How much do construction foremans make in 2026?
Construction foremen are counted in the BLS first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 47-1011 national median as $79,920 a year ($38.42 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $53,280 and the top 10% at $128,260. The series is broad — it covers working supervisors in every trade, on every project type, so a residential framing foreman and a foreman on an industrial mechanical package are counted in the same row. Three factors set position within the band. Trade comes first: mechanical, electrical and industrial trades pay their foremen above finishing and general labour trades, following the underlying journeyman rates. Sector is second, with commercial, industrial and infrastructure work paying above residential. Scope is third: a foreman leading four people on a single task is paid differently from one running a twenty-person crew across multiple work fronts with responsibility for productivity, materials and inspection outcomes. What is not usually visible in the wage figure is overtime, which is a substantial part of foreman earnings on schedule-driven work, and union benefit contributions in organised markets. The step from foreman to superintendent is the largest single earnings jump most trades professionals make. Employment is projected to grow 5.3% through 2034 with roughly 74,400 openings a year. → Full construction foreman career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $79,920 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Construction Foremans earn a national median $79,920/yr ($38.42/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-1011); the P10 to P90 range is $53,280 to $128,260.
- The $79,920 median covers working supervisors in every trade and sector, so the $53,280 to $128,260 range reflects different trades and project types as much as different ability.
- Mechanical, electrical and industrial trades pay foremen above finishing trades, and commercial and infrastructure work pays above residential.
- Overtime and union benefit contributions are a substantial part of real foreman earnings and never appear in a straight-time wage figure.
US Construction Foreman Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do construction foremans earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-1011; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-1011, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a construction foreman earn at each career stage?
Foreman pay follows trade, sector and the size and complexity of the crew led. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-1011.
By State
Which states pay construction foremans the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Foreman rates follow the underlying trade rates in a market, which depend heavily on whether the local commercial sector is union or open shop.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($91,910), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay construction foremans the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Metro premiums reflect commercial and infrastructure project volume, which is where the larger and better-paid supervisory roles concentrate.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a construction foreman’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does construction foreman pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Construction Foremans sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify construction foreman wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a construction foreman actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Construction Foreman Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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