General contractor vs facilities project manager

The differences between general contractors and facilities project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a general contractor and a facilities project manager. Additionally, a facilities project manager has an average salary of $76,480, which is higher than the $66,602 average annual salary of a general contractor.

The top three skills for a general contractor include plumbing, safety regulations and contract negotiations. The most important skills for a facilities project manager are project management, construction management, and project scope.

General contractor vs facilities project manager overview

	General Contractor	Facilities Project Manager
Yearly salary	$66,602	$76,480
Hourly rate	$32.02	$36.77
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	66,218	116,673
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	8	8

What does a general contractor do?

The job of general contractors is to oversee the day-to-day operations of projects in the organization. General contractors are considered seasoned experts when it comes to home improvement. They provide the material, equipment, labor, and services for a construction project. Often, they hire specialized subcontractors who will be working on some part of the construction work. They should have attained a bachelor's or associate's degree in construction management. Their experience in the industry is highly coveted.

What does a facilities project manager do?

Facilities Project Managers oversee the activities in the facility, such as construction or repair works. They ensure that the project timeline is being followed and the agreed-upon deadlines will be met. Facilities Project Managers are in charge of coordinating with contractors to ensure that they do what is expected of them. They also manage the overall budget of the project and monitor spending.

General contractor vs facilities project manager salary

General contractors and facilities project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Contractor	Facilities Project Manager
Average salary	$66,602	$76,480
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $107,000	Between $53,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Real Estate

Differences between general contractor and facilities project manager education

There are a few differences between a general contractor and a facilities project manager in terms of educational background:

	General Contractor	Facilities Project Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

General contractor vs facilities project manager demographics

Here are the differences between general contractors' and facilities project managers' demographics:

	General Contractor	Facilities Project Manager
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4%	Male, 78.6% Female, 21.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	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%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between general contractor and facilities project manager duties and responsibilities

General contractor example responsibilities.

Manage the repair/replacement of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and structural of primarily historical residences.
Manage third party contractors including safety oversight, environmental design specification compliance, and similar construction specifications and requirements.
Perform electrical, mechanical (HVAC), plumbing, framing, roofing and finishing construction for residential and commercial buildings.
Remodel restaurants, which include painting, dry wall, tiling, plumbing, electrical and laying carpet.
Assist and perform all duties with installation of cabinets, flooring, sheetrock, framing, concrete, and basic plumbing.
Experience in roofing, painting, digging of footers, and tile setting.

Facilities project manager example responsibilities.

Lead pre-bid meetings to clarify the scope of the project, logistics and existing conditions.
Manage budgets for repairs, maintenance, overtime and inventory for building mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment.
Manage feasibility studies, schematic design concepts, design development, RFP solicitations and contract negotiations.
Manage and conduct the development of a SharePoint base system for providing notifications of application and automation releases throughout the enterprise.
Perform routine maintenance duties including HVAC, plumbing, electrical repairs and schedule/coordinate major facility repairs/improvements.
Process & maintain both for office and field group logs, RFI & RFC with design department.

General contractor vs facilities project manager skills

Common general contractor skills

Plumbing, 17%
Safety Regulations, 12%
Contract Negotiations, 11%
Drywall Installation, 7%
Construction Projects, 4%
Payroll, 4%

Common facilities project manager skills

Project Management, 19%
Construction Management, 7%
Project Scope, 4%
Infrastructure, 4%
Oversight, 4%
HVAC, 4%

General Contractor vs. similar jobs

General Contractor related careers

General Contractor related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
General Contractor
General Contractor vs Facilities Project Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs