Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between commercial project managers and contract project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a commercial project manager and a contract project manager. Additionally, a commercial project manager has an average salary of $84,909, which is higher than the $81,263 average annual salary of a contract project manager.
The top three skills for a commercial project manager include project management, customer service and roofing. The most important skills for a contract project manager are project management, project scope, and contract project.
| Commercial Project Manager | Contract Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $84,909 | $81,263 |
| Hourly rate | $40.82 | $39.07 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 150,062 | 159,765 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
A commercial project manager is responsible for monitoring the development of business projects across the company within various industries. Commercial project managers strategize on the procedures for the project deliverables, including the resources, budget allocation, and timetables. They delegate tasks among the team members and conduct regular brainstorming sessions for progress updates and ways to enhance the existing project outline. A commercial project manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in resolving failure points within the project system and adjust plans immediately as needed to meet goals and objectives.
A contract project manager is an executive professional who provides project management and business analysis to fill the needs of an organization. Contract project managers are required to monitor and inspect contract projects to maintain a high level of safety and quality traffic control in highly variable conditions. They assist contract project administration with the review of project progress reports. Contract project managers must also manage the relationship between clients and the organization while monitoring the progress of the project to ensure that it complies with the terms of the corporate contract.
Commercial project managers and contract project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Project Manager | Contract Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $84,909 | $81,263 |
| Salary range | Between $62,000 And $115,000 | Between $53,000 And $124,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | ONE Gas | PRO Unlimited |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a commercial project manager and a contract project manager in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Project Manager | Contract Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo |
Here are the differences between commercial project managers' and contract project managers' demographics:
| Commercial Project Manager | Contract Project Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.2% Female, 20.8% | Male, 66.1% Female, 33.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 2.9% White, 70.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.8% White, 70.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |