Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Project Controls Specialist stands at $85,159 per year, or approximately $41 per hour. This salary can vary depending on several factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. Professionals in this field are essential in monitoring project performance and implementing necessary adjustments to meet project goals.
Entry-level Project Controls Specialists can expect to earn significantly less, with starting salaries around $60,000. As specialists gain experience, salaries can increase substantially, with seasoned professionals earning upwards of $100,000. The growth potential is notable, especially in industries such as construction and engineering.
Project Controls Specialists in states like California and New York often command higher salaries, reflecting the demand in urban areas. For example, professionals in California report average salaries exceeding $95,000. Understanding these regional pay variations can help job seekers target locations that offer better compensation packages.
Let Zippi find your next project controls specialist job
Let Zippi find your next project controls specialist job
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level project controls specialist | $44,700 | $21.51 |
| Mid-level project controls specialist | $75,700 | $36.39 |
| Senior-level project controls specialist | $112,000 | $53.94 |
The average project controls specialist salary in Idaho, California, and New Mexico are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average project controls specialist salary states are Minnesota, Mississippi, and Iowa.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | $98,530 | $47.37 |
| 2 | Idaho | $101,617 | $48.85 |
| 3 | West Virginia | $91,215 | $43.85 |
| 4 | Nevada | $85,951 | $41.32 |
| 5 | Maine | $87,309 | $41.98 |
| 6 | California | $101,260 | $48.68 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $84,607 | $40.68 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $81,532 | $39.20 |
| 9 | Oregon | $96,050 | $46.18 |
| 10 | Utah | $87,423 | $42.03 |
| 11 | Texas | $88,246 | $42.43 |
| 12 | Indiana | $82,795 | $39.81 |
| 13 | Montana | $94,225 | $45.30 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $86,995 | $41.82 |
| 15 | Michigan | $79,357 | $38.15 |
| 16 | Alaska | $92,610 | $44.52 |
| 17 | Virginia | $86,112 | $41.40 |
| 18 | South Carolina | $81,309 | $39.09 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $88,641 | $42.62 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $78,135 | $37.56 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $78,605 | $37.79 |
| 22 | Ohio | $75,645 | $36.37 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $83,439 | $40.11 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $75,580 | $36.34 |
| 25 | New Jersey | $86,479 | $41.58 |
| 26 | Arizona | $81,424 | $39.15 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $79,067 | $38.01 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $75,509 | $36.30 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $87,131 | $41.89 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $80,669 | $38.78 |
| 31 | Washington | $81,716 | $39.29 |
| 32 | Maryland | $81,018 | $38.95 |
| 33 | New York | $80,920 | $38.90 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $70,908 | $34.09 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $73,096 | $35.14 |
| 36 | Minnesota | $69,552 | $33.44 |
| 37 | Missouri | $70,285 | $33.79 |
| 38 | Georgia | $74,668 | $35.90 |
| 39 | Alabama | $69,835 | $33.57 |
| 40 | Delaware | $75,010 | $36.06 |
| 41 | Florida | $76,764 | $36.91 |
| 42 | Vermont | $77,292 | $37.16 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $75,660 | $36.38 |
| 44 | Illinois | $75,288 | $36.20 |
| 45 | Iowa | $67,755 | $32.57 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $66,877 | $32.15 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $69,406 | $33.37 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $66,613 | $32.03 |
| 49 | Kansas | $64,593 | $31.05 |
| 50 | District of Columbia | $70,542 | $33.91 |
| 51 | Colorado | $70,093 | $33.70 |
The highest-paying cities for project controls specialists are San Francisco, CA, Anchorage, AK, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $110,509 | $53.13 |
| 2 | Anchorage, AK | $93,097 | $44.76 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $88,775 | $42.68 |
| 4 | Austin, TX | $88,510 | $42.55 |
| 5 | Greenville, NC | $88,139 | $42.37 |
| 6 | Jersey City, NJ | $86,552 | $41.61 |
| 7 | Reston, VA | $86,321 | $41.50 |
| 8 | North Las Vegas, NV | $85,281 | $41.00 |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | $82,245 | $39.54 |
| 10 | Baltimore, MD | $81,267 | $39.07 |
| 11 | New York, NY | $81,056 | $38.97 |
| 12 | Greenville, SC | $80,530 | $38.72 |
| 13 | Philadelphia, PA | $79,652 | $38.29 |
| 14 | Detroit, MI | $79,544 | $38.24 |
| 15 | Oak Ridge, TN | $76,123 | $36.60 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $75,380 | $36.24 |
| 17 | Atlanta, GA | $74,143 | $35.65 |
| 18 | Mobile, AL | $73,243 | $35.21 |
| 19 | Pueblo, CO | $72,226 | $34.72 |
| 20 | Kansas City, MO | $70,148 | $33.73 |
A project controls specialist's salary ranges from $60,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $119,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| 75th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| Average | $85,159 | $7,097 | $41 |
| 25th Percentile | $71,000 | $5,917 | $34 |
| 10th Percentile | $60,000 | $5,000 | $29 |
The highest paying types of project controls specialists are director of construction, controls project manager, and project superintendent.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field Manager | $68,695 | $5,725 | $33.03 | 79,908 |
| Site Manager | $59,192 | $4,933 | $28.46 | 47,853 |
| Cost Engineer | $87,901 | $7,325 | $42.26 | 65,278 |
| Construction Manager | $81,313 | $6,776 | $39.09 | 44,431 |
| Construction Coordinator | $60,160 | $5,013 | $28.92 | 51,167 |
| General Contractor | $66,602 | $5,550 | $32.02 | 66,218 |
Top companies hiring project controls specialists now:
Project controls specialist salaries at Google and Marathon Petroleum are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average project controls specialist salary at companies like Bayer and Pacifi are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $137,187 | $65.96 | |
| 2 | Marathon Petroleum | $110,064 | $52.92 |
| 3 | Bayer | $106,401 | $51.15 |
| 4 | Pacifi | $102,519 | $49.29 |
| 5 | Tucson Electric Power | $99,388 | $47.78 |
| 6 | Tesla | $95,904 | $46.11 |
| 7 | Burns & McDonnell | $95,727 | $46.02 |
| 8 | ICONMA | $94,429 | $45.40 |
| 9 | ANSER | $93,636 | $45.02 |
| 10 | By Light Professional IT Services | $92,705 | $44.57 |
| 11 | Bowman Consulting Group | $92,344 | $44.40 |
| 12 | Ambitech Engineering | $92,290 | $44.37 |
| 13 | Port of Portland | $92,175 | $44.31 |
| 14 | GAS Unlimited | $92,092 | $44.27 |
| 15 | ESPO | $91,880 | $44.17 |
| 16 | HDR | $91,803 | $44.14 |
| 17 | McDermott International | $91,718 | $44.10 |
| 18 | Hargrove Engineers + Constructors | $91,631 | $44.05 |
| 19 | Babcock & Wilcox | $91,531 | $44.01 |
| 20 | National Railroad Passenger Corporation | $91,476 | $43.98 |
The average project controls specialist salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $90,141 | $43.34 |
| 2 | Energy | $87,298 | $41.97 |
| 3 | Construction | $85,974 | $41.33 |
| 4 | Technology | $83,773 | $40.28 |
| 5 | Government | $77,873 | $37.44 |
The average project controls specialist salary has risen by $11,340 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average project controls specialist earned $73,819 annually, but today, they earn $85,159 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for project controls specialists over the last decade.
Compare project controls specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare project controls specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $85,200 | $40.94 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | $83,500 | $40.13 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $81,800 | $39.34 | +2.1% |
| 2022 | $80,100 | $38.49 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $78,300 | $37.62 | +2.1% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explore Charleston | Project Controls Specialist | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $88,600 |
| Explore Charleston | Project Controls Specialist | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $106,200 |
| Explore Charleston | Project Controls Specialist | Minneapolis, MN | 06/29/2025 | $88,600 |
| Cumminggroup | Project Controls Specialist | Los Angeles, CA | 06/29/2025 | $84,400 |
| Marathon Petroleum | Project Controls Specialist | Robinson, IL | 06/28/2025 | $78,800 |
| Cumming Management Group | Project Controls Specialist | Los Angeles, CA | 06/28/2025 | $84,400 |
| HNTB Corporation | Project Controls Specialist I | Louisville, KY | 06/28/2025 | $79,356 |
| HNTB Corporation | Project Controls Specialist I | Columbus, OH | 06/28/2025 | $79,356 |
| HNTB Corporation | Project Controls Specialist I | Indianapolis, IN | 06/28/2025 | $79,356 |
| Enfra | Project Controls Specialist, Senior | Houston, TX | 06/28/2025 | $101,610 |
Search for project controls specialist jobs