Salaries of General Contractors in the United States

Income of General Contractors: What the Data Shows

The income of general contractors can vary significantly depending on location, experience, and the scale of projects they take on. In this post, we look at what the latest federal data says about general contractor pay, what that data leaves out, and how to find the figures for your own state.

Factors Affecting General Contractor Salaries

Before looking at the numbers, it’s important to understand the factors that can affect a general contractor’s income. For comparisons with other trades, see our overview of home service providers’ annual salaries.

Independent General Contractors vs. General Contractors Working for a Contracting Business

The distinction between independent general contractors and those working for a contracting business can greatly affect income. Independent general contractors who run their own successful businesses have more control over their income potential. They can set their own rates, choose which projects to take on and determine their workload. As a result, successful independent general contractors can make significantly more than general contractors employed by a contracting business, who often have set salaries and limited control over their workload and project selection.

Experience

Experience plays a significant role in determining a general contractor’s income. As a general contractor gains experience and a reputation for quality work, they can often charge higher rates and secure larger, more lucrative projects.

Location

The cost of living and demand for construction work in a given location also affect pay. States with higher costs of living and strong demand for construction services typically offer higher pay for general contractors.

Type of Work

The specific type of work a general contractor does can influence their income as well. For example, a general contractor specializing in commercial construction may earn more than one who focuses on smaller residential projects, as the sector figures below show.

What the Latest BLS Data Shows

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track “general contractor” as its own job title. The closest match is construction managers, who, according to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, are often called general contractors or project managers. Here is what BLS reported for construction managers in May 2025:

Pay also varies by the kind of construction. Median annual wages in the largest employing sectors were:

One important caveat: these wage figures come from a survey of employers, so they do not include self-employed workers. BLS estimates that 38 percent of construction managers are self-employed, which means the earnings of many independent general contractors, the high earners and the strugglers alike, are not in these numbers. For an independent contractor, what matters is revenue minus overhead, not a salary.

How to Check Pay in Your State

State-level wages for construction managers are published each year in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics tables, which include state and metropolitan-area estimates. For a quicker lookup by ZIP code, the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop salary finder draws on the same data. Checking your own state and metro area gives a far better benchmark than any national average.

Gauge the Earning Potential

General contractor pay varies widely with location, experience, the type of construction, and whether you work for a firm or run your own business. Use the BLS figures as a benchmark for employed roles, check your state’s data before setting rates or making a career move, and remember that for independent contractors, earnings depend as much on how the business is run as on the market rate.

Updated September 2026: an earlier version of this article included a state-by-state table of estimated figures that were not drawn from a published source. It has been replaced with May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data and links to official state figures.