Construction administrator vs superintendent

The differences between construction administrators and superintendents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a construction administrator, becoming a superintendent takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a superintendent has an average salary of $82,458, 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 superintendent are OSHA, quality standards, and construction management.

Construction administrator vs superintendent overview

	Construction Administrator	Superintendent
Yearly salary	$46,576	$82,458
Hourly rate	$22.39	$39.64
Growth rate	8%	5%
Number of jobs	79,644	22,580
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	46	47
Years of experience	8	4

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 superintendent do?

Superintendents oversee the administration of schools in a specific school district. They manage the educational programs of each school and create strategic decisions to ensure that the students are learning important subjects. They also supervise school administrators or principals and are responsible for hiring and guiding them. Superintendents should be familiar with their constituents and must always be ready to listen to their needs. It is important that superintendents are good decision-makers and communicators. They are expected to lead their respective districts in achieving their vision. Superintendents drive the team towards their goals and create strategic steps to ensure success.

Construction administrator vs superintendent salary

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

	Construction Administrator	Superintendent
Average salary	$46,576	$82,458
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $66,000	Between $57,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Rhode Island
Best paying company	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	BP America Inc
Best paying industry	Construction	Construction

Differences between construction administrator and superintendent education

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

	Construction Administrator	Superintendent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	University of Pennsylvania

Construction administrator vs superintendent demographics

Here are the differences between construction administrators' and superintendents' demographics:

	Construction Administrator	Superintendent
Average age	46	47
Gender ratio	Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2%	Male, 93.3% Female, 6.7%
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, 12.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 4.2% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	4%	16%

Differences between construction administrator and superintendent 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.

Superintendent example responsibilities.

Manage, coordinate, plan and provide oversight for all nuclear work perform during PSA's.
Manage $9.1M budget; 28,000 grind and flight training requirements and 2,400 hr flying training program.
Manage a team of 30 operators and maintenance personnel producing extrusion and blown polypropylene shrink film on a unionize site.
Lead and facilitate meetings; oversee implementation of OSHA and company safety regulations.
Manage complex logistics, including procuring materials and navigating space constraints, to successfully complete project amid concurrent construction of building.
Coordinate and oversee commercial roofing projects.

Construction administrator vs superintendent skills

Common construction administrator skills

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

Common superintendent skills

OSHA, 11%
Quality Standards, 7%
Construction Management, 7%
Logistics, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Project Management, 5%

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Construction Administrator
Construction Administrator vs Superintendent

Updated January 8, 2025

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