Building contractor vs contract project manager

The differences between building contractors and contract project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a building contractor, becoming a contract project manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a contract project manager has an average salary of $81,263, which is higher than the $72,354 average annual salary of a building contractor.

The top three skills for a building contractor include plumbing, contract terms and sub contractors. The most important skills for a contract project manager are project management, project scope, and contract project.

Building contractor vs contract project manager overview

	Building Contractor	Contract Project Manager
Yearly salary	$72,354	$81,263
Hourly rate	$34.79	$39.07
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	16,283	159,765
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	8

Building contractor vs contract project manager salary

Building contractors and contract project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Building Contractor	Contract Project Manager
Average salary	$72,354	$81,263
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $99,000	Between $53,000 And $124,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	PRO Unlimited
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between building contractor and contract project manager education

There are a few differences between a building contractor and a contract project manager in terms of educational background:

	Building Contractor	Contract Project Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Building contractor vs contract project manager demographics

Here are the differences between building contractors' and contract project managers' demographics:

	Building Contractor	Contract Project Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 89.0% Female, 11.0%	Male, 66.1% Female, 33.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 1.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.8% White, 70.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	2%	4%

Differences between building contractor and contract project manager duties and responsibilities

Building contractor example responsibilities.

Utilize QuickBooks to manage company finances, including project invoices, material purchases, and accounts receivable.
Install cedar shakes and various asphalt roofs, including- 3 tab shingles, malarkey shingles, and architectural shingles.
Mop and pour hot asphalt or tar onto roof base when applying asphalt or tar and gravel to roof.
Install, update, troubleshoot and/or repair trade-specific/project relate assignments.
Utilize industry knowledge to anticipate and communicate changes and adjustments effecting project plans, specifications or design.
Automate company records in QuickBooks resulting in more accurate reflection of company income and expenses

Contract project manager example responsibilities.

Manage weekly CMS build outs from feature prioritization through implementation including test cases and training documentation.
Manage RFI's, field directives, construction changes, payments, and billing associate with project.
Manage the day to day duties of the turn-key/design build/plan and specification and retrofit-installation of the HVAC contracting department.
Manage, monitors and measures project portfolio status, recommending corrective action as necessary and communicate portfolio status to their management.
Install hundreds of replacement windows and doors.
Install windows, doors, and hardware for commercial and residential projects.

Building contractor vs contract project manager skills

Common building contractor skills

Plumbing, 17%
Contract Terms, 8%
Sub Contractors, 7%
Windows, 6%
Building Repairs, 5%
Payroll, 4%

Common contract project manager skills

Project Management, 21%
Project Scope, 7%
Contract Project, 5%
HR, 4%
Infrastructure, 4%
Project Budget, 4%

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Building Contractor vs Contract Project Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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