painter salary in Santa Rosa, CA

Painters (Construction & Maintenance) in Santa Rosa earn a median $30.19 per hour and $62,790 per year, according to BLS OEWS May 2025. Compare local wage ranges, pay history, and job offers below.

Person applying white paint to a wall with a roller

$30.19/hr

Median hourly pay

Median annual pay$62,790

BLS OEWS May 2025 · Data updated October 2026

painter hourly wage range in Santa Rosa

Published hourly wage percentiles
PercentileHourly pay
10th percentile$22.63/hr
25th percentile$24.12/hr
Median$30.19/hr
75th percentile$37.09/hr
90th percentile$45.66/hr

The median is the middle wage. Half earn less. Half earn more.

Compare hourly pay

Painters (Construction & Maintenance) in Santa Rosa, CA.

Published local wage range

$22.63/hr10th percentile$45.66/hr90th percentile

Median marker. Shaded band: middle 50% of wages.

Enter your hourly pay to compare it with the published wage bands.

BLS OEWS May 2025 · Data updated October 2026

Compare an offer+10.3% since May 2024

$32.02/hr

Mean hourly pay

$66,600

Mean annual pay

730

Jobs in Santa Rosa

Painters (Construction & Maintenance) pay trend in Santa Rosa, 2015 to 2025

Published median hourly pay from 2015 to 2025.

+12.4% since May 2015

$20$25$30$3520152016201720182019202020212022202320242025$26.86May 2015: $26.86/hr median, BLS OEWS May 2025$27.81May 2016: $27.81/hr median, BLS OEWS May 2025$27.52May 2017: $27.52/hr median, BLS OEWS May 2025$27.52May 2018: $27.52/hr median, BLS OEWS May 2025$27.17May 2019: $27.17/hr median, BLS OEWS May 2025$25.94May 2020: $25.94/hr median, BLS OEWS May 2025$23.50May 2021: $23.50/hr median, BLS OEWS May 2025$24.11May 2022: $24.11/hr median, BLS OEWS May 2025$28.12May 2023: $28.12/hr median, BLS OEWS May 2025$27.38May 2024: $27.38/hr median, BLS OEWS May 2025$30.19May 2025: $30.19/hr median, BLS OEWS May 2025

Dashed markers are years BLS didn’t publish this combination. Shown as gaps, never interpolated.

Take-home pay and living costs

Take-home pay for Painters (Construction & Maintenance) in Santa Rosa

The BLS OEWS May 2025 median, $30.19 per hour, becomes a paycheck. Estimated after federal income tax, state income tax, and FICA.

Gross annual pay · $30.19/hr × 2,080 hrs

$62,795

Federal income tax (est.)
−$5,355
California income tax (est.)
−$1,970
FICA (Social Security + Medicare) (est.)
−$4,804

Net annual take-home (est.)

$50,666

$1,949 per paycheck (biweekly, est.)

Effective tax rate 19.3%

Estimate for a single filer using the 2026 standard deduction: federal and California income tax computed from actual 2026 rates and brackets, plus FICA. Excludes city wage taxes (such as New York City’s and Philadelphia’s), pre-tax deductions like 401(k) and health premiums, and tax credits. Actual take-home pay varies with filing status, deductions, and hours worked.

Adjusted pay

Cost-of-living adjusted pay

$28.01/hr

Published median$30.19/hr

Adjusted for living costs$28.01/hr

The BLS OEWS May 2025 median for painters (construction & maintenance) in Santa Rosa is $30.19/hr. The BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 index for the Santa Rosa area is 107.8 (US average = 100). Divided, the pay equals $28.01/hr. That is what the pay buys against the national average cost level.

In May 2026 dollars (BLS CPI-U), the 2015 median was $37.85/hr; the 2025 median is $31.47/hr (down 16.9% after inflation).

See all 100 cities ranked by adjusted pay

BLS OEWS May 2025, adjusted with BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Official BLS figures are unchanged above.

Rent vs pay for painters (construction & maintenance) in Santa Rosa

The BLS OEWS May 2025 median, $30.19/hr, must cover the median rent. One month of median gross rent takes 74 hours of work at that wage. Rent is 52.8% of estimated take-home pay: over the 30% affordability line.

Hours of work to cover one month of median rent

74 hrs

$2,229/mo rent ÷ $30.19/hr median wage

Rent vs estimated monthly take-home pay

Rent $2,229/moTake-home ≈ $4,222/mo

Rent is 52.8% of take-home pay. The standard affordability line is 30% (dashed).

Median rent trend, 2021-2024

Median gross rent rose from $1,900/mo in 2021 to $2,229/mo in 2024: +17.3%. Census ACS 1-year, Table B25064.

Rent burden by city, ranked

  1. 01St. Louis, MO28.6%$1,154/mo
  2. 02Buffalo, NY31.3%$1,114/mo
  3. 03Pittsburgh, PA32.2%$1,083/mo
  4. 04Detroit, MI33.1%$1,248/mo
  5. 05Syracuse, NY34.1%$1,114/mo
  6. 06Beaumont, TX34.9%$1,134/mo
  7. 07Spokane, WA35.1%$1,405/mo
  8. 08Minneapolis, MN35.8%$1,444/mo
  9. 09Chicago, IL36.1%$1,469/mo
  10. 10Rochester, NY36.8%$1,172/mo
  11. 11Bakersfield, CA37.4%$1,479/mo
  12. 12Corpus Christi, TX38.3%$1,293/mo
  13. 13Kansas City, MO38.5%$1,315/mo
  14. 14Albany, NY38.8%$1,341/mo
  15. 15Philadelphia, PA40.4%$1,567/mo
  16. 16Greensboro, NC40.5%$1,171/mo
  17. 17El Paso, TX41.4%$1,081/mo
  18. 18Tucson, AZ41.7%$1,300/mo
  19. 19Winston-Salem, NC41.8%$1,102/mo
  20. 20Fresno, CA42.1%$1,513/mo
  21. 21Allentown, PA42.2%$1,458/mo
  22. 22Lancaster, PA43.1%$1,449/mo
  23. 23Worcester, MA43.3%$1,563/mo
  24. 24Houston, TX44.9%$1,469/mo
  25. 25Lakeland, FL45.2%$1,484/mo
  26. 26New York, NY45.5%$1,851/mo
  27. 27San Antonio, TX46.0%$1,422/mo
  28. 28Sacramento, CA47.4%$1,904/mo
  29. 29Jacksonville, FL47.8%$1,625/mo
  30. 30Palm Bay, FL48.4%$1,681/mo
  31. 31Seattle, WA48.5%$2,050/mo
  32. 32Daytona Beach, FL49.0%$1,614/mo
  33. 33Denver, CO49.6%$1,943/mo
  34. 34Baltimore, MD49.9%$1,633/mo
  35. 35Poughkeepsie, NY49.9%$1,688/mo
  36. 36Charlotte, NC51.7%$1,594/mo
  37. 37Portland, OR51.8%$1,767/mo
  38. 38Tampa, FL52.7%$1,776/mo
  39. 39Santa Rosa, CA52.8%$2,229/mo
  40. 40Los Angeles, CA52.9%$2,114/mo
  41. 41Atlanta, GA53.0%$1,770/mo
  42. 42Dallas-Fort Worth, TX53.2%$1,718/mo
  43. 43Colorado Springs, CO53.2%$1,761/mo
  44. 44Raleigh, NC53.8%$1,674/mo
  45. 45Phoenix, AZ54.0%$1,819/mo
  46. 46Austin, TX54.1%$1,784/mo
  47. 47Boston, MA54.6%$2,093/mo
  48. 48North Port, FL56.0%$1,920/mo
  49. 49Cape Coral, FL56.4%$1,871/mo
  50. 50San Francisco, CA57.0%$2,435/mo
  51. 51Orlando, FL58.5%$1,877/mo
  52. 52Naples, FL59.1%$2,032/mo
  53. 53Riverside, CA59.7%$2,006/mo
  54. 54Washington, DC59.7%$2,037/mo
  55. 55Miami, FL60.8%$2,083/mo
  56. 56San Diego, CA61.5%$2,336/mo
  57. 57Oxnard, CA63.5%$2,313/mo
  58. 58San Jose, CA67.8%$2,827/mo

Median gross rent from the Census ACS 2024 1-year, Table B25064; pay from BLS OEWS May 2025; rent burden uses estimated take-home pay (2026 federal and state income tax plus FICA on the median wage). Rents are medians across Santa Rosa for all renters, not trade-specific, and take-home is an estimate for a single filer. Actual affordability varies with household size, neighborhood, and hours worked.

Total compensation for Painters (Construction & Maintenance) in Santa Rosa

Employers pay about $13.59 more per hour in benefits on top of the $30.19 median wage (health insurance, retirement, paid leave, and legally required costs), based on the national BLS average for this occupation group.

Estimated total compensation

≈ $43.78/hr

wages $30.19 + benefits ≈ $13.59/hr

Where the benefits go (est. $/hr)

  • Wages$30.19/hr
  • Legally required≈ $3.96/hr
  • Insurance≈ $3.57/hr
  • Retirement & savings≈ $2.22/hr
  • Paid leave≈ $1.98/hr
  • Supplemental pay≈ $1.85/hr

Estimate from BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026, private industry workers: the national average benefit load for construction, extraction, farming, fishing, and forestry occupations, applied to the median wage for this city. Actual benefits vary by employer, union status, and firm size.

Union vs nonunion pay for painters (construction & maintenance)

Full-time union members in this occupation group have median weekly earnings of $1,561, versus $1,004 for nonunion workers: a 55.5% union wage premium, or about $557 more per week. The Bureau of Labor Statistics cautions that these comparisons do not account for age, firm size, industry, or geography. These are the official national figures.

Union wage premium, 2025 (est. from national medians)

+55.5%

$1,561/week union vs $1,004/week nonunion (across all workers: +19.6%)

Median weekly earnings, full-time workers, 2025

Union members$1,561/wk
Nonunion$1,004/wk

Union wage premium by trade, ranked

  1. 01Electricians+55.5%
  2. 02Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters+55.5%
  3. 03Carpenters+55.5%
  4. 04Painters (Construction & Maintenance)+55.5%
  5. 05Roofers+55.5%
  6. 06Structural Iron and Steel Workers+55.5%
  7. 07Sheet Metal Workers+55.5%
  8. 08Brickmasons and Blockmasons+55.5%
  9. 09Glaziers+55.5%
  10. 10Heavy Equipment Operators+55.5%
  11. 11Insulation Workers+55.5%
  12. 12Landscaping & Groundskeeping Workers+52.0%
  13. 13HVAC Technicians+37.8%
  14. 14Automotive Service Technicians+37.8%
  15. 15Maintenance & Repair Workers+37.8%
  16. 16Welders+22.9%

Median usual weekly earnings from the 2025 BLS Current Population Survey, union membership annual release (Table 4): full-time wage and salary workers, sole or principal job. BLS publishes union-earnings figures for the broader group “Construction and extraction occupations”; these premiums are national. All self-employed workers are excluded. 2025 is an 11-month average (October not collected during the federal shutdown).

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Training and workplace safety

How to become a painter in California

In FY2024, California had 1,434 active painter apprentices (the most of any jurisdiction) out of 5,168 nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship database. A registered apprenticeship is one paid route into the trade: on-the-job training combined with classroom instruction.

Active painter apprentices in California (statewide, FY2024)

1,434

5,168 nationwide · California ranks #1 of 47 jurisdictions

Jurisdictions with the most active painter apprentices, FY2024, top 10

  1. 01California1,434
  2. 02Hawaii470
  3. 03Indiana390
  4. 04Missouri382
  5. 05Illinois336
  6. 06Pennsylvania248
  7. 07Ohio228
  8. 08Nevada172
  9. 09New Jersey167
  10. 10Michigan145

Active painter apprentices, FY2014-FY2024 (national)

From 3,841 in FY2014 to 5,168 in FY2024: +34.5%. Annual snapshots of active apprentices, not new entrants.

Painter apprenticeship training

A registered painter apprenticeship combines paid work with classroom instruction. Employers, unions, and trade associations run programs registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency.

  1. Paid work

    Learn the trade on the job. Apprentice wages rise as skills develop.

  2. Classroom training

    Study alongside supervised work. Programs typically last several years.

  3. License requirements

    In licensed trades such as electrical and plumbing, apprenticeship hours usually count toward the state license. Requirements depend on the trade and state.

Search open programs at Apprenticeship.gov, the Department of Labor’s apprenticeship site.

Apprenticeship data sources and occupation titles

Active apprentice counts from the DOL Registered Apprenticeship, FY2024 database (RAPIDS): distinct apprentices by apprentice state (DOL defines this as the apprentice’s location; records from state apprenticeship agencies use the program’s state). Figures are statewide and are the same on every city page in the state. Occupation was not reported for 34.0% of active apprentices, so trade-level counts understate the true pipeline. DOL occupation titles counted: “PAINTER (Const)”, “Painter”, “PAINTER-DECORATOR (Painter Const)”, “PAINTER, INDUST COATING AND LINING APP SPECIALIST”, “PICLAS - Painters Industrial Coatings and Lining Application Specialist”, “PAINTER (Existing Title: Painter, Shipyard)”, “PAINTER, HAND (Any Ind)”, “PAINTER (Professional and Kindred)”. U.S. Department of Labor dataset.

Workplace injury rates for painters (construction & maintenance)

In 2024, 32 painters and paperhangers died from work injuries for a fatal injury rate of 6.6 per 100,000 full-time workers, 2× the national average. These are national rates for the occupation, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fatal work injury rate, 2024

6.6 /100k FTE

2× the national average (national average: 3.3 per 100,000)

BLS publishes this rate for the broader group “Painters and paperhangers”, which includes closely related occupations, not just painters (construction & maintenance).

Nonfatal injuries & illnesses, 2023 to 2024 (annualized)

124.1 /10k FTE

cases involving days away from work, per 10,000 full-time workers (private industry), 1.4× the national average (national average: 86.6). BLS publishes occupation-level figures every two years; this is the latest release.

Fatal injury rate by trade, ranked

  1. 01Roofers48.7/100k
  2. 02Landscaping & Groundskeeping Workers20.9/100k
  3. 03Maintenance & Repair Workers10.8/100k
  4. 04Carpenters7.5/100k
  5. 05Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters6.9/100k
  6. 06Welders6.9/100k
  7. 07HVAC Technicians6.7/100k
  8. 08Painters (Construction & Maintenance)6.6/100k
  9. 09Automotive Service Technicians6.3/100k
  10. 10Electricians5.3/100k

Fatal injury rates from the 2024 BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries: deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, by occupation, private and public sector. 2024 is the latest published year; BLS releases 2025 data in December 2026. Rates are national, not city-specific. BLS rates are hours-based and use survey employment denominators subject to sampling error.

Jobs, hiring, and industry pay

How painters (construction & maintenance) pay in Santa Rosa compares to the national median

Painters (Construction & Maintenance) in Santa Rosa earn +27.1% more than the US median.

Santa Rosa$30.19/hr
US median$23.75/hr

Painters (Construction & Maintenance) job outlook, 2024 to 2034

+4.0%

Projected employment growth for painters (construction & maintenance) from 2024 to 2034. As fast as average This is a projection, not a guarantee.

Hiring demand

Job openings for painters (construction & maintenance)

4,890

Projected painters (construction & maintenance) openings per year in California, 2024 to 2034.

Nationally, BLS projects about 24,900 painters (construction & maintenance) openings per year from 2025 to 2035. Most come from replacement, not new jobs: about 23,900 a year as workers retire or switch occupations, versus 1,000 a year from growth.

Replacement23,900/yr
New jobs1,000/yr

National: BLS Employment Projections, 2025-2035. State: Projections Central, 2024-2034.

Monthly demand signal

Construction hiring trend

8.37M

Construction workers employed in October 2026, up 1.5% from a year earlier.

Nov 2024Oct 2026

Buildings (236)

up 1.6%

vs year earlier

Heavy and civil (237)

up 2.5%

vs year earlier

Specialty trades (238)

up 1.3%

vs year earlier

Production and nonsupervisory workers in construction averaged $39.70/hr in October 2026, up 5.2% from a year earlier. Supervisory pay is not included.

These are national construction-industry figures, not painters (construction & maintenance)-specific. They describe demand, not pay for this trade.

BLS Current Employment Statistics, seasonally adjusted, through October 2026. The latest month is preliminary and subject to revision.

Pay by industry

Where painters (construction & maintenance) earn the most

Top 8 of 82 published industries by national median hourly pay. These are national figures, not Santa Rosa pay.

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution$58.88/hr
Motion Picture and Video Industries$48.49/hr
Automobile Dealers$47.17/hr
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services$42.73/hr
Scientific Research and Development Services$40.97/hr
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing$38.52/hr
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)$35.44/hr
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)$34.37/hr

Industry pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Industries with suppressed BLS figures are not listed.

Related trades

Related trades to compare

Entry difficulty: Job Zone 2: very little to some preparation needed.

O*NET lists these occupations as related to painters (construction & maintenance), ranked by national median pay. Each link shows the same Santa Rosa page for that trade.

Related occupations and Job Zones: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor.

Job concentration: Painters (Construction & Maintenance) account for 2.46 times the national share of jobs in Santa Rosa.

Painters (Construction & Maintenance) pay by city and trade: full rankings

Painters (Construction & Maintenance) pay by city: highest to lowest median

Median hourly pay in all 100 cities. The top 10 are highlighted.

Honolulu · HI$31.81
San Francisco · CA$30.58
Portland · ME$30.35
Santa Rosa · CAthis page$30.19
San Jose · CA$29.79
Chicago · IL$29.68
New York · NY$29.53
Minneapolis · MN$29.26
Seattle · WA$29.06
St. Louis · MO$28.75
Bridgeport · CT$28.65
Sacramento · CA$28.61
Los Angeles · CA$28.41
Bakersfield · CA$28.15
Hartford · CT$28.14
Denver · CO$27.92
Boston · MA$27.80
Akron · OH$27.67
Philadelphia · PA$27.60
Des Moines · IA$27.60
Las Vegas · NV$27.58
Spokane · WA$27.43
Madison · WI$27.16
Detroit · MI$27.08
San Diego · CA$26.91
Worcester · MA$26.08
Reno · NV$25.99
Oxnard · CA$25.70
Buffalo · NY$25.64
Portland · OR$25.62
Fresno · CA$25.34
Columbus · OH$24.91
Albany · NY$24.83
Indianapolis · IN$24.47
Allentown · PA$24.46
Milwaukee · WI$24.34
Washington · DC$24.31
Poughkeepsie · NY$24.24
Cincinnati · OH$24.12
Kansas City · MO$24.07
Cleveland · OH$23.84
Atlanta · GA$23.83
Pittsburgh · PA$23.79
Lancaster · PA$23.77
Baton Rouge · LA$23.62
Palm Bay · FL$23.61
Louisville · KY$23.52
Riverside · CA$23.51
Phoenix · AZ$23.49
Toledo · OH$23.47
Naples · FL$23.37
Syracuse · NY$23.37
Baltimore · MD$23.36
Miami · FL$23.31
Colorado Springs · CO$23.31
North Port · FL$23.30
Salt Lake City · UT$23.20
Jacksonville · FL$23.09
Omaha · NE$22.96
Corpus Christi · TX$22.95
Lexington · KY$22.95
Richmond · VA$22.92
Ogden · UT$22.88
Tampa · FL$22.87
Charleston · SC$22.84
Chattanooga · TN$22.82
Dayton · OH$22.75
Rochester · NY$22.71
Virginia Beach · VA$22.65
Cape Coral · FL$22.52
Columbia · SC$22.47
Oklahoma City · OK$22.41
Austin · TX$22.38
Daytona Beach · FL$22.33
Lakeland · FL$22.27
Albuquerque · NM$22.21
Houston · TX$22.18
New Orleans · LA$22.11
Beaumont · TX$22.04
Dallas-Fort Worth · TX$21.90
Boise · ID$21.88
Raleigh · NC$21.81
Wichita · KS$21.75
Orlando · FL$21.73
Tucson · AZ$21.63
Charlotte · NC$21.59
Little Rock · AR$21.47
Memphis · TN$21.45
Birmingham · AL$21.42
Nashville · TN$21.31
Providence · RI$21.31
San Antonio · TX$20.88
Tulsa · OK$20.51
Greensboro · NC$20.13
Knoxville · TN$19.44
Fayetteville · AR$18.79
Provo · UT$18.71
Greenville · SC$18.59
Winston-Salem · NC$18.24
El Paso · TX$17.44

Painters (Construction & Maintenance): compare two cities

Pick any two cities to compare painters (construction & maintenance) pay side by side: nominal medians, the middle-50% spread, and cost-of-living adjusted figures.

Published wage ranges by city

Hourly pay. Orange marks the median. Shading shows the middle 50%.

Santa Rosa, CA$30.19/hrMedian
10th percentile
$22.63/hr
25th percentile
$24.12/hr
75th percentile
$37.09/hr
90th percentile
$45.66/hr
New York, NY$29.53/hrMedian
10th percentile
$21.83/hr
25th percentile
$24.46/hr
75th percentile
$39.94/hr
90th percentile
$53.63/hr

BLS OEWS May 2025 · Data updated October 2026

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Openings

Find painters (construction & maintenance) jobs in Santa Rosa

Job boards carry current openings with posted pay. Use the BLS figures above to judge whether an offer is fair.

Search jobs

Worker pay reports: painters (construction & maintenance) in Santa Rosa

Checking for worker-submitted rates…

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Painters (Construction & Maintenance) pay questions

Where does Trade Salaries get its pay data?

From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release: an employer survey covering millions of workers. Worker-submitted figures come from tradespeople who anonymously shared their pay on this site.

What is the difference between median and mean pay?

The median is the middle of the pay scale: half of painters (construction & maintenance) in Santa Rosa earn more, half earn less. The mean is the arithmetic average, which a few very high earners can pull upward. When comparing job offers, the median is the more useful number.

What do pay percentiles (p10, p25, p75, p90) mean?

They mark points on the pay scale. Ten percent of workers earn less than p10. A quarter earn less than p25 and a quarter earn more than p75. Ten percent earn more than p90. The p25 to p75 range covers the middle half of workers.

Has painters (construction & maintenance) pay in Santa Rosa changed since last year?

The median hourly pay for painters (construction & maintenance) in Santa Rosa is up 10.3% compared with May 2024, according to BLS OEWS. That is the official year-over-year change. The BLS publishes new wage data once a year, so this is the latest official comparison available. Worker-submitted rates, when posted, can reflect more recent conditions.

What is a location quotient?

It compares a trade's share of local jobs with its share of US jobs. The location quotient for painters (construction & maintenance) in Santa Rosa is 2.46. Above 1.0 means a larger share of local jobs; below 1.0 means a smaller share. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

How are hourly and annual pay figures related?

BLS annual figures assume full-time, year-round work: 40 hours a week times 52 weeks, or 2,080 hours. The annual number is the hourly rate multiplied by 2,080. Overtime, bonuses, and unpaid time off are not included, so actual take-home pay varies with hours worked.

How current is the pay data?

The official figures are from BLS OEWS May 2025, the latest full release. The BLS publishes new wage data once a year, usually the following spring. Worker-submitted rates update continuously as people add them, and reflect current conditions more quickly than the annual survey.

How do I submit my pay anonymously?

Use the Add your rate form. It takes about 30 seconds and asks for no name, email, or account. Your trade, city, experience, and pay are all you enter. Submissions are reviewed before they appear publicly on the matching rate pages.

How do I become a painter in California?

Through a registered apprenticeship: paid on-the-job training plus classroom instruction, typically lasting several years, with wages that rise as you learn. California had 1,434 active painter apprentices in FY2024, the most of any jurisdiction (DOL). Search open programs at Apprenticeship.gov.

Do union painters (construction & maintenance) earn more?

Yes. In 2025, full-time union members in construction and extraction occupations earned a median of $1,561 a week versus $1,004 for nonunion workers, a +55.5% premium. These are national BLS figures; union contracts often add better benefits and overtime rules the wage figures don't capture.

How does Santa Rosa compare nationally? See the 2026 state of trade pay report: fastest-growing wages, biggest city pay premiums, and union gaps, computed from official BLS data.