Boilermaker salary in San Francisco, CA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Boilermakers in the San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA area earn a median of $135,290 a year, or $65.05 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $162,760. Statewide, boilermakers earn a median of $118,150; San Francisco is 15% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $42.57/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 50
- After cost of living
- $117,020
- Median hourly pay
- $65.05/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +77%
- vs California median
- +15%
Apprentice, journeyman and top boilermaker pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $88,540–$117,600$42.57–$56.54/hr | |
| Journeyman | $135,290$65.05/hr | |
| Top earners | $155,690–$162,760$74.85–$78.25/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How San Francisco, CA compares
- Boilermakers are less concentrated in the San Francisco area than nationally: 0.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.29 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $162,760, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $88,540: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in San Francisco, CA
Questions
- How much do boilermakers make in San Francisco, CA?
- Boilermakers in the San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA area earn a median of $135,290 a year, or $65.05 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $162,760.
- How much do boilermakers make an hour in San Francisco, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $65.05. The middle half earn between $56.54 and $74.85 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice boilermakers make in San Francisco, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $42.57 an hour ($88,540 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $56.54.
- How much does a journeyman boilermaker make in San Francisco, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $135,290 a year ($65.05 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $155,690–$162,760.
- Do boilermakers make more in San Francisco or Los Angeles?
- San Francisco pays more: the median is $135,290 in San Francisco and $110,370 in Los Angeles, a 23% difference.
- How does San Francisco pay compare with the rest of California?
- The San Francisco median of $135,290 is 15% more than the California median of $118,150.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2011 (Boilermakers), area code 41860 (San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed boilermakers and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (115.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures