Construction Manager Salary (2026): CM Pay Guide for All 50 States

Construction managers in the United States earn a national median of $118,923 per year — roughly $57.17/hour. Construction manager pay sits well above the U.S. median for management occupations and continues to climb, driven by the massive infrastructure spending wave from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS Act-funded semiconductor fab construction (Intel Arizona, TSMC Arizona, Samsung Texas, GlobalFoundries Vermont/NY), the data center construction boom for AI workloads (NVIDIA-aligned datacenter buildout, Microsoft/Google/Amazon hyperscale facilities), persistent commercial real estate development, and ongoing demand for residential construction in growing Sun Belt markets.

The national median is only the middle of the distribution. Three numbers describe the real range of construction manager compensation:

• Entry-level construction managers (10th percentile): $72,073/year — typically newly promoted assistant project managers or project engineers in their first 1–2 years in a management role, often at smaller regional general contractors, residential builders, or in entry-level project engineering positions at large commercial GCs working toward project manager promotion.
• Median construction manager (50th percentile): $118,923/year — the working construction project manager with 5–12 years of experience, frequently at mid-tier commercial general contractors, regional general contractors, public-sector project management (state DOT, municipal public works), or large residential builders managing single-family or multifamily projects.
• Top-earning construction managers (90th percentile): $195,919/year — senior construction managers in high-cost metros, senior project managers at top commercial general contractors (Turner Construction, Skanska USA, Bechtel, Fluor, Kiewit, Granite, Clark Construction, McCarthy Building Companies, Hensel Phelps, DPR Construction, Whiting-Turner, Holder Construction), senior project executives and area general managers at major GCs, owner's representatives at major real estate developers, and senior project managers at major industrial and infrastructure projects (CHIPS Act fab construction, data center hyperscale buildout, transportation megaprojects).

Geographic location matters, but firm tier and project size often matter more for construction managers. CMs in Oakland, CA earn a median of $175,616, while colleagues in Aguadilla, PR earn around $73,956. Senior construction managers at top commercial GCs in major metros (NYC, San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, Los Angeles) frequently earn $200,000–$400,000+ in total compensation through base + bonus + project-completion bonus + truck/vehicle allowance. Senior project executives at the largest commercial GCs reach $300,000–$600,000+ in total compensation managing $500M–$5B+ project portfolios. Construction managers running CHIPS Act fab projects, hyperscale data centers, and major infrastructure projects with multi-year megaproject responsibility regularly clear $400,000–$700,000+ in total compensation.

Construction Manager Salary vs Construction Project Manager Salary — Are They the Same?

Yes — the BLS combines several closely related job titles under SOC code 11-9021 (Construction Managers). The role spans several distinct work paths and titles:

• Construction Project Manager (PM) — most common title; manages a single construction project or a project portfolio for a general contractor, owner, or specialty contractor.
• Construction Superintendent — runs day-to-day operations on the project site; manages subcontractors, coordinates trade work, enforces safety and quality. Often progresses to project manager track. Some GCs use "general superintendent" for senior supervisors managing multiple projects.
• Project Executive / Senior Project Manager — manages multiple projects or oversees project teams; senior pay at major GCs.
• Area General Manager / Operations Manager — manages all projects in a regional office; very senior pay at major GCs.
• Owner's Representative / Owner's Construction Manager — represents the project owner's interests independently of the general contractor; common at major real estate developers (Brookfield, Related, Tishman Speyer, Hines, Boston Properties), institutional investors, hospitals, universities, and government agencies.
• Preconstruction Manager / Estimator-Manager — manages preconstruction phase including estimating, value engineering, scheduling, and constructability review.
• Construction Cost Manager / Cost Engineer — specialty role focused on cost estimating, change order management, and budget control.
• Construction Scheduler / Planner — Primavera P6 expertise; CPM (Critical Path Method) scheduling specialty.
• Construction Safety Manager — site safety oversight; OSHA compliance.
• BIM Manager / VDC Manager (Virtual Design and Construction) — BIM coordination specialty supporting major commercial projects.
• Specialty subcontractor project manager — managing scope-specific work (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, civil sitework) at specialty contractor employers.
• Self-employed general contractor / construction business owner — owns residential or commercial general contracting business; pay distribution wide.

Most construction managers have backgrounds in:

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Construction Science, Civil Engineering, Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Building Construction — ABET-accredited construction management programs (American Council for Construction Education — ACCE — accredits dedicated construction management bachelor's programs) and ABET-accredited civil engineering programs are the most common entry pathways.
• Trade journeyman + on-job experience — many construction superintendents came up through the trades (carpenter, electrician, plumber, mason) and were promoted into superintendent and then project manager roles.
• Master's in Construction Management or MBA — common for senior project executives and area general managers; supports advancement.

Major credentials supporting pay differential and senior career advancement:

• CCM (Certified Construction Manager) — Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) credential. Most widely recognized national construction management credential. Requires bachelor's + 4 years experience or alternative pathway, plus CCM exam and ongoing CE.
• CPC (Certified Professional Constructor) / AC (Associate Constructor) — American Institute of Constructors (AIC) credentials. CPC supports senior career advancement.
• PMP (Project Management Professional) — PMI credential. Widely held in construction project management.
• LEED AP (Accredited Professional) and LEED AP BD+C (Building Design and Construction) — USGBC credentials for green building specialty.
• OSHA 30-Hour Construction — site safety training; near-universal at construction superintendents.
• OSHA 510 / 500 (Outreach Trainer) — OSHA construction safety trainer credentials.
• STSC (Safety Trained Supervisor Construction) — Board of Certified Safety Professionals credential.
• CSP (Certified Safety Professional) — BCSP credential for senior construction safety managers.
• CHST (Construction Health and Safety Technician) — BCSP credential.
• CRIS (Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist) — insurance specialty credential.
• State general contractor license — required to operate as a general contractor in most states; varying education and experience requirements.
• PE (Professional Engineer) — civil or mechanical PE license valuable for senior construction management with engineering responsibilities, particularly at owner's representative and design-build firms.
• DBIA (Design-Build Institute of America) credentials — Designated Design-Build Professional (DBIA), Associate DBIA — for design-build project specialty.

The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), the American Institute of Constructors (AIC), the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), and the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) are the profession's major associations.

The same job goes by several names in salary surveys and job postings:

• Construction manager salary / construction manager pay / CM salary
• Construction project manager salary / construction PM pay
• Senior project manager construction salary / senior PM construction pay
• Project executive construction salary / area general manager construction pay
• Construction superintendent salary / general superintendent pay
• Owner's representative construction salary / owner's CM pay
• Preconstruction manager salary / estimating manager pay
• Commercial construction manager salary / residential construction manager pay
• Industrial construction manager salary / infrastructure construction manager pay
• CHIPS Act fab construction manager salary / data center construction manager pay
• CCM certified construction manager salary / CPC certified professional constructor pay
• Turner construction PM salary / Skanska USA project manager pay / Bechtel construction manager salary

All of these reference SOC code 11-9021 (Construction Managers) in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey — the data source used throughout this site.

Compensation Structure: Base, Bonus, Project-Completion, and Vehicle Allowance

Construction manager compensation typically combines base salary with substantial bonus, project-completion bonus, and ancillary allowances. The dominant structures across the profession:

• Top commercial general contractors (Turner Construction, Skanska USA, Bechtel, Fluor, Kiewit, Granite Construction, Clark Construction, McCarthy Building Companies, Hensel Phelps, DPR Construction, Whiting-Turner, Holder Construction, Brasfield & Gorrie, Suffolk Construction, JE Dunn, Mortenson, PCL Construction): base salary by tier (project engineer → project manager → senior project manager → project executive → area general manager) plus annual bonus (10–25% target) plus project-completion bonus. Senior project managers earn $145,000–$220,000+; project executives $220,000–$350,000+; area general managers reach $300,000–$600,000+.
• Major industrial and energy contractors (Bechtel, Fluor, Kiewit, Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, Quanta Services, MasTec, Aecon, Tutor Perini) — competitive base + bonus + project-completion bonus structures supporting major infrastructure, energy, and CHIPS Act fab construction. Senior project managers at industrial scale reach the very top of the SOC.
• Regional general contractors — competitive senior-level pay with stronger work-life balance and faster project executive promotion at established regional firms.
• Construction management consulting (CMAA member firms, AECOM CMS, Jacobs CMS, Hill International, Arcadis CM) — owner's representative and CM-at-Risk services.
• Major real estate developers (Brookfield, Related, Tishman Speyer, Hines, Vornado, Boston Properties, Trammell Crow, Lendlease, Ryan Companies) — owner's representative construction managers at major developers command competitive base + deal-completion bonus + equity at some firms.
• Industrial owner-operators — Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft datacenter construction; Intel/TSMC/Samsung semiconductor fab construction; major pharma facility construction; oil and gas refinery work — pay competitive with major GC senior project manager levels.
• State DOT and municipal public works — construction managers on state pay scales with strong pension and PSLF eligibility.
• Federal construction management (USACE / Army Corps, US Air Force Civil Engineering, NAVFAC, GSA Public Buildings Service, FAA) — strong pay on GS pay scale with federal pension and PSLF.
• Specialty subcontractor project management — mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural, civil sitework specialty contractors. Major specialty contractors: EMCOR (mechanical), Comfort Systems USA, Limbach Holdings (MEP); MasTec (utility); Quanta Services (electric); Tutor Perini (general/civil).
• Residential builders (D.R. Horton, Lennar, PulteGroup, NVR, Toll Brothers, KB Home, Taylor Morrison, Meritage, Tri Pointe Homes) — pay structures more conservative than commercial GCs but with strong volume-based bonus structures at top performers.
• Self-employed general contractor / construction business owner — wide pay distribution; specialty contractors and small commercial GCs in established markets reach the top of the SOC distribution.

Total compensation at competitive commercial GCs typically includes performance bonus (10–25% target), project-completion bonus, truck/vehicle allowance ($600–$1,200/month), fuel card, cell phone allowance, $2,500–$5,000 CE budget, profit-sharing or LTI components at senior levels, and 401(k) match. Owner's representative and major developer roles often add equity components.

2026 Construction Manager Salary Projection

Construction manager pay has grown at a compound annual rate of 3.42% over the past five years, driven by the massive infrastructure spending wave from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ($1.2 trillion in transportation, water, broadband, energy), the CHIPS Act-funded semiconductor fab construction ($52B+ in federal incentives plus state matches plus private capex), the AI datacenter construction boom (multi-hundred-billion-dollar hyperscale buildout from Microsoft/Google/Amazon/Meta/NVIDIA-aligned facilities), persistent commercial real estate development, residential construction in growing Sun Belt markets, and the structural retirement of experienced construction managers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment for Construction Managers to grow 5% through 2033, with strong outsized growth in infrastructure, industrial, and data center construction.

A senior project executive at Bechtel managing a CHIPS Act fab construction project can earn three to five times what a residential project manager at a small Mississippi homebuilder takes home. Four factors explain almost all of that gap: employer type and firm tier, project type and project size, location and market concentration, and credentials and seniority.

1. Employer Type and Firm Tier: The Single Largest Pay Driver

The single biggest pay-shaping decision for a construction manager is employer type and firm tier:

• Major industrial and infrastructure contractors (Bechtel, Fluor, Kiewit, Granite Construction, Skanska USA, AECOM, Jacobs, Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, Quanta Services, MasTec, Tutor Perini, Bechtel Mining, Hochtief) — top reliable construction management compensation. CHIPS Act fab construction, hyperscale data centers, major transportation infrastructure, refinery and petrochemical projects. Project executives reach the very top of the SOC distribution.
• Top commercial general contractors (Turner Construction, Skanska USA, McCarthy Building Companies, Clark Construction, Hensel Phelps, DPR Construction, Whiting-Turner, Holder Construction, Brasfield & Gorrie, Suffolk Construction, JE Dunn, Mortenson, PCL Construction, Lendlease, Hoffman Construction): strong base + bonus + project-completion bonus. Senior project managers and project executives at major commercial GCs reach upper SOC.
• Owner's representative construction management at major developers (Brookfield, Related, Tishman Speyer, Hines, Vornado, Boston Properties, Trammell Crow, Lendlease Development, Ryan Companies): base + deal-completion bonus + equity at some firms; senior owner's reps reach the top of the SOC.
• Industrial owner-operator construction management — Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft datacenter construction; Intel, TSMC, Samsung semiconductor fab construction; major pharma facility construction (Pfizer, Merck, Lilly, Moderna); medical device facility construction (Medtronic, Boston Scientific). Competitive base + bonus + RSU equity at major tech-owner-operator employers.
• Construction management consulting (CMAA member firms, AECOM CMS, Jacobs CMS, Hill International, Arcadis CM, Turner CM Services) — owner's rep CM-at-Risk services at competitive pay.
• Specialty subcontractor project management (EMCOR, Comfort Systems USA, Limbach, MasTec, Quanta Services, MYR Group, Cupertino Electric, Rosendin Electric, Lutz, Egan Company) — specialty MEP project management with strong pay at senior levels.
• Federal construction (USACE Army Corps of Engineers, US Air Force Civil Engineering, NAVFAC Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, GSA Public Buildings Service, FAA, VA construction) — strong pay on GS pay scale with federal pension and PSLF.
• State DOT and municipal public works construction management — state employee scale with strong pension and PSLF.
• Major residential builders (D.R. Horton, Lennar, PulteGroup, NVR, Toll Brothers, KB Home, Taylor Morrison, Meritage Homes, Tri Pointe Homes) — strong volume-based bonus structures at top performers; mid-to-upper-range base pay.
• Regional general contractors — competitive senior-level pay with stronger work-life balance.
• Self-employed GC / small business owner — wide pay distribution; specialty contractors and small commercial GCs in established markets with strong client bases reach top of SOC.

2. Project Type and Project Size

Project type and total construction value drive construction manager compensation substantially:

• Megaprojects ($1B+ TCV — total construction value) — CHIPS Act semiconductor fab construction (Intel Ohio $20B+, TSMC Arizona $40B+, Samsung Texas $17B+), hyperscale data centers ($1B-$10B+ multi-building campuses), transportation megaprojects (California High-Speed Rail, MTA Second Avenue Subway, Hudson Yards, NYC LaGuardia, NEC Gateway). Senior project executives on megaprojects reach the very top of the SOC distribution.
• Large commercial buildings ($100M-$1B) — major office towers, mixed-use developments, sports stadiums, airport terminal expansions, healthcare hospital campuses, university research facilities. Senior project managers and project executives reach upper SOC.
• Mid-size commercial ($20M-$100M) — office buildings, retail centers, hotels, mid-size multifamily, light industrial. The broadest project category for mid-career construction managers.
• Small commercial and tenant improvement ($1M-$20M) — TI projects, small commercial builds, mid-size residential multifamily.
• Residential construction — single-family homes, townhome developments, multifamily apartments. Wide pay distribution.
• Heavy civil and infrastructure — highways, bridges, transit, water/wastewater treatment plants, dams, ports.
• Industrial process and energy facility construction — refineries, petrochemical plants, LNG facilities, power plants, wind farms, solar farms, battery storage facilities, hydrogen production.
• Healthcare facility construction — hospitals, medical office buildings, surgery centers, life science labs; specialty pay for healthcare-focused CMs given regulatory complexity.
• Specialty technical facilities — data centers, semiconductor fabs, biotech labs, pharmaceutical manufacturing, BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratory construction; very high specialty pay because of technical complexity.

3. Location and Market Concentration

Metropolitan areas with high costs of living and high concentrations of major construction activity offer the highest construction manager pay:

• New York City tri-state metro — global concentration of commercial construction; major commercial GCs all maintain large NYC operations.
• San Francisco Bay Area — major commercial construction + datacenter buildout + life science facility expansion.
• Washington DC metro — federal construction (GSA, NAVFAC, USACE HQ region) + commercial.
• Los Angeles — major commercial construction + entertainment infrastructure + transit expansion.
• Seattle Pacific Northwest — Microsoft + Amazon datacenter buildout; commercial high-rise construction; defense and aerospace (Boeing facilities).
• Boston — life science / biotech facility construction; healthcare; major academic medical center construction.
• Phoenix Arizona — CHIPS Act fab construction explosion (Intel mega-fab, TSMC); growing data center buildout; commercial.
• Austin Texas — Tesla Gigafactory + Apple + Samsung fab + major data center buildout; no state income tax; fastest-growing major construction market.
• Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio — major Texas construction markets supporting strong CM compensation; no state income tax.
• Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Raleigh-Durham, Miami, Tampa, Orlando — growing Sun Belt construction markets.
• Denver Colorado — strong commercial construction + data center buildout.
• Chicago — major commercial construction + infrastructure.
• State income tax variation — construction managers in no-income-tax states (TX, FL, TN, NV, WA) retain meaningfully more of their gross income.
• State general contractor license requirements — most states require GC licensing with varying education, experience, and exam requirements; supports pay floors in stricter licensure states (California, Florida, North Carolina).
• Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding distribution — federal infrastructure funding is being distributed across all 50 states; metropolitan areas managing major federally-funded transportation, water, broadband projects support strong construction management employment.
• CHIPS Act fab construction geographic concentration — Arizona, Texas, Ohio, New York Mohawk Valley, Vermont (GlobalFoundries) concentrate major semiconductor fab construction activity supporting premium specialty pay.

4. Credentials and Seniority

Construction manager compensation grows substantially with credentials and tenure:

• Project Engineer / Field Engineer (years 1–4) — entry to early career; not yet manager-titled. Pay below the 10th percentile of the CM SOC.
• Assistant Project Manager / APM (years 3–5) — pre-PM role; pay near the 10th percentile.
• Project Manager / PM (years 5–10) — first major step change; pay near the median.
• Senior Project Manager (years 10–15) — second major step; pay reliably above the median.
• Project Executive (years 15+) — manages multiple projects or project teams; pay reaches the 75th–90th percentile.
• Area General Manager / Operations Manager / Vice President of Construction — top management roles; pay reaches the 90th–95th percentile and beyond, often with profit-sharing and partner-style compensation.
• Superintendent → General Superintendent — site supervision track; major commercial GCs pay general superintendents at project executive level.
• CCM (CMAA Certified Construction Manager) — most widely recognized national CM credential; supports senior career advancement.
• CPC (AIC Certified Professional Constructor) — AIC credential supporting senior advancement.
• PMP (Project Management Professional) — PMI credential; supports senior PM/PE roles.
• LEED AP BD+C — USGBC green building credential.
• DBIA (Design-Build Institute of America) credentials — design-build specialty.
• OSHA 30 / 510 / CSP — safety credentials; CSP supports senior safety manager track.
• State general contractor license — required to operate as a GC in most states.
• PE (Civil or Mechanical) — supports senior construction management with engineering responsibilities.
• Pivot to owner's representative track — common transition for senior construction managers seeking less travel and stronger work-life balance.
• Pivot to self-employed GC / business owner — common at senior level; established commercial GC ownership reaches very top of SOC.

For a complete city-by-city breakdown of construction manager salaries — including BLS percentile data (10th, 25th, 50th/median, 75th, 90th), local cost-of-living adjustments, and 2026 salary projections — browse the 1,688+ metro areas tracked in our dataset below.