Excavation Foreman Salary in the United States

How much does an Excavation Foreman make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for an Excavation Foreman in the United States is $128,045 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $62.

However, an Excavation Foreman's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $157,655
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $108,324 to $143,544
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $90,369

Key Factors That Influence Excavation Foreman Salaries

An Excavation Foreman's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Excavation Foreman Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Excavation Foreman's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $125,306
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $126,128
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $130,236
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $136,105
  • Expert (over 8 years): $137,965
Levels Salary
Entry Level Excavation Foreman$125,306
Intermediate Level Excavation Foreman$126,128
Senior Level Excavation Foreman$130,236
Specialist Level Excavation Foreman$136,105
Expert Level Excavation Foreman$137,965

How Do Excavation Foreman Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Excavation Foremans. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $141,771.
  • California: $141,234.
  • Massachusetts: $139,351.

Top Paying Cities for Excavation Foremans

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $161,503
  • San Francisco: $159,735
  • Oakland: $156,369

What Skills Can Increase an Excavation Foreman's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 9.76% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Continuous Improvement (Mentioned in 2.44% Job Postings): A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement process (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. Some see CIPs as a meta-process for most management systems (such as business process management, quality management, project management, and program management). W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer of the field, saw it as part of the 'system' whereby feedback from the process and customer were evaluated against organisational goals. The fact that it can be called a management process does not mean that it needs to be executed by 'management'; but rather merely that it makes decisions about the implementation of the delivery process and the design of the delivery process itself.
  • Spring (Mentioned in 2.44% Job Postings): Spring is the season during which the natural world revives and reinvigorates after the colder winter months. During spring, dormant plants begin to grow again, new seedlings sprout out of the ground and hibernating animals awake.
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 9.76%
Continuous Improvement 2.44%
Spring 2.44%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Excavation Foreman's salary.

  • Manufacturing Operations: Can increase your salary by up to 87%.
  • Management Skills: Can increase your salary by up to 34%.
  • Mechanical Engineering: Can increase your salary by up to 30%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Manufacturing Operations $239,444
87%
Management Skills $171,580
34%
Mechanical Engineering $166,459
30%

Excavation Foreman Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Excavation Foreman roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 55% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Energy & Utilities, offers compensation 30% above the average. Conversely, Excavation Foreman positions in MFG Nondurable typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Excavation Foreman as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for an Excavation Foreman

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Energy & Utilities$166,458$80.030%

How Education impacts an Excavation Foreman's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Excavation Foremans enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Excavation Foreman with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $79,780 and $88,271).

Excavation Foreman Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Excavation Foreman
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 74.2%
High School 74.2%
Associates 3.2%
Bachelors 16.1%
Masters 6.5%
Doctorate 0.0%

Excavation Foreman Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Excavation Foreman's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$108,324
Average $128,045/year
$143,544
$9,027
Average $10,670/month
$11,962
$2,083
Average $2,462/week
$2,760
$52
Average $62/hour
$69
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $143,544 $11,962 $2,760 $69
Average $128,045 $10,670 $2,462 $62
25th Percentile $108,324 $9,027 $2,083 $52

Most common benefits for Excavation Foreman

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Excavation Foreman

Here are companies hiring for Excavation Foreman and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Excavation Foreman

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Excavation Foreman?

The Energy & Utilities industry offers the highest average compensation for Excavation Foreman roles, with salaries approximately 30% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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