What Is a Construction Manager’s Salary?

Construction management skills are essential to taking on construction projects of all sizes. In this position, you could work in business or nonresidential construction or prefer to manage residential construction projects. You will manage costs, deadlines, safety, and quality of construction sites. The field could provide plenty of opportunities in the future with the ongoing need for improvements to national infrastructure through upgrades, replacement, or build-out in response to population or business growth.

Let’s examine how factors like education, experience, industry, and location contribute to your construction management salary in the field.

What is a construction manager?

As a construction manager, you will oversee construction projects from start to finish. Depending on the projects available or your specific specialties, you might work on large or small projects in a variety of areas, such as residential, industrial, public, or commercial buildings.

You may be responsible for budgets and estimating costs for the overall project, including specific pieces of a plan. You often work with architects or engineers to make their visions a reality when building designs using blueprints or other plans. You’ll typically also have to work with contractors to bring together different areas of construction, including specialties such as electrical, plumbing, or carpentry. As a construction manager, you essentially oversee all these pieces as they come together to complete your project.

How much does a construction manager make?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), construction managers earn a median annual salary of $104,900. The lowest 10 percent of construction workers make less than $64,480 per year in median income, while the highest 10 percent earn over $172,040 [1].

According to October 2024 data from various job listing sites, the average annual pay for construction managers ranges from $81,313 to $104,900. The salary ranges given by five different organizations that track construction manager salaries are as follows:

Factors that affect a construction manager salary

Several factors can affect your salary as a construction manager. You can generally earn more money depending on your education or level of experience in the field. Location can also be a factor depending on the cost of living in your area or the demand for construction managers. You may also choose a particular field to work in as a construction manager, which could help you earn more money.

Education

Construction manager education usually requires a bachelor’s degree in construction, business, engineering, or a related field. You can also get into construction management with an associate degree plus on-the-job training experience.

Below are the average construction manager salaries based on education level, according to Zippia [7]:

• High school diploma or less: $74,805

• Some college or an associate degree: $77,979

• Bachelor’s degree: $89,231

• Master’s degree: $94,890

Read more: What Is an Undergraduate Degree?

Experience

Your experience in the field can affect your potential salary, with more experience boosting your potential income. The estimated average base salary you can expect based on your experience, according to Glassdoor, is [8]:

• 0-1 years: $74,241

• 1–3 years: $79,551

• 4–6 years: $87,660

• 7–9 years: $93,388

• 10–14 years: $102,748

• 15+ years: $112,490

Location

You may be able to earn more than the average annual salary, depending on where you live. The five top-paying states and districts based on average salary data from BLS are [9]:

• New York: $156,760

• New Jersey: $149,900

• Massachusetts: $144,830

• Alaska: $143,450

• District of Columbia: $137,750

Some cities may also have higher salaries depending on where you want to work. Anchorage, Alaska, for example, has a high annual mean wage at $157,950, but projects only employ around 660 construction managers in the city. On the other hand, the New York City, Newark, and Jersey City area of New York and New Jersey has an annual mean wage of $161,470 but employs around 12,080 construction managers [9]. 

Industry

The type of industry you decide to work in as a construction manager also affects your salary. According to BLS, construction managers in heavy and civil engineering construction earn a median annual income of $110,940, while specialty trade contractors might make $101,390. Nonresidential construction managers can expect $107,660 in median annual pay, while residential managers earn a median of $92,980 annually [10].

Additionally, Glassdoor lists the following five industries that are the highest-paying for construction managers. As you compare salaries, keep in mind that Glassdoor calculates total

median pay, which is the base pay plus additional compensation, such as stocks, cash bonuses, and other benefits [8]:

• Information technology: $208,518

• Energy, mining, and utilities: $151,830

• Aerospace and defense: $133,234

• Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology: $130,546

• Management and Consulting: $126,384

Related job titles

Other jobs in construction can help you get additional experience or might fit better if you don’t want to be a construction manager.

For example, a civil engineer designs and supervises projects. You may be responsible for creating an estimated budget, working with officials to get permits for the construction, or surveying building locations and site layouts. Civil engineers make an estimated $95,890 in median annual income, according to BLS [11].

A cost estimator focuses on the costs associated with a construction project and considers different factors, such as the cost of materials or the amount of labor required to complete a job. A cost estimator usually needs a bachelor’s degree in construction or engineering and can make a median annual income of $74,740 [12].

Job outlook

According to the BLS, construction management positions project 9 percent growth between 2023 and 2033, with an estimated 45,800 openings projected each year on average[13].

Due to population and business growth, the need for new residences, offices, schools, and other buildings boosts future employment in construction management. Construction managers might also oversee the retrofitting of older buildings to become compliant with current rules and regulations. Projects also need more managers to begin to rebuild or add to infrastructure plans.

Getting started with Coursera

Construction manager salary varies with experience, education, industry, and location. If you want to maximize your earning potential as a construction manager, consider those factors. For example, construction managers with a bachelor’s degree earn more on average than their non-degree-holding counterparts. If you’re interested in becoming a construction manager, some educational options exist to help you become more competitive.

Columbia University offers a Construction Project Management course that will help you learn construction management fundamentals, technology trends, and project planning. Alternatively, you could focus on a specific field with options like Construction Cost Estimating and Cost Control. This course digs into the fundamentals of cost estimation, how to use the earned value method, and how to examine the closeout period when finishing a project.