Davis-Bacon Crew Labor Cost Calculator
Estimate the total labor cost of a federal construction crew using the actual Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates for the project's county and construction type. The calculator runs entirely in your browser — no data is submitted anywhere.
- Pick the state and county where your federal project will be performed.
- Choose the construction type (building, heavy, highway, or residential).
- On the wage-determination page that opens, scroll to the Crew Labor Cost Estimator — it’s pre-loaded with the real prevailing rates for that WD.
- Add a row for each trade you’ll employ, set the worker count and hours, and adjust the burden percentage to match your payroll-tax + insurance load.
Find your wage determination
What goes into a Davis-Bacon labor cost estimate?
The minimum hourly compensation under the Davis-Bacon Act is the total package: the base hourly wage plus all required fringe benefits (health & welfare, pension, vacation, and apprenticeship training). On a federal construction project of $2,000 or more, contractors must pay each covered worker no less than this total package for every hour worked.
The calculator multiplies workers × hours × total package for each trade row, then applies an optional burden uplift on top. Burden covers everything beyond direct wages: the employer share of FICA (7.65%), federal and state unemployment taxes (FUTA + SUTA), workers’ compensation (varies by trade and state experience-modifier), and general liability insurance. A typical loaded burden is 20–35%, but it can be higher for high-injury-rate trades.
This is a planning tool. For bid submission and certified payroll (Form WH-347), you’ll need exact figures from your payroll provider and a verified copy of the applicable wage determination from SAM.gov.