Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Construction Manager Salary in Boston
2024 BLS OEWS Data · Management · COL Index: 152
Construction Managers in Boston, MA earn a median annual wage of $156,590 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $103,860 and the 90th at $218,500. After cost of living, that translates to $103,020 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: B (75/100).
What Construction Managers Take Home in Boston
The $114,640 spread between entry-level and top-decile construction managers in Boston is around 73% of the median — a typical range for skilled trades. Workers can roughly double their entry pay through a combination of experience, certifications, union membership, and moving from helper to journeyman to foreman roles.
Boston's cost-of-living index of 152 is well above the U.S. average — meaning a construction manager earning $156,590 here brings home roughly $103,020 in U.S.-average purchasing power. That gap between nominal and real pay is one of the largest in the country and reflects expensive housing, transportation, and services. Workers should weigh whether the headline pay actually clears the cost-of-living premium.
With a Trade Pay Score of 75 (B), construction managers in Boston land in the strong second tier. Pay, growth, and purchasing power are all solid but one factor — usually wage growth or cost-of-living-adjusted real pay — keeps the score below the A threshold. For most workers, B-graded combinations are perfectly reasonable career choices.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Level | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Apprentice / Entry) | $103,860 | $68,329 |
| 25th Percentile (Early Career) | $129,010 | $84,875 |
| 50th Percentile (Journeyman / Median) | $156,590 | $103,020 |
| 75th Percentile (Experienced) | $177,510 | $116,783 |
| 90th Percentile (Master / Foreman) | $218,500 | $143,750 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure here comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — a survey of about 1.2 million employers per release covering more than 800 occupations and every U.S. metropolitan statistical area. The Trade Pay Score combines raw median pay (30%), 5-year wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade. Read the full methodology.
Career outlook detail — projected 2032 employment levels for construction managers, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in Boston are listed at apprenticeship.gov. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Construction Manager make in Boston?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median construction manager salary in Boston, MA is $156,590. The 10th percentile is $103,860 (typical for entry-level or apprentice-tier positions); the 90th percentile reaches $218,500 (master, foreman, or specialty roles).
How does Boston pay compare for Construction Managers?
With a Trade Pay Score of 75/100 and a grade of B, the Boston-Construction Manager pairing is a strong combination but with one factor (usually growth or cost-of-living-adjusted real pay) holding it back from an A grade.
What is the apprenticeship path for Construction Managers in Boston?
Construction Manager entry typically does not require a formal apprenticeship — entry-level workers earn around $103,860 and reach median pay over 5-10 years of experience. Registered apprenticeship programs in the area are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
How does cost of living affect Construction Manager pay in Boston?
Boston has a cost-of-living index of 152. The median construction manager salary of $156,590 translates to $103,020 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Where does this salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is a real BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median or percentile from the 2024 release at https://www.bls.gov/oes/, which surveys roughly 1.2 million U.S. employers per release. Career outlook context (projected employment growth through 2032) comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. Both are public-domain U.S. government data sources.
Construction Managers in Boston, MA earn a median annual wage of $156,590 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $103,860 and the 90th at $218,500. After cost of living, that translates to $103,020 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: B (75/100).
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.