Construction Supervisors in the Hickory area earn a median of $69,990 a year, 9% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #316 of 392 metros for construction supervisor salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Charlotte and Asheville, but less in Johnson City.
It's one of 15 North Carolina metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide construction supervisor pay.
Construction Supervisor pay in Hickory at a glance
- Construction supervisors in the Hickory, NC metro earn a median $69,990 a year ($33.65 an hour), #316 of 392 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $48,280 and $99,070.
- After local prices, that median buys what $79,097 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $965 a month, 17% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among construction supervisors in Hickory.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for construction supervisors here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (3.8%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+3.2% since 2020).
Hickory scorecard for construction supervisors Our calculation
Grades compare Hickory 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 Hickory area went from $57,210 in 2020 to $69,990 in 2025, up 22.3%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -2.4% — a real pay cut.
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 Hickory Our calculation
Prices in the Hickory area run 12% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $79,097 would in a typical place, ranking #248 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 Hickory 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 North Carolina Official source
The main state licensing office in North Carolina is the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. Electrical and plumbing/HVAC have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for construction supervisors.
Official North Carolina 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 NC metros for construction supervisors
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| RaleighNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $77,690 | $79,149 | 6,080 |
| CharlotteNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $77,300 | $79,406 | 9,670 |
| DurhamNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $75,430 | $77,307 | 1,270 |
| WinstonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $74,360 | $80,788 | 1,500 |
| AshevilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $73,720 | $76,389 | 1,080 |
| Rocky MountNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $73,570 | $83,591 | 380 |
| GreensboroNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $73,120 | $78,738 | 2,260 |
| GoldsboroNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $72,820 | $82,318 | 260 |
| GreenvilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $72,490 | $82,000 | 520 |
| BurlingtonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $71,390 | $76,602 | 360 |
See every metro in North Carolina.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Hickory area's unemployment rate was 3.8% in 2025 (all workers, not just construction supervisors), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Hickory area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 12% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 82% drive alone, 0% take transit and 7% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Hickory area's population grew 3.2% from 2020 to 2025 (365,142 → 376,890), ranking #159 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +19,572) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Hickory
The Hickory area has about 171,401 homes. 45% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 10% were built in 2010 or later. 72% of households own their home, and the median home value is $266,100.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Hickory are up 67% from 2021 to 2025 (1,880 → 3,136).
In 2025 the Hickory area approved permits for 3,136 new homes (2,434 single-family), or 8.5 per 1,000 residents, ranking #46 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Working outdoors in Hickory Government data
In an average year, Hickory has 32 days at 90°F or hotter (about typical; typical metro 33), 69 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 76 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 86°F and winter nights 32°F. That matters for construction supervisors: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Hickory Faa Airport, NC 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 $69,990 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 Hickory with another city →
Keep exploring
Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for construction supervisorsRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in HickorySee where it falls among local construction supervisors, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolHickory budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Hickory 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 Hickory 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.