Hiring a construction manager in Durham, NC

Employers in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area pay construction managers a median of $119,980, with the middle half of the market between $99,390 and $156,020. Durham residents working in management occupations report a median of $90,226, which is 25% below what the metro pays for this role.

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What does a construction manager earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$99,390
Median	$119,980
75th percentile	$156,020

Half of construction managers in this area earn between $99,390 and $156,020. A band set below $99,390 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Durham residents earn

$90,226

Median earnings of Durham residents working in management occupations, 20,498 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 25% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The role pays well above the local residential norm, which usually means you can hire from inside Durham rather than competing for commuters.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Plan, schedule, or coordinate construction project activities to meet deadlines.
Prepare and submit budget estimates, progress reports, or cost tracking reports.
Interpret and explain plans and contract terms to representatives of the owner or developer, including administrative staff, workers, or clients.
Direct and supervise construction or related workers.
Prepare contracts or negotiate revisions to contractual agreements with architects, consultants, clients, suppliers, or subcontractors.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 11-9021.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Project, Procore software, Project management software, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Durham?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 55.7% of Durham adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Durham commute runs 22.7 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 20.6% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Durham County, management of companies and enterprises employs 6,377 and turns over 3.7% a quarter, with 166 hires against 225 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $16,899 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 55.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about construction managers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $23,996 to $35,994 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.