Construction Superintendent Salary in California

$64/hr

Compare California superintendent offers through site scope, coordination authority and construction-manager wage references, with benefits and incentives reviewed separately.

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What Construction Superintendents Earn in California

May 2025 BLS Construction Managers data for California show a $39.47–$101.91/hr 10th–90th percentile range, or $82,100–$211,970/year. The median is $64.02/hr, or $133,160/year. This broader occupation is a benchmark for site-management work, not a separate superintendent survey. Compare site authority, trade coordination, logistics and workload before judging an offer. Benefits and incentives require separate review. Annual figures are full-time benchmarks, and an hourly statistical measure does not determine how an employer structures salary or overtime classification. A trade-crew supervisor can require a different comparison. Check the wage occupation against the actual site scope.

Hourly rates by level in California

What each rung of the trade is paid, before overtime and per diem.

Apprentice · 0–2 yrs
$39.47–$49.41/hr
▲ 3.22% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$49.41–$80.80/hr
▲ 3.22% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$80.80–$101.91/hr
▲ 3.22% from last year

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Where do you stand?

Enter your hourly rate to see how it compares to other construction superintendents in California.

What are you making?

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$/ hr

Use your base rate, not what you take home after overtime.

You're right around the middle

$28.00 is above roughly 46% of this market. The top quarter starts at $36.00, and the median sits at $29.00.

10th
$18
25th
$23
Median
$29
75th
$36
90th
$45
YOU · $28.00
Your percentile
46th
Among this market
Your annual · 40 hrs
$58,240
Before overtime and per diem
Gap to median
−$2,080
Below the median

Calculate pay with extra credentials

Pick your level, add certifications, select shift — the estimate updates live.

1Your level

2Certifications you hold

3Shift & work type

4Overtime & per diem

Weekly overtime hours8 hrs
Per diem (per day away)$0

An estimate, not an offer. Overtime is paid at time and a half past forty hours.

American RecruitsEstimate
Journeyman Construction Superintendent
California · Day Shift
Base rate$65.10
+ OSHA 30-Hour Construction$0.62
+ NCCER Construction Superintendent$2.50
+ NCCER Site Supervisor/Foreman$1.38
Effective hourly$69.60
Straight · 40 hrs$2,784
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$835
Weekly gross$3,619
Annualised · 50 weeks
$180,973
8 OT hrs/week · California

Who pays the most in California

The sector cards contrast commercial sites, systems packages and homebuilding. National construction-manager medians provide context for California superintendent searches, not state rankings or a wage survey exclusive to the title.

01 / 03$60.91/hr

Nonresidential Building Construction

Commercial sites require daily coordination among trades, deliveries and inspection milestones. Establish how much of the build the superintendent leads and what support is available. Compare project travel, hours and benefits with the authority assigned. National manager wages do not establish a specific California superintendent offer.

+ Larger project teams
+ Structured delivery processes
– Complex stakeholder coordination
– Tight completion deadlines
02 / 03$52.88/hr

Building Equipment Contractors

Mechanical and electrical packages place site leaders at interfaces with other trades and commissioning activity. Ask whether the role covers one system or several technical crews. Review planning authority, specialist support and handover expectations before comparing the wage and wider package offered for the position.

+ Specialist technical scope
+ Focused contract packages
– Multiple trade interfaces
– Commissioning schedule pressure
03 / 03$47.30/hr

Residential Building Construction

Residential superintendents manage sequencing and quality across individual builds or developments. Review site coverage, subcontractor coordination and the targets behind any incentive. A salary can look different when travel and workload are included, so ask how the employer resources the sites before accepting leadership responsibility.

+ Varied residential projects
+ Local development opportunities
– Changing market demand
– Weather-related schedule disruption

Which states pay construction superintendents the most

Median hourly across every state with a published guide for this trade. Cost of living is not netted out — compare take-home, not just the rate.

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
NCCER Site Supervisor/Foreman+$1.38$2,870$3166 weeks
Certified Safety Professional (CSP)+$2.50$5,200$7477 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$0.62$1,290$2139 weeks
NCCER Construction Superintendent+$2.50$5,200$8629 weeks
First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned)+$0.25$520$869 weeks

What overtime actually adds

Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $64.02/hr.

40 hr week
$2,561
No OT
50 hr week
$3,521
+$48,015/yr
60 hr week
$4,481
+$96,030/yr
70 hr week
$5,442
+$144,045/yr

Questions workers ask

Are salaried California superintendents always exempt?▾
No. Under the Labor Commissioner’s overtime guidance, actual duties and the exemption tests decide; the title or salary alone is insufficient.
Must a covered superintendent posting show its pay scale?▾
Yes, if the employer has fifteen or more employees. Labor Code Section 432.3, enforced by the Labor Commissioner, requires the scale in postings, and applicants can also request it.
What salary must an exempt California superintendent earn?▾
At least twice the state minimum wage for full-time work, or $70,304 a year in 2026 at $16.90 an hour, under the Industrial Welfare Commission’s construction wage order. Duties must also meet the exemption test.

See Open Construction Superintendent Jobs in California

Verified positions matching this trade and location.

May 2025 BLS California Construction Managers, SOC 11-9021. This broad occupation benchmark is not a superintendent-only survey.

Last updated October 23, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.