Quick answer:Construction Managers in the Santa Maria area earn a median $132,620 per year, above the national median of $114,990, and the metro employs about 290 of them (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Construction Management Pay in Santa Maria, CA
Metric
Santa Maria metro
California
National
Median annual wage
$132,620
$133,160
$114,990
10th percentile
$82,600
$82,100
$69,690
25th percentile
$101,770
$102,780
$88,550
75th percentile
$164,860
$168,070
$151,640
90th percentile
$213,850
$211,970
$189,440
Employment
290
34,750
380,360
Location quotient
0.59
-
1.00
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metropolitan statistical area.
What the Numbers Say About This Market
The Santa Maria median of $132,620 is above the national median of $114,990, and below the California statewide median of $133,160 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 0.59 means construction managers are less concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Construction management is a local-market career: the work follows the region’s active pipeline of commercial, industrial and infrastructure projects.
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. There is no single national license for construction managers. What varies most by state is contractor licensing: some states license general contractors strictly, others barely at all, and the rules usually attach to the contracting entity rather than to the manager personally. On the academic side the recognized programmatic accreditor is ACCE.
See the California licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state contractor licensing board.
Schools Near You
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools
within 161 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
#1
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
📍
San Luis Obispo, CA
•28.0 miles away•BOC Score
89.2
How much do construction managers make in Santa Maria?
The median annual wage for construction managers in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area is $132,620, above the national median of $114,990 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
How many construction managers work in the Santa Maria area?
The Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area employs about 290 construction managers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Do construction managers in Santa Maria need a license?
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. There is no single national license for construction managers. What varies most by state is contractor licensing: some states license general contractors strictly, others barely at all, and the rules usually attach to the contracting entity rather than to the manager personally. On the academic side the recognized programmatic accreditor is ACCE. Confirm current requirements with your state contractor licensing board.
Can I study construction management online from Santa Maria?
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state contractor licensing board.
Is Santa Maria a better market than the rest of California?
The Santa Maria metro median is $132,620 against a statewide median of $133,160 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Construction Managers (SOC 11-9021), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
