Construction Managers
11-9021.00
Bright Outlook Updated 2025

Plan, direct, or coordinate, usually through subordinate supervisory personnel, activities concerned with the construction and maintenance of structures, facilities, and systems. Participate in the conceptual development of a construction project and oversee its organization, scheduling, budgeting, and implementation. Includes managers in specialized construction fields, such as carpentry or plumbing.

Sample of reported job titles: Concrete Foreman, Construction Area Manager, Construction Foreman, Construction Management Supervisor, Construction Manager, Construction Services Manager, Construction Superintendent, General Superintendent, Job Superintendent, Site Manager

Occupation-Specific Information

Tasks

  • Inspect or review projects to monitor compliance with building and safety codes or other regulations.
  • Develop or implement quality control programs.
  • Plan, schedule, or coordinate construction project activities to meet deadlines.
  • Prepare and submit budget estimates, progress reports, or cost tracking reports.
  • Direct and supervise construction or related workers.
  • Determine labor requirements for dispatching workers to construction sites.
  • Confer with supervisory personnel, owners, contractors, or design professionals to discuss and resolve matters, such as work procedures, complaints, or construction problems.
  • Prepare contracts or negotiate revisions to contractual agreements with architects, consultants, clients, suppliers, or subcontractors.
  • Study job specifications to determine appropriate construction methods.
  • Plan, organize, or direct activities concerned with the construction or maintenance of structures, facilities, or systems.
  • Contract or oversee craft work, such as painting or plumbing.
  • Investigate damage, accidents, or delays at construction sites to ensure that proper construction procedures are being followed.
  • Interpret and explain plans and contract terms to representatives of the owner or developer, including administrative staff, workers, or clients.
  • Implement new or modified plans in response to delays, bad weather, or construction site emergencies.
  • Requisition supplies or materials to complete construction projects.
  • Apply for and obtain all necessary permits or licenses.
  • Perform, or contract others to perform, pre-building assessments, such as conceptual cost estimating, rough order of magnitude estimating, feasibility, or energy efficiency, environmental, and sustainability assessments.
  • Evaluate construction methods and determine cost-effectiveness of plans, using computer models.
  • Inspect or review projects to monitor compliance with environmental regulations.
  • Develop or implement environmental protection programs.
  • Secure third-party verification from sources, such as Leadership in Energy Efficient Design (LEED), to ensure responsible design and building activities or to achieve favorable LEED ratings for building projects.
  • Implement training programs on environmentally responsible building topics to update employee skills and knowledge.
  • Develop construction budgets to compare green and non-green construction alternatives, in terms of short-term costs, long-term costs, or environmental impacts.
  • Apply green building strategies to reduce energy costs or minimize carbon output or other sources of harm to the environment.
  • Direct acquisition of land for construction projects.
  • Direct how drone technology is used for site inspections and progress monitoring, ensuring accurate and timely project completion.
Find occupations related to multiple tasks

Technology Skills

  • Accounting software — SRC Cash Flow Forecasting
  • Analytical or scientific software — ArenaSoft Estimating; Jobber Computer Plus; Procore software In-Demand Hot technology
  • Calendar and scheduling software — AEC Software FastTrack Schedule; Scheduling software
  • Cloud-based data access and sharing software — Dropbox; Google Drive
  • Compliance software — CSI WSE CodeBuddy
  • Computer aided design CAD software — Autodesk AutoCAD Hot technology ; Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D Hot technology ; Autodesk Revit Hot technology ; Computer aided design and drafting software CADD; 1 more
  • Data base user interface and query software — Database software; ISS Construction Manager; UDA Technologies ConstructionSuite; Yardi software Hot technology ; 8 more
  • Document management software — Adobe Acrobat Hot technology ; Axios Systems assyst; Microsoft SharePoint Hot technology ; Site Manager; 1 more
  • Electronic mail software — Email software; Microsoft Outlook In-Demand Hot technology
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software — Microsoft Dynamics; Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne; SAP software Hot technology
  • Graphics or photo imaging software — Adobe Creative Cloud software Hot technology ; Drone image capturing software; Trimble SketchUp Pro Hot technology
  • Human resources software — Profitool software (human resources feature)
  • Industrial control software — Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
  • Internet browser software — Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Inventory management software — Profitool GearWatch
  • Office suite software — Microsoft Office software In-Demand Hot technology
  • Presentation software — Microsoft PowerPoint In-Demand Hot technology
  • Process mapping and design software — Microsoft Visio Hot technology
  • Project management software — HCSS HeavyBid; HCSS HeavyJob; Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Hot technology ; Quantum Software Solutions Quantum Project Manager; 3 more
  • Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel In-Demand Hot technology
  • Time accounting software — Profitool software (time accounting feature)
  • Video creation and editing software — Loom
  • Web page creation and editing software — IMPACT software; LinkedIn
  • Word processing software — 3M Post-it App; Google Docs Hot technology ; Microsoft Word In-Demand Hot technology
Hot technology
Hot Technologies are requirements most frequently included across all employer job postings.
In demand
In Demand skills are frequently included in employer job postings for this occupation.

Occupational Requirements

Work Activities

  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials — Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
  • Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
  • Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Coaching and Developing Others — Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
  • Monitoring and Controlling Resources — Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
  • Staffing Organizational Units — Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
  • Working with Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
  • Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
  • Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
  • Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
  • Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Providing Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
  • Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment — Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
  • Performing General Physical Activities — Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
  • Selling or Influencing Others — Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
  • Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment — Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
  • Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Controlling Machines and Processes — Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).

Detailed Work Activities

Find occupations related to multiple detailed work activities

Work Context

  • E-Mail — 90% responded “Every day.”
  • Telephone Conversations — 89% responded “Every day.”
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams — 68% responded “Every day.”
  • Contact With Others — 65% responded “Constant contact with others.”
  • Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team — 70% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets — 75% responded “Every day.”
  • Duration of Typical Work Week — 74% responded “More than 40 hours.”
  • Health and Safety of Other Workers — 55% responded “Very high responsibility.”
  • Time Pressure — 55% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 40% responded “A lot of freedom.”
  • Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities — 50% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — 45% responded “Very important results.”
  • Frequency of Decision Making — 45% responded “Every day.”
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — 45% responded “Very important.”
  • Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable — 40% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Deal With External Customers or the Public in General — 35% responded “Extremely important.”
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals — 35% responded “A lot of freedom.”
  • Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled — 40% responded “Every day.”
  • Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions — 40% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers — 30% responded “Very high responsibility.”
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — 35% responded “Every day.”
  • Written Letters and Memos — 32% responded “Every day.”
  • Level of Competition — 42% responded “Highly competitive.”
  • Spend Time Standing — 40% responded “About half the time.”
  • Consequence of Error — 40% responded “Extremely serious.”
  • Physical Proximity — 50% responded “Slightly close (e.g., shared office).”
  • Exposed to Hazardous Equipment — 30% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks — 50% responded “Very important.”
  • Outdoors, Under Cover — 45% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures — 30% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls — 45% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
  • Conflict Situations — 35% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
  • In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment — 30% responded “Every day.”
  • Public Speaking — 40% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
  • Exposed to High Places — 35% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
  • Exposed to Contaminants — 50% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”

Experience Requirements

Job Zone

Title
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Related Experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Job Zone Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, conservation scientists, art directors, and cost estimators.
SVP Range
(7.0 to < 8.0)

Training & Credentials

State training
Local training
Certifications
Find certifications nationwide
State licenses

Apprenticeship Opportunities

Start your career and build your skillset. Visit Apprenticeship.gov to learn about opportunities related to this occupation.

Worker Requirements

Skills

  • Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Management of Personnel Resources — Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
  • Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  • Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Negotiation — Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  • Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Management of Financial Resources — Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
  • Systems Analysis — Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
  • Mathematics — Using mathematics to solve problems.
  • Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Systems Evaluation — Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
  • Management of Material Resources — Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
  • Quality Control Analysis — Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
  • Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.
  • Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Persuasion — Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Operations Analysis — Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

Knowledge

  • Building and Construction — Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
  • Administration and Management — Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Engineering and Technology — Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
  • Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Mechanical — Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • Production and Processing — Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Economics and Accounting — Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
  • Public Safety and Security — Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • Design — Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
  • English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
  • Personnel and Human Resources — Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
  • Administrative — Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
  • Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Law and Government — Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • Sales and Marketing — Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Education

How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:

  • 40%
     
    Bachelor’s degree required
  • 15%
     
    High school diploma or equivalent required
  • 15%
     
    Post-secondary certificate required

Worker Characteristics

Abilities

  • Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Visualization — The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Written Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Category Flexibility — The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Far Vision — The ability to see details at a distance.
  • Flexibility of Closure — The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Mathematical Reasoning — The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Selective Attention — The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Number Facility — The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
  • Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Speed of Closure — The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
  • Perceptual Speed — The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Time Sharing — The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
  • Visual Color Discrimination — The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.

Interests

Interest code: ECR
Want to discover your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler.
  • Enterprising — Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.
  • Conventional — Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
  • Realistic — Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Work Styles

  • Initiative — A tendency to be proactive and take on extra responsibilities and tasks that may fall outside of one's required work role.
  • Self-Confidence — A tendency to believe in one's work-related capabilities and ability to control one's work-related outcomes.
  • Leadership Orientation — A tendency to lead, take charge, offer opinions, and provide direction at work.
  • Perseverance — A tendency to exhibit determination and resolve to perform or complete tasks in the face of difficult circumstances or obstacles at work.
  • Adaptability — A tendency to be open to and comfortable with change, new experiences, or ideas at work.
  • Stress Tolerance — A tendency to cope and function effectively in stressful situations at work.
  • Achievement Orientation — A tendency to establish and maintain personally challenging work-related goals, set high work-related standards, and exert high effort toward meeting those goals and standards.
  • Cautiousness — A tendency to be careful, deliberate, and risk-avoidant when making work-related decisions or doing work.
  • Integrity — A tendency to be honest and ethical at work.
  • Attention to Detail — A tendency to be detail-oriented, organized, and thorough in completing work.

Workforce Characteristics

Wages & Employment Trends

Median wages (2024)
$51.43 hourly, $106,980 annual
State wages
Local wages
Employment (2024)
550,300 employees
Projected growth (2024-2034)
Much faster than average (7% or higher)
Projected job openings (2024-2034)
46,800
State trends
Top industries (2024)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 wage data and 2024-2034 employment projections . “Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2024-2034). “Projected job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Job Openings on the Web

State job openings
Local job openings

More Information

Professional Associations

Disclaimer: Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries. Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.

National Associations
Accreditation, Certification, & Unions