Construction Estimators Now Out-Earn Superintendents at Hire, Amundson Group’s October 2026 Placement Pay Index Shows

Median base salary for estimators at placement rose 19% in a year to $118,750, passing superintendents at $112,200. Built from real placements, not surveys.

HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, October 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Amundson Group, a veteran-owned, construction-only recruiting firm, has published the October 2026 release of its Construction Placement Pay Index, which reports the base salaries construction professionals were actually hired at over the twelve months to October 2026. Every figure comes from the firm’s own placement records across heavy civil, site development, paving, data center, rail, tunnel, wastewater and underground utility construction in the United States.

Findings

Highest median base at placement: Estimator, $118,750 across 32 placements, up 19% in twelve months from $100,000.

Estimators now earn more than superintendents at placement: $118,750 against $112,200.

Project Manager $112,500 (32 placements), Superintendent $112,200 (36), Safety Manager $100,000 (15), Survey Party Chief $93,750 (12), Pipe Crew Lead $93,600 (10), Project Engineer $93,340 (18), Survey CAD Technician $90,000 (9), Surveyor $89,992 (9), Assistant Project Manager $89,960 (9), Foreman $87,200 (48).

Since the September release: Project Engineer up 4% to $93,340, Safety Manager up 3% to $100,000, Project Manager up 2% to $112,500, Superintendent up 2% to $112,200.

State and metro cuts

Project managers placed in Texas over 24 months: median $130,000 (18 placements). Estimators in Texas over 24 months: $120,000 (9).

Estimators placed in Florida over the last twelve months: median $122,500 (8). Florida project managers over 24 months: $117,500 (18); superintendents $105,000 (39); foremen $83,200 (42).

Foremen placed in Georgia over the last twelve months: median $93,300 (12). Atlanta superintendents over 24 months: $114,220 (12).

North Carolina superintendents over the last twelve months: median $110,000 (9). Charlotte foremen over 24 months: $93,600 (12).

“Estimators are the seat contractors cannot fill, and the market is paying for it: a 19% rise in a year, and estimators now hired above superintendents. These are the numbers we placed people at, not what a survey hoped,” said Alex Mowbray, Founder and Executive Chairman of Amundson Group.

How the index is built

Every figure is the base salary agreed at the moment of hire, recorded in Amundson Group’s placement records. Medians, not averages. Base only, before truck, per diem and bonus. A role is published only with nine or more placements in the window; a state or metro cut only with eight or more, and 24 month cuts say so. No client is named and no individual figure is shown. The live index at amundsongroup.com/construction-pay-index refreshes as placements land, and a dated release is published each month so a figure can be quoted as of a fixed date.

Full October 2026 release: https://amundsongroup.com/construction-pay-index-october-2026/

About Amundson Group

Amundson Group is a veteran-owned, construction-only recruiting firm headquartered in Houston, Texas, founded in January 2020. It recruits superintendents, project managers, project engineers, estimators, schedulers and MEP and commissioning leaders for heavy civil, site development, paving, data center, rail, tunnel, wastewater and underground utility builders across the United States. 1,200+ construction placements to date, a 90,000+ professional network, 250+ construction companies served, first qualified resumes in 7 hours on average. Inc. 5000 honoree in 2024 and 2025 and an SIA Best Staffing Firms to Work For in 2023 and 2024. https://amundsongroup.com

Alex Mowbray
Amundson Group
8325587982
info@amundsongroup.com
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