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Best states for a program/project manager
Quoted expert
Lisa Noble
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
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- 41 - 51
Program/project manager opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for program/project managers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for program/project managers.Although there are abundant program/project manager jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. California is the best state in the country for program/project manager jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for program/project managers. California is the best state for program/project managers, where the median salary is $121,049.If you are currently seeking employment as a program/project manager, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for program/project managers in 2025
1. California
Total program/project manager jobs: 9,535 Average annual salary: $121,049 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
2. Montana
Total program/project manager jobs: 346 Average annual salary: $112,366 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
3. New Mexico
Total program/project manager jobs: 558 Average annual salary: $115,842 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
4. Wisconsin
Total program/project manager jobs: 1,485 Average annual salary: $112,695 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
5. New Jersey
Total program/project manager jobs: 2,361 Average annual salary: $110,890 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
6. Pennsylvania
Total program/project manager jobs: 2,824 Average annual salary: $108,090 Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
7. Georgia
Total program/project manager jobs: 2,805 Average annual salary: $103,743 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
8. Connecticut
Total program/project manager jobs: 980 Average annual salary: $105,799 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
9. Maine
Total program/project manager jobs: 337 Average annual salary: $106,257 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
10. North Carolina
Total program/project manager jobs: 2,487 Average annual salary: $102,881 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
Program/project manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a program/project manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a program/project manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $121,049 | $86,000 | 39,536,653 | 9,535 |
| 2 | Montana | $112,366 | $82,000 | 1,050,493 | 346 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $115,842 | $83,000 | 2,088,070 | 558 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | $112,695 | $81,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,485 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $110,890 | $78,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,361 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $108,090 | $76,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,824 |
| 7 | Georgia | $103,743 | $75,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,805 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $105,799 | $74,000 | 3,588,184 | 980 |
| 9 | Maine | $106,257 | $75,000 | 1,335,907 | 337 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $102,881 | $74,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,487 |
| 11 | Texas | $103,244 | $74,000 | 28,304,596 | 5,341 |
| 12 | Washington | $100,492 | $72,000 | 7,405,743 | 3,768 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $101,375 | $71,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,826 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $97,471 | $69,000 | 1,059,639 | 420 |
| 15 | Ohio | $100,462 | $71,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,635 |
| 16 | Delaware | $101,093 | $71,000 | 961,939 | 365 |
| 17 | New York | $102,336 | $72,000 | 19,849,399 | 4,189 |
| 18 | Michigan | $99,574 | $71,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,976 |
| 19 | Oregon | $97,826 | $70,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,537 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $96,009 | $69,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,001 |
| 21 | Kansas | $97,240 | $70,000 | 2,913,123 | 682 |
| 22 | Missouri | $97,272 | $70,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,294 |
| 23 | Arizona | $94,361 | $68,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,610 |
| 24 | Virginia | $95,290 | $68,000 | 8,470,020 | 3,271 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $94,845 | $67,000 | 693,972 | 1,067 |
| 26 | Vermont | $96,507 | $68,000 | 623,657 | 169 |
| 27 | Utah | $88,973 | $64,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,046 |
| 28 | Nevada | $90,538 | $64,000 | 2,998,039 | 580 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $92,769 | $71,000 | 1,427,538 | 268 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $92,296 | $65,000 | 1,815,857 | 298 |
| 31 | Maryland | $93,839 | $66,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,882 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $90,225 | $65,000 | 869,666 | 229 |
| 33 | Illinois | $92,737 | $66,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,120 |
| 34 | Alabama | $90,642 | $65,000 | 4,874,747 | 889 |
| 35 | Florida | $92,509 | $66,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,547 |
| 36 | Idaho | $88,472 | $64,000 | 1,716,943 | 475 |
| 37 | Colorado | $92,414 | $67,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,610 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $88,405 | $62,000 | 1,342,795 | 518 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $90,541 | $65,000 | 4,684,333 | 563 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $85,796 | $62,000 | 1,920,076 | 619 |
| 41 | Alaska | $93,405 | $73,000 | 739,795 | 167 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $82,218 | $60,000 | 755,393 | 335 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $87,739 | $63,000 | 5,024,369 | 930 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $83,136 | $60,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,386 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $85,617 | $61,000 | 4,454,189 | 712 |
| 46 | Indiana | $84,132 | $60,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,375 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $84,625 | $62,000 | 579,315 | 121 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $82,486 | $60,000 | 3,004,279 | 618 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $84,776 | $61,000 | 3,930,864 | 579 |
| 50 | Iowa | $83,427 | $60,000 | 3,145,711 | 754 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $83,747 | $60,000 | 2,984,100 | 383 |
Highest paying states for program/project managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Program/Project Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $121,049 |
| 2 | Montana | $112,366 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $115,842 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | $112,695 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $110,890 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $108,090 |
| 7 | Georgia | $103,743 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $105,799 |
| 9 | Maine | $106,257 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $102,881 |
| 11 | Texas | $103,244 |
| 12 | Washington | $100,492 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $101,375 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $97,471 |
| 15 | Ohio | $100,462 |
| 16 | Delaware | $101,093 |
| 17 | New York | $102,336 |
| 18 | Michigan | $99,574 |
| 19 | Oregon | $97,826 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $96,009 |
| 21 | Kansas | $97,240 |
| 22 | Missouri | $97,272 |
| 23 | Arizona | $94,361 |
| 24 | Virginia | $95,290 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $94,845 |
| 26 | Vermont | $96,507 |
| 27 | Utah | $88,973 |
| 28 | Nevada | $90,538 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $92,769 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $92,296 |
| 31 | Maryland | $93,839 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $90,225 |
| 33 | Illinois | $92,737 |
| 34 | Alabama | $90,642 |
| 35 | Florida | $92,509 |
| 36 | Idaho | $88,472 |
| 37 | Colorado | $92,414 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $88,405 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $90,541 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $85,796 |
| 41 | Alaska | $93,405 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $82,218 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $87,739 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $83,136 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $85,617 |
| 46 | Indiana | $84,132 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $84,625 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $82,486 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $84,776 |
| 50 | Iowa | $83,427 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $83,747 |
Expert opinions on the best states for program/project managers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for program/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.
Program/project manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025