Construction & Real Estate · Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Dallas-Fort Worth has more construction managers and property managers relative to its size than any of the nine construction markets we track, yet pays both below the U.S. median. Careerscape recruits for DFW employers remotely as a national agency, with recruiters organized by industry rather than by city.
DFW pipeline
The payroll figure covers the Dallas-Plano-Irving metro division, which excludes Fort Worth and Arlington. The square footage covers the whole DFW market.
BLS table
Nine of the ten roles in this table earn less in Dallas-Fort Worth than the U.S. median. Cost estimators, at $79,290, are the only exception, and only by a few hundred dollars.
| Occupation | Jobs in metro | Median pay · vs. U.S. | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Managers | 17,110 | $103,550−10% | 1.73 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 21,530 | $76,230−5% | 1.02 |
| Cost Estimators | 6,200 | $79,290+1% | 1.06 |
| Civil Engineers | 8,010 | $96,920−4% | 0.84 |
| Electricians | 20,930 | $59,010−7% | 1.06 |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 11,980 | $61,250−4% | 0.99 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | 5,450 | $69,020−8% | 1.43 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers | 15,890 | $62,920−10% | 1.96 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | 6,950 | $44,580−16% | 1.38 |
| Construction Laborers | 29,670 | $43,960−7% | 1.04 |
Construction managers are the clearest case: 17,110 jobs, a location quotient of 1.73 and a median of $103,550, about 10% under the U.S. Civil engineers are the one thin pool (0.84), with a median of $96,920. Electricians (20,930 jobs, 1.06) and construction laborers (29,670, 1.04) sit close to the national share. Low medians cut both ways. A DFW offer goes further with local candidates but can fall short for someone moving from Seattle, Los Angeles or Boston. Jobs and median annual pay for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area, all employers, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025). “Vs. U.S.” compares with the national median. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: above 1.0 means the job makes up a bigger share of local employment than it does nationally.
Deep pools
A location quotient above 1 means more of these workers than the metro's size would predict. Here the deepest pools also earn the least relative to the U.S.
A location quotient of 1.73, the highest of the nine construction markets Careerscape covers, and a median of $103,550, the lowest of the nine. A local slate is realistic for most project and construction manager searches. Benchmarks: construction manager salary guide.
15,890 jobs and a location quotient of 1.96, also the highest of our nine markets. The median of $62,920 is about 10% under the U.S., so a competitive multifamily or HOA offer stands out.
5,450 jobs, location quotient 1.43. The median of $69,020 is about 8% below the U.S., and the 90th percentile is $108,590, well above the median, so certified specialists can cost far more than the typical figure.
6,950 wage-and-salary jobs, location quotient 1.38, median $44,580. BLS wage data excludes self-employed agents, so commission-only brokerages should not read this as total agent earnings. See the real estate agent salary guide.
Texas rules
Texas does not license general contractors statewide. The Texas Residential Construction Commission, which registered home builders, was abolished in 2009. Trades and real estate are licensed. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Electrical work falls under the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) under Occupations Code chapter 1305, and air conditioning and refrigeration under TDLR's chapter 1302 program. Plumbing is licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners under chapter 1301.
A journeyman electrician needs 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a master electrician and an exam. A master electrician needs 12,000 hours and two years as a journeyman. A residential wireman needs 4,000 hours or an approved career and technology program.
TDLR accepts journeyman licenses from ten states, including Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico, if the electrician passed that state's exam, has 8,000 hours and has held the license for a year. Master reciprocity covers eight states, among them Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee.
For a journeyman, TDLR contacts the home state to confirm the exam, the license and good standing; a master applicant must supply a letter of good standing from that state. Build that into a start date.
A Texas sales agent completes 180 classroom hours (six 30-hour courses), passes Pearson's state and national exams, and needs a sponsoring broker to go active. The first renewal requires 270 total qualifying hours plus Legal Update I and II.
Roles
DFW is home to large homebuilders, among them Arlington-based D.R. Horton, named here as market context only. We run these searches through our construction staffing and real estate recruiting practices. For the wider DFW market, see our Dallas staffing guide.
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FAQ
No. Texas does not issue a statewide general contractor license, and the Texas Residential Construction Commission, which registered home builders, was abolished in 2009. Licensing applies to the trades instead: TDLR licenses electricians and air conditioning contractors, and the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners licenses plumbers. When you hire a project manager or superintendent, check the licenses held by the trade contractors and foremen on the job, not the GC.
TDLR requires 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a master electrician, plus an exam, for a journeyman license. A master license needs 12,000 hours and at least two years as a journeyman. A residential wireman needs 4,000 hours. Journeymen licensed in ten reciprocal states, including Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico, can transfer after holding that license for a year.
In May 2025 the BLS median was $103,550, about 10% below the U.S. median of $114,990. The 10th to 90th percentile range was $66,580 to $166,770. DFW also has the highest concentration of construction managers of the nine markets we cover, a location quotient of 1.73, so the pool is large even if pay is below the national figure.
Community college is one route. Dallas College offers a Construction Management (Commercial Emphasis) A.A.S. at its North Lake campus, a 60-credit-hour pathway that can feed assistant project manager and field engineer roles. For senior roles, the deep local bench of 17,110 construction managers means a direct hire search can usually stay inside the metro.
Yes, modestly. BLS counted 183,300 mining, logging and construction jobs in the Dallas-Plano-Irving division in September 2026 (preliminary), up 2.1% from a year earlier. A CommercialSearch analysis published in September 2026 found 29.6 million square feet of industrial space under construction in DFW, the largest pipeline in the country, plus 2.6 million square feet of office space.
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