Construction Supervisor salary

The median pay for a construction supervisor nationally is $79,920 a year — about $38.42 an hour. That figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for U.S. (2025). Half of the roles pay more than this and half pay less, so treat it as the middle of the market rather than a target.

Most construction supervisors nationally earn between $53,280 a year and $128,260 a year — that is the 10th to the 90th percentile. The spread usually reflects experience, shift, certifications and employer size more than anything else.

Pay at the bottom of the range — roughly what someone starting out can expect — is around $53,280 a year. A quarter of construction supervisors earn below $63,400 a year, so the first year or two typically sits in that band.

The top 10% of construction supervisors nationally earn about $128,260 a year or more, roughly 1.6× the median. Getting there usually means experience plus something specific — certifications, supervisory duties, specialised skills or premium shifts.

Construction supervisors and foremen run crews on site — sequencing work, keeping to programme and owning site safety. Promoted from the tools. Day to day, that means plan and sequence daily crew work, coordinate subcontractors and deliveries, enforce site safety and OSHA compliance and read drawings and resolve conflicts on site.

The usual route is: (1) work a trade and become genuinely skilled at it, (2) take on lead hand responsibility, (3) move to foreman, then general foreman, (4) progress to superintendent or project management. Employers typically look for substantial trade experience, OSHA 30 certification typically and blueprint reading.

Usually not. Most employers hire construction supervisors without a specific licence, though OSHA 30 certification typically will widen your options and often your pay.

Follows construction activity but supervisors are far harder to replace than labourers, so the role holds up better through slowdowns.