As you know, the housing crash didn’t just affect the residential real estate marketing, but also the entire construction industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics at one point in 2010, construction unemployment reached an unfortunate high of 27%, forcing many construction managers to abandon the industry. Those who could maintain employment often did so with a lower than standard construction salary—and without raises and bonuses. In the following years, universities experienced a downturn in construction degrees, as students pursued more secure fields of employment. So where does that leave commercial construction salaries today?
The Turnaround Of The Construction Industry
Over the past 7 years, unemployment rates continued to fluctuate and gradually began to improve. As of March 2017, industry-wide unemployment is at just 8.4%. Because of this, the entire industry is experiencing a dramatic talent shortage. With construction managers fleeing the industry back in 2010, and the declining level of new talent entering the field—construction companies are competing to win over the top talent required to run heir complex and multi-million dollar projects. This has many HR departments, hiring managers, and business owners around the nation looking closely at the competitiveness of their salaries.
Variances In Commercial Construction Salaries
Salary variance is not uncommon in any field and often varies greatly from one area of the nation to the next. However, the current variance of nationwide construction salaries may have never been so diverse. To give you a better idea of how much variance exists, take a look at the construction management salary data we have complied.
Nationwide Construction Project Engineer/Assistant Project Manager salaries are typically:
| Region | 20th Percentile | 80th Percentile | mean | meadian |
| Midwest | $65.8 | $91.7 | $83.6 | $82.6 |
| Mid-Atlantic | $71.8 | $101.6 | $90.3 | $86.9 |
| Northeast | $71.1 | $112.9 | $96.9 | $94.0 |
| Northwest | $76.1 | $101.8 | $94.9 | $91.8 |
| Southeast | $69.0 | $92.6 | $84.5 | $82.4 |
| Southwest | $71.1 | $93.6 | $86.1 | $85.7 |
Nationwide Construction Project Managers salaries are typically:
| Region | 20th Percentile | 80th Percentile | Mean | Median |
| Midwest | $82.9 | $114.0 | $103.2 | $101.7 |
| Mid-Atlantic | $82.1 | $119.6 | $104.9 | $101.0 |
| Northeast | $92.0 | $139.3 | $120.1 | $119.7 |
| Northwest | $89.6 | $124.0 | $110.1 | $107.7 |
| Southeast | $82.5 | $113.3 | $102.4 | $99.7 |
| Southwest | $85.3 | $113.6 | $103.6 | $101.9 |
Nationwide Construction Senior Project Manager salaries are typically:
| Region | 20th Percentile | 80th Percentile | Mean | Median |
| Midwest | $96.7 | $135.2 | $121.6 | $120.6 |
| Mid-Atlantic | $98.5 | $144 | $124.0 | $125.0 |
| Northeast | $112.1 | $166.7 | $145.1 | $140.0 |
| Northwest | $110.5 | $151.6 | $137.6 | $137.6 |
| Southeast | $99.1 | $142.5 | $123.8 | $126.2 |
| Southwest | $96.2 | $135.7 | $121.8 | $120.7 |
Nationwide Construction Project Executive/Project Director salaries are typically:
| Region | 20th Percentile | 80th Percentile | Mean | Median |
| Midwest | $115.5 | $158.0 | $144.1 | $143.6 |
| Mid-Atlantic | $120.9 | $173.2 | $153.2 | $153.0 |
| Northeast | $141.3 | $207.7 | $182.3 | $178.5 |
| Northwest | $128.5 | $175.1 | $157.6 | $154.7 |
| Southeast | $118.9 | $171.6 | $150.9 | $148.1 |
| Southwest | $114.4 | $164.9 | $144.1 | $143.9 |
Nationwide Construction Project Managers V and Project Director/Executive salaries are typically:
| Region | 20th Percentile | 80th Percentile | Mean | Median |
| Midwest | $141.9 | $194.5 | $174.9 | $173.5 |
| Mid-Atlantic | $158.8 | $214.6 | $194.5 | $195.2 |
| Northeast | $170.5 | $247.2 | $219.8 | $209.1 |
| Northwest | $159.0 | $210.5 | $189.6 | $192.3 |
| Southeast | $147.4 | $207.8 | $186.8 | $183.9 |
| Southwest | $154.6 | $202.3 | $181.2 | $183.6 |
The construction salary data generated above is compiled from multiple industry and salary sources, and the real-time data compiled by The Birmingham Group. As one of the Leading Recruiters in the nation, construction executive search firms—The Birmingham Group interviews over 300 construction professionals each week.
Are Your Salaries Competitive? Get Our Construction Salary Survey.
This is an exciting time in the world of construction. With this rapid turnaround over the past few years, many Construction General Contractors are being forced to reevaluate their construction salaries to stay competitive. We have compiled data from 4600+ individual construction management interviews performed by our staff.
Sign up to receive this exclusive construction salary report from The Birmingham Group. We’ll deliver the report directly to your inbox.
