Carpenter foreman vs construction inspector

The differences between carpenter foremen and construction inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a carpenter foreman, becoming a construction inspector takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a carpenter foreman has an average salary of $58,922, which is higher than the $52,306 average annual salary of a construction inspector.

The top three skills for a carpenter foreman include OSHA, door frames and construction sites. The most important skills for a construction inspector are asphalt, ACI, and construction inspection.

Carpenter foreman vs construction inspector overview

	Carpenter Foreman	Construction Inspector
Yearly salary	$58,922	$52,306
Hourly rate	$28.33	$25.15
Growth rate	2%	-4%
Number of jobs	23,060	42,007
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	42	50
Years of experience	12	6

What does a carpenter foreman do?

A Carpenter Foreman supervises the work of a group of people engaged in carpentry, locksmith, or bricklaying work. They inspect buildings or other structures reported to be in need of repair and estimate the necessary time and materials for restoring them.

What does a construction inspector do?

A construction inspector is an individual who is responsible for inspecting construction sites to ensure that these sites are following local and building codes and ordinances, zoning regulations, and contract specifications. Construction inspectors use survey equipment, metering devices, and test equipment to perform inspections of plumbing, electrical and other systems within the construction. They approve building plans that are satisfactory and issue violation notices and stop orders when there are violations. Construction inspectors also keep photographs taken during inspections and provide written documentation.

Carpenter foreman vs construction inspector salary

Carpenter foremen and construction inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Carpenter Foreman	Construction Inspector
Average salary	$58,922	$52,306
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $79,000	Between $36,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Swinerton	Orange County Sanitation District
Best paying industry	Construction	Professional

Differences between carpenter foreman and construction inspector education

There are a few differences between a carpenter foreman and a construction inspector in terms of educational background:

	Carpenter Foreman	Construction Inspector
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Civil Engineering
Most common college	-	San Diego State University

Carpenter foreman vs construction inspector demographics

Here are the differences between carpenter foremen' and construction inspectors' demographics:

	Carpenter Foreman	Construction Inspector
Average age	42	50
Gender ratio	Male, 97.8% Female, 2.2%	Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 23.3% Asian, 1.6% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	2%	5%

Differences between carpenter foreman and construction inspector duties and responsibilities

Carpenter foreman example responsibilities.

Manage complete renovations and new construction of banks for commercial construction company.
Assist in direction of demo.
Read prints, order material, supervise, build, demo, remodel, advise sub-contractors
Handle responsibilities of supervising and coordinating activities of workers engage in formwork for placing concrete for bridge structures.
Replaced/Instal doors and windows, hang and finish Sheetrock, paint interior and exterior surfaces and install shingle and tin roofing.
Cut sidings and moldings, sections of weather stripping, openings in sheetrock and lumber using hand tools and power tools.

Construction inspector example responsibilities.

Manage cad files and plotting operations, as cad manager.
Monitor new field inspector's performance and lead them into Bechtel's management program.
Manage and inspect fiber optic cable placement, fiber drop installations and associate construction activities for an assign OSP project.
Coordinate, manage, and conduct geotechnical engineering and engineering geology subsurface investigations.
Comply with fra, dot, osha.
Assist in running pigs and tie-ins.

Carpenter foreman vs construction inspector skills

Common carpenter foreman skills

OSHA, 13%
Door Frames, 12%
Construction Sites, 6%
Drywall Installation, 6%
Construction Projects, 6%
Sub Contractors, 4%

Common construction inspector skills

Asphalt, 9%
ACI, 8%
Construction Inspection, 8%
Construction Projects, 7%
Construction Management, 6%
Traffic Control, 6%

Carpenter Foreman vs. similar jobs

Carpenter Foreman related careers

Carpenter Foreman related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Construction and Extraction Industry
Carpenter Foreman
Carpenter Foreman vs Construction Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse construction and extraction jobs