How To Become A Construction Superintendent: What It Is and Career Path

What is a construction superintendent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Becky Serbin

A construction superintendent is an individual who oversees the day-to-day operations of a construction site. They are responsible for managing and scheduling workers, ensuring safety protocols are followed, and coordinating with architects, engineers, and other stakeholders to ensure the project is completed on time and within budget. A construction superintendent must have strong leadership skills, be able to communicate effectively with a variety of people, and have a deep understanding of construction processes.

What general advice would you give to a construction superintendent?

Becky Serbin

Director of Education and Curriculum, National Tile Contractors Association

Skill requirements are stated on our recruitment flyer, attached, but will ultimately be decided on by the hiring contractor. Beyond our flyer, many also require a valid drivers license.

ScoreConstruction SuperintendentUS Average

Salary

6.8

Avg. Salary $87,486

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.56%

Asian 2.84%

Black or African American 3.70%

Hispanic or Latino 17.44%

Unknown 4.44%

White 71.03%

Gender

female 3.02%

male 96.98%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a construction superintendent?

Pros

Good earning potential
High level of responsibility and autonomy
Opportunity for career advancement
Job security
Satisfaction of seeing a project through from start to finish

Cons

Long hours and potentially irregular schedule
Dealing with unexpected problems and delays
Need to manage multiple tasks simultaneously
Potential for conflict with subcontractors or other workers
Pressure to meet tight deadlines

Key steps to become a construction superintendent

Explore construction superintendent education requirements

Most common construction superintendent degrees

Bachelor's

46.8 %

Associate

23.1 %

High School Diploma

17.3 %

Start to develop specific construction superintendent skills

Skills	Percentages
OSHA	13.05%
Construction Management	7.99%
Project Management	6.38%
Construction Sites	5.36%
Safety Program	4.59%

Complete relevant construction superintendent training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New construction superintendents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a construction superintendent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real construction superintendent resumes.

Research construction superintendent duties and responsibilities

Manage crew on apartment, condo and town-home remodel and restoration projects.
Manage the MEP coordination meetings, as well as performing mechanical superintendent duties.
Manage the supervising of construction and installation of HVAC restoration in historical government hospital buildings.
Manage complex logistics, including procuring materials and navigating space constraints, to successfully complete project amid concurrent construction of building.

Prepare your construction superintendent resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your construction superintendent resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a construction superintendent resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable construction superintendent resume templates

Build a professional construction superintendent resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your construction superintendent resume.

Apply for construction superintendent jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a construction superintendent job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average construction superintendent salary

The average construction superintendent salary in the United States is $87,486 per year or $42 per hour. Construction superintendent salaries range between $61,000 and $123,000 per year.

Average construction superintendent salary

$87,486 Yearly

$42.06 hourly

How do construction superintendents rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Construction superintendent reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2022

Pros

In the field, hands on, working with trades. More custom oriented

Cons

Office work, did not like doing commercial construction and been building custom homes for 35 years.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

To know that I'm striving for the upmost best for the company AND the client. To know that when it's done it's something that will be worry free throughout its entirety.

Cons

Stress of making sure everything is coming in under budget and efficiently.

What is a construction superintendent and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a construction superintendent?

What are the pros and cons of being a construction superintendent?

Construction superintendent career paths

Key steps to become a construction superintendent

Explore construction superintendent education requirements

Most common construction superintendent degrees

Start to develop specific construction superintendent skills

Complete relevant construction superintendent training and internships

Research construction superintendent duties and responsibilities

Prepare your construction superintendent resume

Choose from 10+ customizable construction superintendent resume templates

Apply for construction superintendent jobs

How did you land your first construction superintendent job

Average construction superintendent salary

How do construction superintendents rate their job?

Construction superintendent reviews

Construction superintendent jobs by state