2026 Salary Data · Texas & Southeast

Construction Salary Guide

Real compensation data from thousands of placements. Not job board averages. Not BLS estimates. Recruiter-verified numbers from actual offers and negotiations.

6Roles Covered7States14Metro Markets20Years Placing
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What Construction Professionals Earn in 2026

Compensation for experienced construction professionals has climbed sharply as infrastructure, building, and industrial projects compete for a limited talent pool. Here is a snapshot of where the market sits today.

Project Manager

$75K – $195K

Wide range driven by project size, sector, and market. Senior PMs running $50M+ jobs in Houston and DFW command the top of the band.

See full breakdown by experience ›

Superintendent

$68K – $175K

The hardest role to fill in construction. Experienced field leaders with complex building or industrial backgrounds are in extreme demand.

See full breakdown by experience ›

Estimator

$60K – $170K

Top estimators who win bids while protecting margins are among the most sought-after professionals in the industry. Heavy civil and MEP specialists command premiums.

See full breakdown by experience ›

Plus 3 more roles in the full guide: Project Engineers, Safety Managers, and Foremen — with breakdowns by experience level, region, and sector.

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Get the Complete 2026 Salary Guide

39 pages of recruiter-verified compensation data you will not find on job boards or government databases.

✓Salary tables for 6 roles by experience level, region, and project size
✓Metro-level data for 14 markets across Texas, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas
✓Benefits and total comp benchmarks (401k, vehicle, bonuses, PTO)
✓Specialty premiums for heavy civil, data center, MEP, and healthcare
✓Year-over-year wage trends and 2026 hiring outlook

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Salary Guide

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Salary Data by Market

Compensation varies significantly by metro. The full guide includes city-level salary tables for each market below. Our local recruiting teams can provide even more granular data for your specific situation.

Houston TX →
Highest-paying TX market		Dallas / Fort Worth TX →
Leads in construction volume		Austin TX →
Data center and semiconductor hub
San Antonio TX →
Military and healthcare growth		Tampa FL →
Florida construction boom		Orlando FL →
Theme park and mixed-use pipeline
Miami FL →
High-rise and coastal resilience		Jacksonville FL →
Infrastructure and logistics growth		Atlanta GA →
Data center and industrial corridor
Savannah GA →
Port logistics and industrial growth		Charlotte NC →
Banking and tech-driven construction		Raleigh-Durham NC →
Life sciences construction boom

Why This Data Is Different

Most salary data online comes from self-reported surveys or government estimates that lag the market by 12 to 18 months. This guide is built from something better.

20 Years

Placing construction professionals across the Sun Belt since 2006. We know what people actually accept, not what they report.

Real Offers

Every number comes from actual offers, counteroffers, and accepted compensation packages we negotiated or observed firsthand.

7 States

Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Colorado. Deep networks in every market we cover.

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The 2026 Construction Salary Guide is published by Amundson Group, a construction recruiting and staffing firm headquartered in Houston, Texas. Our salary data is derived from placements and compensation negotiations across Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Colorado. This guide is updated annually.

Questions? Call (832) 558-7982 or email info@amundsongroup.com

Frequently asked questions about Sun Belt construction salaries in 2026

What does a construction Project Manager actually earn in the Sun Belt in 2026?

Inside our placement book, senior commercial PMs across Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, Charlotte, and other Sun Belt metros close at a median of $135K to $155K base in 2026. Heavy civil and data center PMs close materially higher. Public salary surveys understate these bands because they sample mostly entry and mid level postings rather than the senior closed offers that the Sun Belt construction market actually moves on.

How much do construction Superintendents earn across the Sun Belt right now?

Superintendents in our 2026 placement data run from $120K base at the low end of commercial construction up to $275K plus at the top end of data center campus work in Phoenix. Total compensation including signing bonus, project completion bonus, and vehicle allowance typically runs 22 to 38% above base. Senior General Superintendents managing multiple sites operate in their own band entirely.

Are commercial construction salaries actually different from heavy civil?

Yes, and the gap has been consistent for two decades. Heavy civil PMs and Supers run longer schedules, harder schedule risk, and tighter sub trade coordination, particularly on DOT and public funded work. The talent pool in any given Sun Belt metro who can deliver a public funded heavy civil project from start to substantial completion without losing margin is small, which keeps comp 12 to 18% above commercial for the same title.

How much higher is data center construction comp compared to general commercial?

Data center comp runs roughly 40 to 60% above general commercial for the same role and experience band in 2026. The gap is widest in Phoenix and narrowest in Dallas. The premium is driven by talent scarcity. The number of senior Supers and PMs in any Sun Belt metro who have stood up a live hyperscaler campus is small, and tier 1 GCs compete intensely for the same handful of people at the senior level.

What does Estimator and Foreman pay look like in 2026?

Estimators close 25 to 45% above the BLS published median across the Sun Belt in our placement data. Senior Estimators owning full bid risk push toward the top of that band. Foremen close 15 to 30% above BLS median with most working Foremen sitting closer to the low end and crew leaders running multi trade scopes closer to the top. Specific bands by metro vary materially.

Where can I get the full Amundson Group Construction Compensation Report?

The 2026 Compensation Report covers 15 roles across 21 metros and 8 sectors with year over year movement and full methodology disclosed. The report drops summer 2026. Email gated download will be available at the compensation report preview page. Hiring managers and senior candidates can join the early access list there.

Related reading and resources

For metro and role specific deep dives on what we are actually closing, the following pieces go deeper.

Related: Construction Executive Search 2026: Hiring Strategies & Market Insights

Related: What Is a Construction Headhunter? 2026 Guide

Related: Construction Headhunters: What You Need to Know in 2026

Related: Construction Recruiting Firm: What You Need to Know in 2026

Related: How to Find Construction Talent in 2026: A Hiring Manager’s Guide

Reviewed and updated August 4, 2026. Methodology note: Amundson Group made 25 construction placements in the last 30 days. Figures are cross-checked against 252 Amundson Group placements from the trailing 12 months. Data reflects placement-verified compensation, not self-reported survey estimates.

Related: Texas Construction Salary by Metro: Houston vs DFW vs Austin vs San Antonio (2026) · Why North Carolina Construction Pay Now Rivals Texas (2026)

Related: Construction Executive Search Firms: What to Know in 2026

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Houston data · base pay

WHAT THE MARKET PAYS.

Low, mid and high base salary bands for the three roles Houston GCs fight over. The orange marker is the median offer we closed.

Houston metro · base pay · scale $60K to $150K

Superintendent low $105K · mid $120K · high $140K
Project Manager low $105K · mid $118K · high $135K
Estimator low $68K · mid $88K · high $112K

From the 2026 Construction Salary Guide. Built from offers we closed.

Construction Salary Data by Role and City

Pick a role, then a market. Each page below breaks down what that role is earning in that city.

Construction Superintendent Salaries by City

Construction Project Manager Salaries by City

Construction Assistant Project Manager Salaries by City

Construction Project Engineer Salaries by City

Construction Estimator Salaries by City

Construction Estimating Manager Salaries by City

Construction Director of Preconstruction Salaries by City

Construction VP of Operations Salaries by City

Related: Construction Foreman Staffing Agency | Amundson Group 2026