SalaryExplorer

SOC 47-2161 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Plasterers and Stucco Masons — San Diego

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA · 10 metro areas compared

$61,080 /year
$29.37per hour
520jobs in area
+5.9%vs US median

At $61,080, median pay for Plasterers and Stucco Masons in San Diego, CA tracks the national median of $57,660 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $57,66010TH$46,550MEDIAN$61,08075TH$75,06090TH$100,890

How pay has moved

$63,825$48,4952019202020212022202320242025$61,080
$58,290 in 2019 to $61,080 in 2025, +4.8% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+4.1%
Openings per year
1,900
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

13.4% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $61,080, median pay for Plasterers and Stucco Masons in San Diego, CA tracks the national median of $57,660 closely. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $50,750 and $75,060. The lowest tenth earn under $46,550, while the highest tenth earn more than $100,890.

Employment stands at 520, or 0.3 jobs per thousand held locally. Napa leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $79,590. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 398th of 671 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$46,550−19.3%
25th$50,750−12.0%
Median (50th)$61,080+5.9%
75th$75,060+30.2%
90th$100,890+75.0%
Mean$64,940+12.6%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in California

Median annual wage for Plasterers and Stucco Masons, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Napa$79,59040
2San Jose$72,700420
3San Francisco$71,310580
4Santa Cruz$68,210100
5Salinas$64,33080
6San Luis Obispo$62,79050
7Sacramento$62,600460
8Oxnard$61,550180
9Modesto$61,360180
10Fresno$60,990200

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in San Diego run 11.9% above the national average, so the median of $61,080 buys what $54,584 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 5.3% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$61,080as reported by BLS

Local price level

111.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$54,584US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $61,080 a year, 5.9% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $46,550 to $100,890 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 520 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Napa, at $79,590.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Plasterers and Stucco Masons in San Diego, CA?

The median annual wage is $61,080, or $29.37 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $57,660, so pay in San Diego, CA is 5.9% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in San Diego, CA earns more than $100,890 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $46,550 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Napa, at $79,590 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 520 jobs in this occupation in San Diego, CA. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.