Construction Supervisors in the Chicago area earn a median of $111,260 a year, 44% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #9 of 392 metros for construction supervisor salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Kankakee.
It's one of 8 Illinois metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide construction supervisor pay.
Construction Supervisor pay in Chicago at a glance
- Construction supervisors in the Chicago, IL metro earn a median $111,260 a year ($53.49 an hour), #9 of 392 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $66,450 and $135,240.
- After local prices, that median buys what $107,399 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,723 a month, 19% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among construction supervisors in Chicago.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for construction supervisors here is in the top 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the top 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.7%) and the population is shrinking (-0.0% since 2020).
Chicago scorecard for construction supervisors Our calculation
Grades compare Chicago 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).
Pay over time
The median pay for construction supervisors in the Chicago area went from $88,940 in 2020 to $111,260 in 2025, up 25.1%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -0.2% — roughly keeping pace.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Chicago Our calculation
Prices in Chicago run 4% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $107,399 would in a typical place, ranking #14 of 386 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
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.
Want the full picture? Build a Chicago budget on this pay from this pay, local rent and prices.
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.
What the work is like Government data
How often construction supervisors deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Illinois Official source
The main state licensing office in Illinois is the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Most trades (including general contractors and electricians) are licensed locally; plumbers are licensed by the state health department. It can point you to the right license for construction supervisors.
Official Illinois licensing site ↗
Requirements for construction supervisors vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
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 IL metros for construction supervisors
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChicagoILLINOIS · IL | $111,260 | $107,399 | 13,420 |
| RockfordILLINOIS · IL | $102,140 | $110,836 | 490 |
| KankakeeILLINOIS · IL | $100,640 | $104,405 | 140 |
| PeoriaILLINOIS · IL | $98,680 | $108,165 | 720 |
| SpringfieldILLINOIS · IL | $97,140 | $104,739 | 320 |
| ChampaignILLINOIS · IL | $96,940 | $104,569 | 370 |
| BloomingtonILLINOIS · IL | $94,080 | $100,581 | 280 |
| DecaturILLINOIS · IL | $75,400 | $85,273 | 370 |
See every metro in Illinois.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Chicago area's unemployment rate was 4.7% in 2025 (all workers, not just construction supervisors), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.2% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Chicago area is 31 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 24% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 62% drive alone, 9% take transit and 15% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Chicago area's population shrank 0.0% from 2020 to 2025 (9,435,971 → 9,434,123), ranking #298 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -82,274).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Chicago
The Chicago area has about 3,924,020 homes. 61% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 7% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 66% of households own their home, and the median home value is $339,700.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Chicago are down 15% from 2021 to 2025 (18,511 → 15,778).
In 2025 the Chicago area approved permits for 15,778 new homes (9,497 single-family), or 1.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #318 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Working outdoors in Chicago Government data
In an average year, Chicago has 21 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 108 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 76 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 39 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 83°F and winter nights 23°F. That matters for construction supervisors: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Chicago Midway Airport 3Sw, IL station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $111,260 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. 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 Chicago with another city →
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ToolCheck an offer in ChicagoSee where it falls among local construction supervisors, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolChicago budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Chicago metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Chicago against every other metro for construction supervisors. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.
Report a data issue on this page
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for construction supervisors as a separate industry, so that section is left out.