How much does a construction managers make?

The median construction managers salary in the United States is $114,990 per year ($55.28/hour). Salaries range from $69,690 (10th percentile) to $189,440 (90th percentile). There are 380,360 construction managers jobs in the U.S. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS.

Which state pays construction managerss the most?

The highest paying state for construction managerss is New York at $155,360 median salary.

Is construction managers a good career?

Construction Managers employment is projected to grow 8.7% from 2024 to 2034 (faster than average). There are approximately 46,800 job openings per year. Typical education required: Bachelor's degree.

What interview questions are asked for construction managers roles?

Common construction managers interview questions include: "Walk me through your largest project.", "How do you handle a schedule slip that would trigger LDs?", "Describe a subcontractor default you managed.". Interview format at top employers ranges from behavioral panels (STAR method) to technical case rounds — for example Top-25 general contractors (Turner, Skanska, AECOM/Tishman, Whiting-Turner, DPR, Suffolk, Mortenson, Clark, McCarthy) typically uses 3-5 rounds over 3-6 weeks.

What is the career ladder for construction managerss?

The typical construction managers career ladder: Project Engineer / Assistant Project Manager (0-4 yrs, $65-95k + bonus) → Project Manager (3-10 yrs, $105-155k + 10-20% bonus) → Senior Project Manager / Project Executive (8-18 yrs, $155-245k + 15-30% bonus) → VP Construction / Business Unit Leader (15+ yrs, $235-395k+ base + 25-50% bonus + LTIP (P&L leaders $395-685k+ total comp)).

What certifications should construction managerss get?

Top-ROI certifications for construction managerss: PMP (Project Management Professional) ($405 exam + $1-2k prep); LEED AP BD+C / O+M ($250-400 exam); OSHA 30 (construction) ($180-300 online).

How do you negotiate a construction managers salary?

Anchor on documented market data (BLS median $114,990, p75 $151,640), specific outcomes you've delivered, and the specific band for your years of experience. Given 10 years of PM experience, delivery of $185M mixed-use $340k under budget, PMP + LEED AP + OSHA 30, and zero recordable incidents on last 3 projects, my target for a Sr PM role at your firm is $195-215k base plus...

Construction Managers Salary

The median construction managers salary in the United States is $114,990 per year ($55.28/hour). Salaries range from $69,690 at the entry level to $189,440+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 380,360 construction managers jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 8.7% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 · Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asConstruction ManagerGeneral Contractor

Median Salary

$114,990

per year

Hourly Rate

$55.28

per hour

Employment

380,360

jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile

$69,690

25th percentile

$88,550

Median

$114,990

75th percentile

$151,640

90th percentile

$189,440

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+8.7%

Faster than average

Annual Openings

46,800

jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Bachelor's degree

Training Needed

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Construction Managers Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for construction managerss.

Construction managers (CMs, project managers, superintendents) plan, coordinate, and oversee construction projects — from single-family residential to large commercial, industrial, and infrastructure work. Entry PMs and assistant supers earn $65-95k; established project managers earn $95-155k; senior PMs and project executives at major GCs (Turner, Skanska, Bechtel, Kiewit) earn $145-235k; VP construction / project executive on mega-projects reach $215-395k+ with bonuses. Specialty markets — healthcare, data centers, semiconductor fab, and pharma — command a 15-25% premium.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Construction scheduling (CPM, P6, MS Project)

Build and maintain critical-path schedules using Primavera P6 (large projects) or MS Project (smaller). Identify slack, sequence trades, and defend the schedule in owner meetings.

Cost estimating and budget control

Read drawings, do quantity takeoffs, and build hard-dollar estimates. Track budget vs actual with earned-value or SPI/CPI. Own the cost forecast to completion.

Contract administration and risk

AIA, ConsensusDocs, or custom contracts. Understand indemnity, liquidated damages, delay claims, and change-order chain. Contract risk is where projects lose money silently.

Subcontractor management and buyout

Bid trade packages, negotiate subs, manage subcontract scope and quality, and track subcontractor performance against schedule and safety.

Safety leadership (OSHA, EM 385, jobsite culture)

OSHA 30, EM 385 for federal work, and daily jobsite walks. Safety is not the safety officer's job — the CM sets the standard by what they tolerate.

BIM, coordination, and clash resolution

Navisworks, Revit, or vendor-specific BIM 360 / Autodesk Construction Cloud. Lead clash-detection meetings, coordinate MEP with structural, and prevent rework.

Owner and stakeholder communication

Weekly OAC meetings, monthly financial updates, and quarterly executive reviews. Translate field reality into owner language without hiding bad news.

How to Become a Construction Managers

1
Get a BS in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or Architectural Engineering
Top programs: Purdue, Auburn, Colorado State, Cal Poly. Some pathways from trades (foremen advancing to superintendents to PMs) also work, especially at self-perform GCs.
2
Complete internships at general contractors during college
Turner, Skanska, DPR, Suffolk, Whiting-Turner all run big intern programs. Convert rate to FTE is 60-80% at strong performers.
3
Start as a Project Engineer or Assistant Project Manager
$62-85k. Own submittals, RFIs, and cost tracking on a portion of a project. Learn how a GC organizes work from the ground up.
4
Advance to Project Manager
$95-155k. Own full projects $10M-$100M, or a portion of larger projects. Manage subs, budgets, and owner relationships.
5
Advance to Senior PM / Project Executive / VP Construction
$155-395k+. Own $100M-$1B+ projects or a portfolio. VPs run business units, hire and coach PMs, and set operational strategy.

Career Progression

Project Engineer / Assistant Project Manager

0-4 yrs$65-95k + bonus

•Manage submittals, RFIs, cost logs
•Support superintendent with field-office admin
•Run subcontractor coordination meetings
•Learn the GC's cost, schedule, and quality systems

Next: Project Manager at 3-5 years.

Project Manager

3-10 yrs$105-155k + 10-20% bonus

•Own project $10M-$100M end-to-end
•Buyout, budget, schedule, quality, safety accountability
•Owner-facing lead
•Mentor Project Engineers

Next: Sr PM at 8-14 years.

Senior Project Manager / Project Executive

8-18 yrs$155-245k + 15-30% bonus

•Portfolio of $100M-$500M+ or single mega-project
•Executive-level owner relationships
•PM development and hiring
•Risk management and claims oversight

Next: VP Construction / Business Unit Leader at 14-22 years.

VP Construction / Business Unit Leader

15+ yrs$235-395k+ base + 25-50% bonus + LTIP (P&L leaders $395-685k+ total comp)

•Own business unit P&L ($100M-$2B+ revenue)
•Client and industry-facing executive
•Estimating, operations, and safety leadership across region
•M&A and market strategy

Next: SVP / President of a region or C-level (COO, CEO) at major GC.

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 13 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through your largest project.technical

STAR: $185M mid-rise mixed-use in downtown metro. My scope as PM: buyout, schedule, cost, and quality. Complications: two months of unforeseen underground conditions on excavation. My response: negotiated change order fairly, resequenced schedule to preserve MEP rough-in dates, and delivered TCO within the extended contract dates. Handed over $340k under revised budget. Interviewers screen for numbers and specific decisions, not just scope name-dropping.

Q2. How do you handle a schedule slip that would trigger LDs?situational

Diagnose first — is it my delay, owner-caused, or subcontractor performance? If subcontractor, put them on formal notice with the recovery schedule requirement. If owner-caused (design change, permit delay), document with a time-impact analysis and file the notice within contract timelines. Never accept the slip without preserving my right to relief.

Q3. Describe a subcontractor default you managed.behavioral

STAR: MEP sub went insolvent 60% into a $28M hospital project. I engaged the surety within 48 hours, kept the crew working under bond takeover, and re-buyout the balance of scope in 3 weeks. Owner impact: 2 weeks schedule extension, no cost overage. Interviewers screen for surety knowledge, decisiveness, and owner communication.

Q4. How do you build safety culture on a project?situational

Set the tone at day 1: full site safety orientation including me and every trade, daily huddles, weekly walk-arounds with subs, and unambiguous stop-work authority. When a violation happens, we shut down, coach, and document — no shortcuts. The way we treat the fifth violation defines the culture; the first four are easy.

Q5. Where do you see your career in 5 years?closer

Sr PM leading $200M+ projects, then Project Executive on mega-projects in healthcare or data center. Long-term, VP Construction owning a business unit. I want to stay operationally close to the work but move into the strategic side — hiring, market strategy, and building teams.

Resume Template — Project Manager (3-10 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Project Manager (3-10 yrs)

▸PM on $185M mid-rise mixed-use downtown; delivered $340k under revised budget and within extended contract dates despite unforeseen underground conditions.
▸Owned buyout of 42 trade packages; achieved 3.2% savings vs estimate on subcontract awards.
▸OSHA 30 + LEED AP BD+C + PMP; zero recordable safety incidents on last 3 projects.
▸$135k base + $22k bonus + truck/allowance + benefits. Managed 3 Project Engineers.

What Gets You Rejected

✗Cannot read a schedule critically or defend the CPM logic in a meeting.
✗Weak cost forecasting — projects trend to loss without early warning.
✗Poor contract fluency — misses notice deadlines, gives up rights to change orders.
✗Bad safety record or lax culture — GCs don't hire around this.
✗Cannot manage difficult owners or subcontractors without escalating everything.
✗Job-hops every 12-18 months — construction is relationship-heavy, tenure matters.
✗No LEED, PMP, DBIA, or other credentials past year 5 — signals stagnation.

Salary Negotiation Levers

✓Bonus is a large part of comp (10-30% at PM, 25-50% at PX+). Negotiate the target percentage and the KPI structure.
✓Truck allowance $700-1,200/mo or company vehicle at PM+ levels.
✓Per diem for out-of-town assignments, plus travel-home cadence (usually 3-day / 4-day rotation).
✓Signing bonus $10-100k common at senior moves, especially with market shifts.
✓Specialty markets (data center, semiconductor, healthcare) 15-25% premium.
✓Union vs non-union GC — union self-perform work often pays more due to complexity.
✓Vehicle, phone, laptop, and professional-license reimbursement.
✓Long-term incentive plan (LTIP) at senior levels — negotiate vest cadence and metrics.

Construction Managers Resume Review — $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired construction managerss. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

✓ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
✓ Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
✓ Missing skills / keywords flagged
✓ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
✓ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Construction Managers Career Kit — $19

✓ All 13 interview questions with expert answers
✓ 6 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
✓ Interview format intel for 6 top employers
✓ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
✓ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
✓ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
✓ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
✓ Detailed salary negotiation script
✓ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
✓ Downloadable PDF for offline access
✓ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription

✓ 7-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked

One-time purchase. 7-day refund guarantee.

Sample reviews — real customer reviews will appear here as they come in.

“The interview question bank saved me. I got the exact question about 'walking through a DCF' at my Goldman Sachs superday, verbatim.”

— Anonymous, Financial Analyst

“Copy-paste negotiation emails are worth the price alone. I used the 'accepting with counter' template and got an extra $8k signing bonus.”

— Anonymous, Software Developer

“The 30-60-90 day plan for a new grad RN was better than the orientation my hospital gave. Wish I'd bought this in nursing school.”

— Anonymous, Registered Nurse

Construction Managers Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) →

Salary Map — Click a state for details

$86K

$155K■ No data

Top Paying States

Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.

State	Median	vs. National	Employment
New York	$155,360	+35.1%	10,280
Washington	$155,070	+34.9%	6,010
Massachusetts	$145,010	+26.1%	9,870
Alaska	$139,190	+21.0%	1,720
New Jersey	$138,230	+20.2%	6,910
California	$133,160	+15.8%	34,750
Delaware	$132,150	+14.9%	610
Oregon	$131,420	+14.3%	4,300
New Hampshire	$129,260	+12.4%	660
Hawaii	$128,910	+12.1%	2,890

Showing 1–10 of 51

Construction Managers Salary by Metro Area

Metro Area	Median	vs. National
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$166,030	+44.4%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$163,040	+41.8%
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	$159,860	+39.0%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$159,430	+38.6%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$158,000	+37.4%
Bellingham, WA	$156,580	+36.2%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$156,470	+36.1%
Longview-Kelso, WA	$154,300	+34.2%
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$152,100	+32.3%
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA	$150,780	+31.1%

Showing 1–10 of 385

Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.

How does this compare to pro athletes?

A construction managers earning $114,990/year would need 518 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 557 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.

See all sports & celebrity salaries →

📈 See how construction managers salaries have changed over the past decade.

View Construction Managers salary trend (2011–2024) →