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Salary Guides / California
Construction Superintendent Salary in California
Compare California superintendent offers through site scope, coordination authority and construction-manager wage references, with benefits and incentives reviewed separately.
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.
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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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.
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
An estimate, not an offer. Overtime is paid at time and a half past forty hours.
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.
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.
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.
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.
| Certification | Rate bump | Extra / year | Cost | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCCER Site Supervisor/Foreman | +$1.38 | $2,870 | $316 | 6 weeks |
| Certified Safety Professional (CSP) | +$2.50 | $5,200 | $747 | 7 weeks |
| OSHA 30-Hour Construction | +$0.62 | $1,290 | $213 | 9 weeks |
| NCCER Construction Superintendent | +$2.50 | $5,200 | $862 |
What overtime actually adds
Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $64.02/hr.
Questions workers ask
Are salaried California superintendents always exempt?▾
Must a covered superintendent posting show its pay scale?▾
Does the median include the entire employment package?▾
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 21, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.