Construction supervisor vs construction inspector

The differences between construction supervisors and construction inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a construction supervisor, becoming a construction inspector takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a construction supervisor has an average salary of $62,881, which is higher than the $52,306 average annual salary of a construction inspector.

The top three skills for a construction supervisor include customer service, OSHA and project management. The most important skills for a construction inspector are asphalt, ACI, and construction inspection.

Construction supervisor vs construction inspector overview

	Construction Supervisor	Construction Inspector
Yearly salary	$62,881	$52,306
Hourly rate	$30.23	$25.15
Growth rate	8%	-4%
Number of jobs	32,487	42,007
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	46	50
Years of experience	-	6

What does a construction supervisor do?

Construction supervisors ensure construction team members work jointly to deliver excellent work on time. They provide team-building sessions and training and monitor the construction processes. These professionals ensure the construction processes take place every time as per the safety regulations and health regulations. Besides creating budgets, project plans, reports and delivering them to the appropriate stakeholders, construction supervisors also perform routine site, material, and equipment inspections. They always remain updated about the construction advancements and construction safety codes.

What does a construction inspector do?

A construction inspector is an individual who is responsible for inspecting construction sites to ensure that these sites are following local and building codes and ordinances, zoning regulations, and contract specifications. Construction inspectors use survey equipment, metering devices, and test equipment to perform inspections of plumbing, electrical and other systems within the construction. They approve building plans that are satisfactory and issue violation notices and stop orders when there are violations. Construction inspectors also keep photographs taken during inspections and provide written documentation.

Construction supervisor vs construction inspector salary

Construction supervisors and construction inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Construction Supervisor	Construction Inspector
Average salary	$62,881	$52,306
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $92,000	Between $36,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	SBA Communications	Orange County Sanitation District
Best paying industry	Energy	Professional

Differences between construction supervisor and construction inspector education

There are a few differences between a construction supervisor and a construction inspector in terms of educational background:

	Construction Supervisor	Construction Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Civil Engineering
Most common college	-	San Diego State University

Construction supervisor vs construction inspector demographics

Here are the differences between construction supervisors' and construction inspectors' demographics:

	Construction Supervisor	Construction Inspector
Average age	46	50
Gender ratio	Male, 94.3% Female, 5.7%	Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 22.9% Asian, 1.4% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 3.4% White, 68.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	2%	5%

Differences between construction supervisor and construction inspector duties and responsibilities

Construction supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage third party contractors, including safety oversight, control inspection and environmental design specification compliance, and also direct consultants.
Conduct site visits to ensure OSHA and local safety regulations are adhered to in accordance with company policy.
Perform caulking tasks which include: priming, air barrier on walls and utilizing mechanical tools.
Perform daily project walk-through to assess safety and cleanliness, thus ensuring compliance with OSHA regulations and insurance requirement.
Maintain the church building and school including general repairs, preventative maintenance, HVAC and scheduling contractors for repairs as needed.
Purchase framing, siding, cornice, roofing, finish carpentry and all other materials necessary, maintaining effective inventory control.

Construction inspector example responsibilities.

Manage cad files and plotting operations, as cad manager.
Monitor new field inspector's performance and lead them into Bechtel's management program.
Manage and inspect fiber optic cable placement, fiber drop installations and associate construction activities for an assign OSP project.
Coordinate, manage, and conduct geotechnical engineering and engineering geology subsurface investigations.
Comply with fra, dot, osha.
Assist in running pigs and tie-ins.

Construction supervisor vs construction inspector skills

Common construction supervisor skills

Customer Service, 10%
OSHA, 8%
Project Management, 8%
Work Ethic, 6%
Construction Management, 5%
Construction Sites, 5%

Common construction inspector skills

Asphalt, 9%
ACI, 8%
Construction Inspection, 8%
Construction Projects, 7%
Construction Management, 6%
Traffic Control, 6%

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Construction Supervisor vs Construction Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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