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Contract project manager salary

Average contract project manager salary

$81,263

$39.07 hourly rate

Entry-level contract project manager salary
$53,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Contract Project Manager Salary

As of October 2025, the average salary for a Contract Project Manager stands at $81,263 annually, translating to approximately $39 per hour. Salary ranges can vary based on experience, location, and the specific industry. For example, entry-level positions may start lower, while those with extensive experience can earn significantly more.

Factors Affecting Salary

Several elements influence a Contract Project Manager's salary:

  • Experience Level: More experience typically leads to higher salaries.
  • Location: Salaries can differ greatly across states; urban areas often offer higher pay.
  • Industry: Certain sectors, such as technology, may provide more lucrative opportunities.

Highest Paying States

Some states offer better compensation for Contract Project Managers. Research shows that states like California and New York lead in salary offerings. Evaluating these opportunities can be beneficial for those considering a career in project management.

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Where can a Contract Project Manager earn more?

Compare salary by location
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135k
115k
95k
75k
55k
35k
Columbus, OH$109,138
Tallahassee, FL$64,908
Compare salary by company
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155k
135k
115k
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PRO Unlimited$132,120
Turner & Townsend$84,559

Contract project manager salaries by experience level

Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level contract project manager$42,700$20.53
Mid-level contract project manager$72,200$34.73
Senior-level contract project manager$107,000$51.47

Contract project manager salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for a contract project manager typically falls between $60,000 and $175,704.
zippia
$81,263yearly
glassdoor[1]
$134,398yearly
indeed[2]
$175,704yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$106,917yearly
payscale[4]
$60,000yearly

Average contract project manager salary by state

The average contract project manager salary in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average contract project manager salary states are Florida, Alaska, and Nebraska.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for contract project managers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Massachusetts$105,011$50.49
2Washington$100,097$48.12
3California$101,704$48.90
4Connecticut$104,379$50.18
5Oregon$97,241$46.75
6Montana$93,755$45.07
7Utah$91,473$43.98
8Idaho$95,508$45.92
9New Mexico$94,812$45.58
10New York$97,315$46.79
11Virginia$90,659$43.59
12Wisconsin$88,733$42.66
13West Virginia$96,135$46.22
14New Jersey$93,803$45.10
15Rhode Island$87,587$42.11
16Pennsylvania$87,215$41.93
17Maryland$88,957$42.77
18Michigan$88,489$42.54
19Illinois$91,660$44.07
20New Hampshire$90,279$43.40
21Maine$90,156$43.34
22North Dakota$84,309$40.53
23Arizona$85,669$41.19
24Nevada$83,643$40.21
25Ohio$83,100$39.95
26Vermont$80,840$38.87
27Delaware$81,750$39.30
28North Carolina$76,710$36.88
29Wyoming$74,246$35.70
30Colorado$82,956$39.88
31South Dakota$83,886$40.33
32Hawaii$77,742$37.38
33District of Columbia$76,099$36.59
34Minnesota$78,169$37.58
35Texas$72,530$34.87
36Kansas$77,875$37.44
37Indiana$74,880$36.00
38Georgia$73,383$35.28
39Tennessee$67,992$32.69
40Alaska$64,449$30.99
41Iowa$71,541$34.39
42Missouri$69,681$33.50
43Oklahoma$69,635$33.48
44Nebraska$64,047$30.79
45South Carolina$67,544$32.47
46Florida$64,655$31.08
47Kentucky$66,522$31.98
48Arkansas$62,130$29.87
49Alabama$62,176$29.89
50Louisiana$64,686$31.10
51Mississippi$61,197$29.42

Highest paying cities for contract project managers

The highest-paying cities for contract project managers are San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, and Seattle, WA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$109,138$52.47
2Boston, MA$104,994$50.48
3Seattle, WA$100,844$48.48
4New York, NY$97,438$46.85
5Portland, OR$97,357$46.81
6Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ$93,784$45.09
7Chicago, IL$92,273$44.36
8Baltimore, MD$89,323$42.94
9Milwaukee, WI$88,875$42.73
10Allentown, PA$87,704$42.17
11Phoenix, AZ$85,993$41.34
12Littleton, CO$83,025$39.92
13Henderson, NV$83,017$39.91
14Columbus, OH$82,255$39.55
15Cary, NC$78,322$37.65
16Minneapolis, MN$78,166$37.58
17Washington, DC$76,092$36.58
18Atlanta, GA$73,735$35.45
19Austin, TX$72,854$35.03
20Tallahassee, FL$64,908$31.21

Contract project manager salary details

A contract project manager's salary ranges from $53,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $124,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average contract project manager salary graph
Average contract project manager salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a contract project manager's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$124,000$10,333$60
75th Percentile$101,000$8,417$49
Average$81,263$6,772$39
25th Percentile$65,000$5,417$31
10th Percentile$53,000$4,417$25

Highest paying contract project manager jobs

The highest paying types of contract project managers are controls project manager, senior analyst/project manager, and senior project manager.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Business Analyst/Project Manager$99,882$8,324$48.02173,827
Project Manager/Team Lead$106,977$8,915$51.43172,739
Information Technology Project Manager$106,981$8,915$51.43207,249
Project Manager & Leader$102,092$8,508$49.08190,600
Project Manager/Analyst$100,168$8,347$48.16179,991
Manager, Project Management$102,925$8,577$49.48263,655

Top companies hiring contract project managers now:

  1. Citi jobs (12)
  2. IBM jobs (28)
  3. Cisco jobs (14)
  4. Dell jobs (12)
  5. JPMorgan Chase & Co. jobs (15)

Which companies pay contract project managers the most?

Contract project manager salaries at PRO Unlimited and Intel are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average contract project manager salary at companies like Westward360 and Shaw Industries are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1PRO Unlimited$132,120$63.52
2Intel$114,035$54.82
3Westward360$111,697$53.70
4Shaw Industries$100,674$48.40
5Avanade$100,113$48.13
6Sanofi US$97,483$46.87
7Veolia Water Tech$94,380$45.38
8King County$93,298$44.85
9Water Town Usa$91,624$44.05
10General Electric$90,425$43.47
11AutoNation$90,096$43.32
12Randstad North America, Inc.$89,955$43.25
13Crowder$89,592$43.07
14Granite Telecommunications$88,804$42.69
15GPAC$86,664$41.67
16The Building People$86,478$41.58
17Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical$86,234$41.46
18Trane$86,081$41.39
19Veolia Environmental Services North America$85,469$41.09
20Turner & Townsend$84,559$40.65

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$82,000$80,600$79,200$77,800$76,400$75,000
MaleFemale

Contract Project Manager salary by industry

The average contract project manager salary varies across industries:

  • The average contract project manager salary in the health care industry is $96,999, the highest of any industry.
  • The average contract project manager salary in the finance industry is $95,288.
  • Contract project managers in the retail industry earn an average salary of $80,974, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for contract project managers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Health Care$96,999$46.63
2Construction$95,288$45.81
3Technology$92,013$44.24
4Manufacturing$86,151$41.42
5Hospitality$86,085$41.39
6Finance$83,124$39.96
7Professional$83,072$39.94
8Retail$80,974$38.93

High paying contract project manager jobs

Contract project manager salary trends

The average contract project manager salary has risen by $10,821 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average contract project manager earned $70,442 annually, but today, they earn $81,263 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for contract project managers over the last decade.

Compare contract project manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average contract project manager salary over time

Compare contract project manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Contract project manager salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$81,300$39.07+2.0%
2024$79,700$38.30+2.0%
2023$78,100$37.54+2.1%
2022$76,400$36.73+2.3%
2021$74,700$35.90+2.1%

Recently added contract project manager salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Global Channel Management, Inc.Remote Bank Contracts Project MGRAtlanta, GA06/29/2025$112,698
Professional Search of The CarolinasProject Manager-PMP-Remote Contract-Raleigh, NC06/29/2025$104,350
EnfraContract Manager-Commercial Construction ProjectsHouston, TX06/28/2025$76,860
Bernhard Link Theatrical LLCContract Manager-Commercial Construction ProjectsHouston, TX06/27/2025$76,860
Bernhard Link Theatrical LLCContract Manager-Commercial Construction ProjectsCharlotte, NC06/27/2025$76,860
EnfraContract Manager-Commercial Construction ProjectsCharlotte, NC06/25/2025$76,860
Epiq Systems, Inc.Project Manager-Contracts Solutions (CLM)New York, NY06/24/2025$110,000
Harlem Property ManagementProject Manager-1099 Contract Role)New York, NY06/24/2025$146,090
Alexander GroupProject Manager-Contract-ToScottsdale, AZ06/20/2025$75,132
StrideProject Manager, ContractEnon, VA06/18/2025$65,156

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