Construction Supervisors in the Chico area earn a median of $82,380 a year, 7% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #103 of 392 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Yuba City and Sacramento, but less in Reno.
Chico scorecard for construction supervisors Our calculation
Grades compare Chico with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($77,215).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Chico Our calculation
Prices in Chico run 1% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $81,406 would in a typical place, ranking #208 of 386 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What construction supervisors do
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of construction or extraction workers.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Inspect work progress, equipment, or construction sites to verify safety or to ensure that specifications are met.
- Read specifications, such as blueprints, to determine construction requirements or to plan procedures.
- Supervise, coordinate, or schedule the activities of construction or extractive workers.
- Assign work to employees, based on material or worker requirements of specific jobs.
- Coordinate work activities with other construction project activities.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, construction supervisor jobs are projected to grow 5.0% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 67,000 openings a year. About 11% are self-employed.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, construction supervisors have 72 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 17% below the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying CA metros for construction supervisors
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $129,700 | $117,457 | 4,770 |
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $120,810 | $104,495 | 9,810 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $103,600 | $96,118 | 1,200 |
| VallejoCALIFORNIA · CA | $98,420 | $90,727 | 930 |
| Los AngelesCALIFORNIA · CA | $97,600 | $85,941 | 19,690 |
| SacramentoCALIFORNIA · CA | $96,860 | $90,803 | 6,320 |
| HanfordCALIFORNIA · CA | $96,170 | $94,644 | 110 |
| NapaCALIFORNIA · CA | $96,000 | $85,292 | 340 |
| San DiegoCALIFORNIA · CA | $95,850 | $85,667 | 7,000 |
| San Luis ObispoCALIFORNIA · CA | $94,560 | $87,075 | 570 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Chico area's unemployment rate was 6.2% in 2025 (all workers, not just construction supervisors), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.9% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Chico area is 21 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 8% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 72% drive alone, 1% take transit and 12% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Chico are down 51% from 2021 to 2025 (2,050 → 997).
In 2025 the Chico area approved permits for 997 new homes (662 single-family), or 4.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #142 of 393 metros.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $82,380 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get construction supervisor pricing & estimate templates →Compare Chico with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for construction supervisors as a separate industry, so that section is left out.