What Is a Construction Manager’s Salary?

Key takeaways

Construction managers have high earning potential in the United States for overseeing construction projects from start to finish in various industries.

• The annual median total pay for construction managers is $115,000 in the US, according to Glassdoor [1]. 

• Top-paying states for construction managers include Hawaii, California, and Washington.

• You can expand your earning potential as a construction manager by earning advanced degrees, accumulating experience, and moving to a high-paying city. 

Examine how factors such as education, experience, industry, and location affect your construction management salary. Afterward, if you’re ready to enhance your managerial skills, consider enrolling in the Project Management Specialization. This beginner-friendly program offers guidance on project planning, team management, stakeholder communications, and more. In two months, you’ll have not only earned a career certificate for your resume, but also had the opportunity to build key project management skills.

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.

What is the average salary of a construction manager?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), construction managers earn a median annual salary of $106,980 [2]. The lowest 10 percent of construction workers make less than $65,160 per year in median income, while the highest 10 percent earn over $176,990 [2].

According to February 2026 data from Glassdoor, the annual pay for construction managers ranges from $89,000 to $148,000 [1]. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation. The salaries 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 [6]:

• 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 median annual salary you can expect based on your experience, according to Glassdoor, is [1]:

• 0–1 year: $90,000

• 1–3 years: $91,000

• 4–6 years: $100,000

• 7–9 years: $115,000

• 10–14 years: $133,000

• 15+ years: $150,000

All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of February 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

What is the highest salary for a construction manager?

Glassdoor reports $148,323 as the highest median total annual salary for a construction manager in the United States [1]. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation. 

Location

You may be able to earn more than the average annual salary, depending on where you live. The five top-paying states based on average salary data from Zippia are [3]:

• Hawaii: $123,933

• California: $101,370

• Washington: $93,188

• New Hampshire: $92,304

• New Jersey: $92,141

Some cities may also have higher salaries depending on where you want to work. According to the BLS, the metropolitan or nonmetropolitan areas with the highest annual median wage for construction managers are [7]:

• San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: $160,870

• Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: $156,590

• San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: $151,980

• Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area: $151,590

• Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA: $140,980

Industry

The type of industry you decide to work in as a construction manager also affects your salary. According to the BLS, construction managers in heavy and civil engineering construction earn a median annual income of $121,060, while specialty trade contractors might make $102,140 [2]. Nonresidential construction managers can expect $120,010 in median annual pay, while residential construction managers earn a median of $91,150 annually [2].

Additionally, the BLS lists the following five industries that offer the highest annual median wages for construction managers [7]:

• Oil and gas extraction: $216,690

• Securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investments and related activities: $214,990

• Support activities for air transportation: $189,810

• Other investment pools and funds: $173,780

• Coal mining: $172,660

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 $99,590 in median annual income, according to the BLS [8].

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 $77,070 [9].

Construction manager job outlook

According to the BLS, construction management positions are projected to grow by 9 percent between 2024 and 2034, with an average of 46,800 openings each year [10].

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.

Navigate your career journey with confidence

Join Career Chat on LinkedIn to get weekly updates on popular skills, tools, and certifications. Plus, learn more about project management, a key skill for construction managers, with our other free digital resources:

• Plan your career path: Project Management Career Progression: Job Levels & Skills to Advance

• Learn key concepts: Project Management Terms and Definitions

• Watch on YouTube: 11 Essential Project Management Skills to Boost Your Career

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