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Best states for a corporate project manager
Quoted expert
Lisa Noble
- Rank 1 - 10
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It seems like corporate project managers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for corporate project managers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Our research found that Washington is the best state for corporate project managers, while Washington and California are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Washington has a median salary of $117,406 and Washington has the highest median salary among all 50 states for corporate project managers.
We figured that the best places for corporate project manager jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.Washington is the best state, and Bellingham is the city with the highest pay for corporate project managers.
10 best states for corporate project managers in 2026
1. Washington
Total corporate project manager jobs: 2,887 Average annual salary: $117,406 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 1.86
2. Rhode Island
Total corporate project manager jobs: 281 Average annual salary: $113,037 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
3. California
Total corporate project manager jobs: 7,965 Average annual salary: $117,030 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
4. Virginia
Total corporate project manager jobs: 2,974 Average annual salary: $107,869 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
5. Maryland
Total corporate project manager jobs: 1,725 Average annual salary: $109,457 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
6. Texas
Total corporate project manager jobs: 3,983 Average annual salary: $105,853 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
7. Georgia
Total corporate project manager jobs: 2,134 Average annual salary: $101,689 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $131,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
8. Nevada
Total corporate project manager jobs: 441 Average annual salary: $98,823 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
9. Montana
Total corporate project manager jobs: 206 Average annual salary: $107,329 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 0.84
10. Delaware
Total corporate project manager jobs: 257 Average annual salary: $101,706 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
Corporate project manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a corporate project manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a corporate project manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $117,406 | $88,000 | 7,405,743 | 2,887 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $113,037 | $87,000 | 1,059,639 | 281 |
| 3 | California | $117,030 | $86,000 | 39,536,653 | 7,965 |
| 4 | Virginia | $107,869 | $82,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,974 |
| 5 | Maryland | $109,457 | $83,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,725 |
| 6 | Texas | $105,853 | $79,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,983 |
| 7 | Georgia | $101,689 | $78,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,134 |
| 8 | Nevada | $98,823 | $73,000 | 2,998,039 | 441 |
| 9 | Montana | $107,329 | $82,000 | 1,050,493 | 206 |
| 10 | Delaware | $101,706 | $77,000 | 961,939 | 257 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $100,445 | $77,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,840 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $97,095 | $75,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,459 |
| 13 | Florida | $101,955 | $77,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,634 |
| 14 | Oregon | $94,713 | $70,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,167 |
| 15 | Michigan | $94,100 | $71,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,412 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $93,017 | $71,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,074 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $93,770 | $71,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,134 |
| 18 | Iowa | $94,923 | $73,000 | 3,145,711 | 530 |
| 19 | Idaho | $92,933 | $69,000 | 1,716,943 | 310 |
| 20 | Alaska | $99,867 | $83,000 | 739,795 | 134 |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $93,147 | $71,000 | 693,972 | 886 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $91,361 | $70,000 | 1,342,795 | 321 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $93,447 | $71,000 | 3,588,184 | 638 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $85,731 | $65,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,002 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $89,092 | $68,000 | 1,815,857 | 166 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $87,196 | $67,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,398 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $86,565 | $65,000 | 2,088,070 | 376 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $88,568 | $68,000 | 869,666 | 130 |
| 29 | New York | $85,590 | $65,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,166 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $87,931 | $66,000 | 4,684,333 | 356 |
| 31 | Alabama | $85,468 | $65,000 | 4,874,747 | 560 |
| 32 | Colorado | $86,962 | $66,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,133 |
| 33 | Arizona | $85,543 | $64,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,085 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $84,090 | $64,000 | 579,315 | 103 |
| 35 | Indiana | $84,028 | $64,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,018 |
| 36 | Missouri | $85,165 | $65,000 | 6,113,532 | 997 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $83,801 | $64,000 | 4,454,189 | 495 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $83,658 | $64,000 | 3,004,279 | 363 |
| 39 | Utah | $80,448 | $60,000 | 3,101,833 | 774 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $81,632 | $62,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,063 |
| 41 | Kansas | $83,770 | $64,000 | 2,913,123 | 482 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $78,196 | $61,000 | 755,393 | 200 |
| 43 | Ohio | $78,627 | $60,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,071 |
| 44 | Vermont | $82,042 | $64,000 | 623,657 | 139 |
| 45 | Illinois | $80,552 | $61,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,379 |
| 46 | Maine | $82,165 | $64,000 | 1,335,907 | 227 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $83,501 | $63,000 | 2,984,100 | 210 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $82,305 | $63,000 | 3,930,864 | 378 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $73,890 | $59,000 | 1,427,538 | 165 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $74,873 | $57,000 | 1,920,076 | 391 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $75,821 | $58,000 | 5,024,369 | 636 |
Highest paying states for corporate project managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Corporate Project Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $117,406 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $113,037 |
| 3 | California | $117,030 |
| 4 | Virginia | $107,869 |
| 5 | Maryland | $109,457 |
| 6 | Texas | $105,853 |
| 7 | Georgia | $101,689 |
| 8 | Nevada | $98,823 |
| 9 | Montana | $107,329 |
| 10 | Delaware | $101,706 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $100,445 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $97,095 |
| 13 | Florida | $101,955 |
| 14 | Oregon | $94,713 |
| 15 | Michigan | $94,100 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $93,017 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $93,770 |
| 18 | Iowa | $94,923 |
| 19 | Idaho | $92,933 |
| 20 | Alaska | $99,867 |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $93,147 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $91,361 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $93,447 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $85,731 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $89,092 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $87,196 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $86,565 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $88,568 |
| 29 | New York | $85,590 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $87,931 |
| 31 | Alabama | $85,468 |
| 32 | Colorado | $86,962 |
| 33 | Arizona | $85,543 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $84,090 |
| 35 | Indiana | $84,028 |
| 36 | Missouri | $85,165 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $83,801 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $83,658 |
| 39 | Utah | $80,448 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $81,632 |
| 41 | Kansas | $83,770 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $78,196 |
| 43 | Ohio | $78,627 |
| 44 | Vermont | $82,042 |
| 45 | Illinois | $80,552 |
| 46 | Maine | $82,165 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $83,501 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $82,305 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $73,890 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $74,873 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $75,821 |
Expert opinions on the best states for corporate project managers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for corporate project managers to find work opportunities?
Lisa Noble
Director of Employer Engagement and Entrepreneurship and DavisConnects Advisor for Consulting, Colby College
With remote work likely to remain a primary way of doing business, and a fraction of the workforce returning to the office, it's expected that geography won't matter as much for new graduates as it has in the past. We are seeing more young alumni heading to less dense geographies, where there are exciting tech hubs and mountains for outdoor recreation. Jackson Hole, Park City, and Denver are beginning to overtake San Francisco and Seattle as attractive destinations for their relative affordability and quality of life. Increasingly, COVID has made everyone crave wide open spaces, after months of confinement in small apartments in big cities.
If the class of 2020 is any indication, the technology industry will likely continue to be a significant employer of graduates of all majors, followed by business, then education. We see many of our alumni in the humanities in non-coding roles in technology like UX Design, social media marketing, Customer Experience, product management, sales, marketing, employee engagement, and recruiting.
In this economic climate, where traditional media (book publishing, broadcast and print journalism, advertising) have frozen hiring, we are seeing our English majors exploring roles in business and corporate communications, investor relations, brand management, learning and development, and more.
Corporate project manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025