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 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.

Learn more about what a Construction Foreman does

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.

Learn More About How To Become a Construction Foreman

Construction Foreman Career Paths

Average Salary for a Construction Foreman

Construction Foremen in America make an average salary of $57,121 per year or $27 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $77,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $42,000 per year.
Average Construction Foreman Salary
$57,121 Yearly
$27.46 hourly

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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:

The Foreman is a central figure at construction sites, supervising work and troubleshooting any issues that may arise. Foremen mediate between site workers, architects, and supervisors, or property owners. They coordinate the day-to-day work on-site and report on the progress to the managers. Following the lead of a general contractor, they create the work schedule and allocate tasks, manage the budget, order material, if necessary, and make sure the delivered work is top-notch.

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:

Buildings don't just magically appear in our world. People have to build them. But it's not that simple. There's a lot of cleaning and prep work that needs to be done before any structure or building goes up. And that's all done thanks to construction laborers.

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:

General Foreman is also known or referred to as a construction supervisor or superintendent. As a general Foreman, you are to supervise construction sites and be in charge of the management of staff and building schedules. You have to ensure that every operation on a construction site is running smoothly. Typically, you are in charge of conducting inspections regularly. The coordination with engineers and architects is also a part of your duties.

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.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Construction Foreman Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California1,247$62,048
2Texas1,083$42,824
3Florida1,030$48,047
4North Carolina619$47,924
5Virginia611$59,421
6Pennsylvania527$63,648
7Georgia511$50,012
8New York455$81,792
9Ohio445$51,947
10Illinois384$64,636
11Washington383$66,033
12Colorado382$61,210
13Tennessee353$49,518
14Indiana339$56,633
15Arizona332$56,142
16Michigan325$59,923
17South Carolina310$46,157
18Maryland295$63,677
19Iowa280$46,641
20Massachusetts275$77,631
21Wisconsin253$59,957
22Oregon250$62,407
23Minnesota246$61,625
24Alabama244$44,808
25New Jersey237$59,702
26Utah200$51,831
27Missouri193$64,575
28Louisiana169$59,500
29Nebraska150$54,562
30Kentucky145$45,405
31Kansas143$53,725
32Idaho137$43,256
33Nevada131$51,502
34Connecticut129$77,425
35Oklahoma120$53,575
36Montana115$53,016
37New Hampshire114$73,610
38New Mexico104$48,566
39Maine102$53,564
40Mississippi99$41,048
41North Dakota98$63,167
42Arkansas92$43,827
43South Dakota80$56,142
44West Virginia76$57,088
45Alaska64$57,439
46Wyoming59$55,026
47Delaware58$55,541
48Vermont54$56,164
49Hawaii47$66,002
50Rhode Island35$66,104

Construction Foreman Education

Construction Foreman Majors

25.6 %

Construction Foreman Degrees

High School Diploma

32.8 %

Bachelors

30.1 %

Associate

23.5 %

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 Resume
Construction Foreman Resume
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Construction Foreman Resume
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Construction Foreman Resume

Construction Foreman Demographics

Construction Foreman Gender Distribution

Male
Male
98%
Female
Female
3%

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

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1. Construction Project Management

coursera

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...

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2. Construction Management

coursera

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,...

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3. Construction Scheduling

coursera

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...

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Best 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

Total Construction Foreman Jobs: 114
Highest 10% Earn:
$102,000
Location Quotient:
1.31

2. North Dakota

Total Construction Foreman Jobs: 98
Highest 10% Earn:
$88,000
Location Quotient:
2.12

3. New York

Total Construction Foreman Jobs: 455
Highest 10% Earn:
$116,000
Location Quotient:
0.71
Full List Of Best States For Construction Foremen

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Top Construction Foreman Employers

Most Common Employers For Construction Foreman

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Exxon Mobil$87,454$42.054
2Devon Energy$80,661$38.7810
3Fluor Corporation$80,028$38.487
4Turner Construction$78,178$37.594
5Chesapeake Energy$77,268$37.1514
6CONSOL Energy$68,398$32.884
7Turner Industries$67,112$32.274
8Blattner Energy$66,449$31.954
9Cimarex Energy Co.$66,129$31.794
10Cleary Building$65,227$31.366

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