Construction Manager
Skilled Trades
Plan budgets, schedules, and crews so building projects finish safely.
Why it matters here: Data center and transit construction is booming across the DMV.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level Construction ManagerLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$89,380
- Construction Manager (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$116,610
- Senior / Lead Construction ManagerOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$152,600
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$183,120
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
Site trailer and job walks, long days, weather-driven
Where you work
A job-site trailer with plans on the wall, plus constant walking of the site in all conditions.
Hours and schedule
Long days starting before the crews and ending after them; weekend work when schedule slips.
Pace and pressure
Continuous problem-solving — subcontractors, inspections, deliveries and weather all collide.
Who you work with
You coordinate every trade on the project plus owners, architects and inspectors.
Physical demands
Walking uneven sites, climbing, outdoor exposure; PPE always.
What people wear
Work clothes with hard hat, vest and boots; business casual for owner meetings.
Remote reality
On site; paperwork happens in the trailer.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- Safety walks are done personally, and stopping work over a hazard is backed by leadership.
- Documentation of changes protects everyone when disputes come later.
- Respect from the trades is earned by knowing the work, not the title.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Data unavailable for this category.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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