What is a prevailing wage rate?

The minimum hourly wage and fringe benefits a contractor must pay each trade on a public works project, set by the government from local wages. It has two parts: a base rate and a fringe benefit rate.

Which rate applies if both federal and state prevailing wage laws cover my job?

Pay the higher of the two rates for each classification. The Department of Labor's guidance says contractors must pay whichever prevailing wage rate is higher, and state laws such as Washington's and Oregon's say the same.

Do prevailing wage rates change during a job?

Usually not. The rate is locked by the wage determination in your contract, chosen by the bid or award date. Some determinations include scheduled increases for later dates, and some contracts with options or extensions pick up new rates.

Are apprentice rates lower?

Only for apprentices registered in an approved apprenticeship program, within the allowed ratio. Everyone else is paid the full journeyworker rate for the work they do.

Prevailing Wage Rates by State: Federal and State

Look up rates

Davis-Bacon wage rates by state: federal rates for building, residential, heavy and highway construction, with what changed in the latest modification.
California prevailing wage rates by county: DIR's county craft rates with each fringe category and overtime rates.

Davis-Bacon rates by state

Every rate on our pages shows its official source, determination number and date. Verify against the official determination before you bid or file.

What a prevailing wage rate is

A prevailing wage rate is the minimum a contractor on a public works project must pay a worker in a given trade and area. It has two parts:

Base rate: the minimum hourly cash wage. Overtime is figured on this.
Fringe benefit rate: an hourly amount for benefits, paid into plans such as health and pension, in cash on the paycheck, or a mix. See fringe benefits on prevailing wage jobs.

For federal jobs, the Department of Labor sets rates from wage surveys or collectively bargained rates. Under 29 CFR 1.2 the prevailing rate is the one paid to the majority of workers in the classification; if there is no majority, the rate paid to the largest group if that is at least 30%; otherwise a weighted average.

Federal, state, or both?

Federal (Davis-Bacon): contracts over $2,000 for construction, alteration or repair of public buildings or public works where the federal government is a party, plus many federally funded or assisted projects under the Related Acts. Rates come from a wage determination in your contract.
State: many states have their own prevailing wage laws for state and local public works, with their own rates, thresholds and paperwork. Some states have none.
Both: when a state job also has federal funding, the Department of Labor's guidance is to pay whichever rate is higher for each classification, and to meet whichever requirements are more protective of workers.

State prevailing wage agencies

Official sources for the states contractors search most:

State	Agency	How rates are published
California	Department of Industrial Relations (DIR)	General determinations twice a year (February 22 and August 22), by craft and county.
Washington	Department of Labor & Industries (L&I)	Online lookup by trade and county, with separate apprentice rates.
New York	Department of Labor, Bureau of Public Work	Annual schedule from July 1, corrected monthly, plus project-specific schedules. New York City rates come from the NYC Comptroller.
Ohio	Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance	Prevailing Wage Portal with rates for all trades and jurisdictions (sign-in required).
New Jersey	Department of Labor and Workforce Development	Rates by county and craft; official project determinations through an online application.
Illinois	Department of Labor (IDOL)	Rate schedules by county, with archived rates for earlier periods.
Pennsylvania	Department of Labor & Industry	Determinations issued per project, by craft, for the county of the work.
Oregon	Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI)	PDF rate books, generally updated quarterly. Use the book in effect when the project was first advertised.
Massachusetts	Department of Labor Standards (DLS)	No public table: the awarding authority requests a project-specific schedule.

Reading and using the rate

Find the wage determination named in your contract and its modification number.
Pick the classification for the work each worker actually does. Read the footnotes: some rates add holiday pay or vacation as a percentage. Our guide to reading a wage determination explains the codes.
Pay at least the base rate in cash, and the fringe in plans or cash. Check a week's pay with the prevailing wage calculator.
Report it every week on certified payroll.

Prevailing wage rates: find the right rate for your job