All careersSkilled trades

Construction Supervisor / Foreman

$79,920
median / year
$53,280 – $128,260
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Lead a crew on the job site, schedule the work, read plans, and keep the build on time and safe.

You may also see this posted as: Construction Foreman, Construction Supervisor, Electrical Supervisor, Roustabout Field Supervisor, Coal Mine Production Foreman, Field Operations Supervisor.

Where you work

Construction sites, outdoors year-round

The hours

Early starts, long days, some weekends

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Inspect work progress, equipment, or construction sites to verify safety or to ensure that specifications are met.
  • Read specifications, such as blueprints, to determine construction requirements or to plan procedures.
  • Supervise, coordinate, or schedule the activities of construction or extractive workers.
  • Assign work to employees, based on material or worker requirements of specific jobs.
  • Coordinate work activities with other construction project activities.

Good fit if you like…

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

O*NET job zone 3 of 5

Medium preparation—often vocational training, an associate degree, or substantial experience—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

Leadership OrientationDependabilityCautiousnessPerseverance

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft Office softwareAdobe AcrobatAutodesk AutoCADMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPoint

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$79,920
per year
Hourly median
$38.42
per hour
What most earn
$53,280–$128,260
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~74,400
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+5.3%
Faster than average
Working in the U.S.
812,210
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 11.5% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: Promoted from the crew.

Related work experience: 5 years or more.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Crew leadershipBlueprint readingJobsite safetyScheduling

The honest take

The foreman rung — years on the tools earn you the crew and better pay, and the weather still comes with it.

Standard Occupational Classification 47-1011. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.