Construction administrator vs general contractor

The differences between construction administrators and general contractors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a construction administrator and a general contractor. Additionally, a general contractor has an average salary of $66,602, which is higher than the $46,576 average annual salary of a construction administrator.

The top three skills for a construction administrator include construction management, construction projects and construction contracts. The most important skills for a general contractor are plumbing, safety regulations, and contract negotiations.

Construction administrator vs general contractor overview

	Construction Administrator	General Contractor
Yearly salary	$46,576	$66,602
Hourly rate	$22.39	$32.02
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	79,644	66,218
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a construction administrator do?

A Construction Administrator is responsible for all administrative duties regarding a company's construction projects. They prepare construction contract documents, review project budgets, and meet with the general contractor and clients to assist in the construction process.

What does a general contractor do?

The job of general contractors is to oversee the day-to-day operations of projects in the organization. General contractors are considered seasoned experts when it comes to home improvement. They provide the material, equipment, labor, and services for a construction project. Often, they hire specialized subcontractors who will be working on some part of the construction work. They should have attained a bachelor's or associate's degree in construction management. Their experience in the industry is highly coveted.

Construction administrator vs general contractor salary

Construction administrators and general contractors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Construction Administrator	General Contractor
Average salary	$46,576	$66,602
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $66,000	Between $41,000 And $107,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	Hawaii	-
Best paying company	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	-
Best paying industry	Construction	-

Differences between construction administrator and general contractor education

There are a few differences between a construction administrator and a general contractor in terms of educational background:

	Construction Administrator	General Contractor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Construction administrator vs general contractor demographics

Here are the differences between construction administrators' and general contractors' demographics:

	Construction Administrator	General Contractor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2%	Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between construction administrator and general contractor duties and responsibilities

Construction administrator example responsibilities.

Manage and execute the SharePoint business integration implementation project and become the corporate governance portal administrator.
Prepare all notice to owners, certificates of insurance, and AIA billings for projects.
Respond to difficult RFI's, ferreting out inappropriate requests with answers clearly indicate in the contract documents.
Review the contract documents and specifications and consult with the design professional as required to provide responses to RFI's.
Facilitate and schedule all in-house AIA credit presentations for manufacture representatives.
Perform detailed CPM schedule analyses on as-built schedules to determine delay entitlement.

General contractor example responsibilities.

Manage the repair/replacement of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and structural of primarily historical residences.
Manage third party contractors including safety oversight, environmental design specification compliance, and similar construction specifications and requirements.
Perform electrical, mechanical (HVAC), plumbing, framing, roofing and finishing construction for residential and commercial buildings.
Remodel restaurants, which include painting, dry wall, tiling, plumbing, electrical and laying carpet.
Assist and perform all duties with installation of cabinets, flooring, sheetrock, framing, concrete, and basic plumbing.
Experience in roofing, painting, digging of footers, and tile setting.

Construction administrator vs general contractor skills

Common construction administrator skills

Construction Management, 7%
Construction Projects, 7%
Construction Contracts, 7%
Project Management, 6%
RFI, 5%
Purchase Orders, 5%

Common general contractor skills

Plumbing, 17%
Safety Regulations, 12%
Contract Negotiations, 11%
Drywall Installation, 7%
Construction Projects, 4%
Payroll, 4%

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Construction Administrator
Construction Administrator vs General Contractor

Updated January 8, 2025

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