry & concrete, and what kills offers in San Francisco.
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 San Francisco.
What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in San Francisco?
BLS puts the San Francisco median for brickmasons and blockmasons at $77,350 a year, 25% above the $62,120 national median. That ranks 15th of 91 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Experience carries a clear premium, $56,220 at the 10th percentile against $125,460 at the 90th - a 2.2x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. No other California metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire brickmasons and blockmasons in San Francisco?
Yes. San Francisco has 57% fewer brickmasons and blockmasons per job than the country as a whole, roughly 340 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 18 nonresidential masonry contractors here average about 8.4 employees per location. There are 28% fewer of those firms than in 2018, so experienced people have fewer local employers to move between.
Which masonry & concrete roles pay the most in San Francisco?
Of the roles we recruit for, Project Manager pays the most in San Francisco, a $166,030 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Concrete Pump Operator at $124,750, 25% below it. Precast Concrete Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $57,300. Relative to national pay, Concrete Pump Operator is the strongest-paying role here (108% above).
How many nonresidential masonry contractors operate in San Francisco?
BLS counted 18 nonresidential masonry contractors in San Francisco in 2023, employing about 151 people between them. Down from 25 in 2018, a 28% decline against 6% decline nationally. That averages 8.4 people per location. They pay an average of $82,131, 20% above the $68,219 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counted 36 nonresidential concrete contractors in San Francisco in 2023. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (36). BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with San Francisco for brickmasons and blockmasons?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are San Jose (42 miles, about 180, $75,930 median), Stockton (63 miles, about 150, $75,490 median) and Sacramento (75 miles, about 340, $73,810 median).
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With brickmasons and blockmasons this scarce in San Francisco, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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