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The differences between construction area managers and general 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 area manager, becoming a general superintendent takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a construction area manager has an average salary of $99,134, which is higher than the $75,102 average annual salary of a general superintendent.
The top three skills for a construction area manager include OSHA, construction management and project management. The most important skills for a general superintendent are OSHA, construction management, and project management.
| Construction Area Manager | General Superintendent | |
| Yearly salary | $99,134 | $75,102 |
| Hourly rate | $47.66 | $36.11 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 46,664 | 92,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
A construction area manager oversees and directs the daily operations at construction sites, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently according to the budgets, deadlines, and standards. Their responsibilities typically include delegating tasks, handling the funds, preparing site reports, liaising with clients and engineers, setting objectives and guidelines, and monitoring the progress of all operations, resolving issues should any arise. Moreover, a construction area manager leads contractors to reach goals, all while implementing the construction site's safety policies and standards to maintain a safe and productive work environment for everyone.
A general superintendent is primarily in charge of overseeing projects and programs, ensuring operations adhere to standards and requirements. In the construction industry, a general superintendent supervises the daily procedures in a construction site to ensure the project's completion within budget, schedule, and quality standards. They also have other administrative duties, such as coordinating with contractors and suppliers, monitoring the inventory of materials, purchasing supplies according to project requirements, developing reports, conducting inspections, and implementing safety policies and regulations.
Construction area managers and general superintendents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Construction Area Manager | General Superintendent | |
| Average salary | $99,134 | $75,102 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $213,000 | Between $52,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | Delaware |
| Best paying company | - | Southern California Edison |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a construction area manager and a general superintendent in terms of educational background:
| Construction Area Manager | General Superintendent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between construction area managers' and general superintendents' demographics:
| Construction Area Manager | General Superintendent | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.4% Female, 5.6% | Male, 97.3% Female, 2.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 10% |