The construction foreman is a point of contact between the construction workers and supervisors. The foreman coordinates the tasks for the day. You will create schedules for workers by assigning tasks to the construction workers and oversee the quality of the site. You will manage the budget of the construction to make sure that the project stays under budget. In addition, you will make sure you report the progress of the project to superiors. Similarly, you will solve disputes between workers by making sure there is a good relationship between them.
The construction foreman must be able to solve disputes between workers. The ability to organize a work schedule is important because you will organize schedules for the project. Excellent communication skills, both verbally and written, are important because you will relate with workers and superiors at work. You must have a deep knowledge of the construction industry and processes. You must also be able to read construction drawings and blueprints. With this, you will earn an average of $51,634 a year.
What is a Construction Foreman?
What Does a Construction Foreman Do
There are certain skills that many construction foremen have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, detail oriented and listening skills.
How To Become a Construction Foreman
If you're interested in becoming a construction foreman, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 30.1% of construction foremen have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 2.2% of construction foremen have master's degrees. Even though some construction foremen have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Construction Foreman Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of owner you might progress to a role such as owner/manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title director of property management.
Average Salary for a Construction Foreman
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Construction Foreman
The role of a construction foreman includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general construction foreman responsibilities:
- Apply the highest level of workmanship to all elements of the job: instructing crew members of the job requirements
- Provides leadership and direction to construction crews, rendering hands-on assistance; is generally accountable for all aspects of each project to which his or her crews are assigned (including safety, quality
- Manage field staff, actively work in the field,
There are several types of construction foreman, including:
Foreman
Role:
They make sure safety measures are met and supervise the machinery and equipment in use. They might also be responsible for recruiting, hiring, and training the crew.
Being a foreman is not for the faint of heart. You need to have excellent leadership skills, years of on-the-job experience, and the nerves to deal with paperwork, follow sketches and blueprints, hammer out interpersonal conflicts, and manage time like a pro.
- Average Salary: $55,073
- Degree: High School Diploma
Construction Labour
Role:
It's a tough job that is likely to leave a few bruises and blisters, here and there. A lot of times, you're out in the midst of the weather. Which can range from snow and ice to dry and hot. Sometimes, a nice day will blow through so that when you're moving materials and pouring concrete it's not so bad.
But still, this is not a job to take lightly. The best part about this job is that you really only need a high school degree and maybe some on-the-job training. Other than that, you'll just have to smile through the pain. Once you see your work, it'll all be worth it.
- Average Salary: $32,628
- Degree: High School Diploma
General Foreman
Role:
In addition, you are to manage expenditure and budget while still supervising workers. You must also ensure that projects are done according to the desired time frame. Furthermore, you are to ensure that workers implement all safety policies and regulations to have a safe and productive workspace for everyone.
Usually, to be a general foreman, you don't need a college education to qualify for this role. However, you should possess at least a high school diploma or GED. A general foreman makes an average salary of $64,025 per year.
- Average Salary: $48,517
- Degree: High School Diploma
States With The Most Construction Foreman Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active construction foreman jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where construction foremen earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Construction Foreman Jobs By State
Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
---|---|---|---|
1 | California | 1,247 | $62,048 |
2 | Texas | 1,083 | $42,824 |
3 | Florida | 1,030 | $48,047 |
4 | North Carolina | 619 | $47,924 |
5 | Virginia | 611 | $59,421 |
6 | Pennsylvania | 527 | $63,648 |
7 | Georgia | 511 | $50,012 |
8 | New York | 455 | $81,792 |
9 | Ohio | 445 | $51,947 |
10 | Illinois | 384 | $64,636 |
11 | Washington | 383 | $66,033 |
12 | Colorado | 382 | $61,210 |
13 | Tennessee | 353 | $49,518 |
14 | Indiana | 339 | $56,633 |
15 | Arizona | 332 | $56,142 |
16 | Michigan | 325 | $59,923 |
17 | South Carolina | 310 | $46,157 |
18 | Maryland | 295 | $63,677 |
19 | Iowa | 280 | $46,641 |
20 | Massachusetts | 275 | $77,631 |
21 | Wisconsin | 253 | $59,957 |
22 | Oregon | 250 | $62,407 |
23 | Minnesota | 246 | $61,625 |
24 | Alabama | 244 | $44,808 |
25 | New Jersey | 237 | $59,702 |
26 | Utah | 200 | $51,831 |
27 | Missouri | 193 | $64,575 |
28 | Louisiana | 169 | $59,500 |
29 | Nebraska | 150 | $54,562 |
30 | Kentucky | 145 | $45,405 |
31 | Kansas | 143 | $53,725 |
32 | Idaho | 137 | $43,256 |
33 | Nevada | 131 | $51,502 |
34 | Connecticut | 129 | $77,425 |
35 | Oklahoma | 120 | $53,575 |
36 | Montana | 115 | $53,016 |
37 | New Hampshire | 114 | $73,610 |
38 | New Mexico | 104 | $48,566 |
39 | Maine | 102 | $53,564 |
40 | Mississippi | 99 | $41,048 |
41 | North Dakota | 98 | $63,167 |
42 | Arkansas | 92 | $43,827 |
43 | South Dakota | 80 | $56,142 |
44 | West Virginia | 76 | $57,088 |
45 | Alaska | 64 | $57,439 |
46 | Wyoming | 59 | $55,026 |
47 | Delaware | 58 | $55,541 |
48 | Vermont | 54 | $56,164 |
49 | Hawaii | 47 | $66,002 |
50 | Rhode Island | 35 | $66,104 |
Top Skills For a Construction Foreman
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 10.3% of construction foremen listed work ethic on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and detail oriented are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Construction Foreman Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Construction Foreman templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Construction Foreman resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Construction Foreman Demographics
Construction Foreman Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among construction foremen, 2.5% of them are women, while 97.5% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among construction foremen is White, which makes up 65.9% of all construction foremen.
- The most common foreign language among construction foremen is Spanish at 72.9%.
Online Courses For Construction Foreman That You May Like
1. Construction Project Management
Construction Project Management introduces learners to Project Initiation and Planning. Columbia University professor, Ibrahim Odeh, along with industry experts join together to provide a comprehensive overview of the construction industry. There are 10 modules that allow learners to become knowledgeable of construction management within the dynamic construction industry. Professor Odeh teaches learners about the fundamentals of the Project Development Cycle while guest lecturers discuss Lean...
See More on Coursera2. Construction Management
The Construction Management specialization is curated for professionals in the construction and civil engineering industry looking to advance their careers. Through this specialization, students will gain comprehensive industry knowledge along with the latest trends and development within the industry. This 5-course specialization will cover the major facets of construction management including project initiation and planning, scheduling techniques and procedures, cost estimating and control,...
See More on Coursera3. Construction Scheduling
This course focuses on learning how to develop and manage a schedule. The first module provides an overview of the Construction Scheduling course. The second module introduces bar or Gantt charts and how they are used as scheduling tools. During the third module, learners will create activity precedence diagrams, also referred to as activity on node diagrams, which graphically represent the construction activities in a project and their relationships. The fourth module provides an overview of...
See More on CourseraBest States For a Construction Foreman
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a construction foreman. The best states for people in this position are New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Construction foremen make the most in New York with an average salary of $81,792. Whereas in Massachusetts and Connecticut, they would average $77,631 and $77,425, respectively. While construction foremen would only make an average of $73,610 in New Hampshire, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. New Hampshire
$73,610
Avg. Salary
2. North Dakota
$63,167
Avg. Salary
3. New York
$81,792
Avg. Salary
How Do Construction Foreman Rate Their Jobs?
Top Construction Foreman Employers
Most Common Employers For Construction Foreman
Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Exxon Mobil | $87,454 | $42.05 | 4 |
2 | Devon Energy | $80,661 | $38.78 | 10 |
3 | Fluor Corporation | $80,028 | $38.48 | 7 |
4 | Turner Construction | $78,178 | $37.59 | 4 |
5 | Chesapeake Energy | $77,268 | $37.15 | 14 |
6 | CONSOL Energy | $68,398 | $32.88 | 4 |
7 | Turner Industries | $67,112 | $32.27 | 4 |
8 | Blattner Energy | $66,449 | $31.95 | 4 |
9 | Cimarex Energy Co. | $66,129 | $31.79 | 4 |
10 | Cleary Building | $65,227 | $31.36 | 6 |