How much does a project management lead make?

The average project management lead salary in the United States is $85,117. Project management lead salaries typically range between $53,000 and $136,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for project management leads is $40.92 per hour. Project management lead salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Project management leads earn the highest average salary in New Jersey.

Project management lead salary

Q: What state pays Project Management Leads the most?

New Jersey pays Project Management Leads the most in the United States, with an average salary of $104,432 per year, or $50.21 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a project management lead?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a project management lead if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Delaware you should be paid close to $104,372 per year.

Q: Can I make 100k as a project manager?

Yes, you can make 100k as a project manager. While the average yearly salary in the United States is around $75,000, some project managers earn as much as $150,000. This salary is three times the average college graduate salary in 2021.

Q: Can project managers make six figures?

Yes, project managers can make six figures. The average project manager makes around $74,000 a year. However, it's not far-fetched for a project manager to earn over $100,000 a year. It is achievable given the right factors, opportunities, and preparation. Of course, it would take years of experience and hard work.

Quoted expert

Joel Stevenson

Average project management lead salary

$85,117

$40.92 hourly rate

Entry-level project management lead salary

$53,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Project Management Lead Salaries

As of October 2025, the average salary for a project management lead is approximately $85,117 per year, translating to about $41 per hour. This figure represents a competitive wage in the field, reflecting the importance of project management in driving organizational success.

Salaries vary based on factors such as location, industry, and experience level. For instance, project management leads in high-demand areas or industries may earn significantly more. Locations like California and New York often report higher salaries compared to other regions. Additionally, specific industries, such as technology and healthcare, tend to offer more lucrative compensation packages.

Salary Insights by State

In terms of geographic disparities, states like California and New York consistently rank among the highest paying for project management leads. Exploring these variations can help job seekers make informed decisions about potential relocation or industry shifts.

Career Advancement Opportunities

For those interested in advancing their careers, gaining additional certifications or pursuing specialized training can improve salary prospects further. Understanding the salary landscape enables professionals to negotiate effectively and seek opportunities that align with their career goals.

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Where can a Project Management Lead earn more?

Compare salary by location

118k

98k

78k

58k

38k

Columbus, OH$104,789

Tampa, FL$68,328

Compare salary by company

172k

152k

132k

112k

92k

Meta$155,571

Under Armour$121,969

Project management lead salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Payscale, the average salary for a project management lead typically falls between $85,117 and $134,826.

zippia

$85,117yearly

glassdoor[1]

$134,826yearly

payscale[2]

$87,352yearly

Average project management lead salary by state

The highest-paying states for project management leads are New Jersey, Delaware, and New York. The lowest average project management lead salary states are Idaho, Wyoming, and Iowa.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for project management leads

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York	$104,008	$50.00
2	Delaware	$104,372	$50.18
3	New Jersey	$104,432	$50.21
4	California	$99,557	$47.86
5	Massachusetts	$90,006	$43.27
6	Maryland	$100,568	$48.35
7	Texas	$86,778	$41.72
8	Arizona	$90,083	$43.31
9	Virginia	$90,038	$43.29
10	Pennsylvania	$92,510	$44.48
11	North Carolina	$84,113	$40.44
12	West Virginia	$91,518	$44.00
13	Ohio	$77,006	$37.02
14	Michigan	$82,292	$39.56
15	Washington	$75,689	$36.39
16	Nevada	$70,214	$33.76
17	North Dakota	$72,951	$35.07
18	Georgia	$78,370	$37.68
19	District of Columbia	$76,180	$36.63
20	New Hampshire	$79,635	$38.29
21	Illinois	$76,638	$36.85
22	Connecticut	$76,160	$36.62
23	Rhode Island	$75,313	$36.21
24	Alaska	$67,555	$32.48
25	New Mexico	$62,385	$29.99
26	Maine	$71,613	$34.43
27	Minnesota	$65,473	$31.48
28	Wisconsin	$64,749	$31.13
29	Tennessee	$63,788	$30.67
30	South Carolina	$66,442	$31.94
31	Oregon	$62,415	$30.01
32	South Dakota	$60,242	$28.96
33	Montana	$62,387	$29.99
34	Arkansas	$58,639	$28.19
35	Kentucky	$64,403	$30.96
36	Indiana	$63,978	$30.76
37	Florida	$67,339	$32.37
38	Louisiana	$65,692	$31.58
39	Nebraska	$56,805	$27.31
40	Oklahoma	$57,983	$27.88
41	Mississippi	$64,119	$30.83
42	Vermont	$68,927	$33.14
43	Idaho	$56,066	$26.95
44	Alabama	$60,851	$29.26
45	Hawaii	$53,047	$25.50
46	Missouri	$58,213	$27.99
47	Kansas	$49,889	$23.99
48	Utah	$57,250	$27.52
49	Iowa	$54,893	$26.39
50	Colorado	$51,048	$24.54
51	Wyoming	$54,998	$26.44

Top project management lead jobs near you

Highest paying cities for project management leads

The highest-paying cities for project management leads are New York, NY, Jersey City, NJ, and Wilmington, DE.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York, NY	$104,789	$50.38
2	Jersey City, NJ	$104,650	$50.31
3	Wilmington, DE	$104,624	$50.30
4	San Francisco, CA	$102,750	$49.40
5	Philadelphia, PA	$93,747	$45.07
6	San Antonio, TX	$91,883	$44.17
7	Arlington, VA	$90,776	$43.64
8	Phoenix, AZ	$90,469	$43.49
9	Boston, MA	$89,766	$43.16
10	Raleigh, NC	$86,489	$41.58
11	Detroit, MI	$82,926	$39.87
12	Cleveland, OH	$78,823	$37.90
13	Chicago, IL	$77,497	$37.26
14	Atlanta, GA	$77,442	$37.23
15	Seattle, WA	$76,419	$36.74
16	Washington, DC	$76,167	$36.62
17	Hartford, CT	$75,506	$36.30
18	Providence, RI	$75,111	$36.11
19	Portland, ME	$72,694	$34.95
20	Tampa, FL	$68,328	$32.85

Project management lead salary details

A project management lead's salary ranges from $53,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $136,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average project management lead salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a project management lead's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$136,000	$11,333	$65
75th Percentile	$109,000	$9,083	$52
Average	$85,117	$7,093	$41
25th Percentile	$66,000	$5,500	$32
10th Percentile	$53,000	$4,417	$25

Highest paying project management lead jobs

The highest paying types of project management leads are senior management consultant, director of project management, and senior analyst/project manager.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Manager, Program Management	$112,937	$9,411	$54.30	271,873
Consultant/Project Manager	$100,754	$8,396	$48.44	213,963
Project Analyst	$71,174	$5,931	$34.22	207,513
Technical Project Manager	$108,205	$9,017	$52.02	209,820
Contract Project Manager	$81,263	$6,772	$39.07	159,765
Program/Project Manager	$101,850	$8,488	$48.97	243,017

How would you rate the starting salaries for project management leads, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Joel Stevenson

Founding Director USC Columbia Technology Incubator, Associate Director Faber Entrepreneurship Center, Senior Lecturer Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management, University of South Carolina

Don't know of a better starting salary than the one mentioned above-a lot of room for advancement.

Top companies hiring project management leads now:

Which companies pay project management leads the most?

Project management lead salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average project management lead salary at companies like Nike and eBay are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Meta	$155,571	$74.79
2	Apple	$143,020	$68.76
3	Nike	$142,226	$68.38
4	eBay	$141,529	$68.04
5	Cerner	$136,532	$65.64
6	The Walt Disney Company	$135,890	$65.33
7	Integral Ad Science	$129,967	$62.48
8	Google	$129,806	$62.41
9	Rivian	$129,091	$62.06
10	Citi	$128,600	$61.83
11	Harley-Davidson	$126,259	$60.70
12	BNY Mellon	$124,406	$59.81
13	Gillette	$124,115	$59.67
14	Tesla	$123,980	$59.61
15	AIG	$123,971	$59.60
16	Intuitive Surgical	$123,705	$59.47
17	Morgan Stanley	$123,379	$59.32
18	Microsoft	$123,104	$59.18
19	Amazon	$122,140	$58.72
20	Under Armour	$121,969	$58.64

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$85,000$83,800$82,600$81,400$80,200$79,000

MaleFemale

Project Management Lead salary by industry

The average project management lead salary varies across industries:

The average project management lead salary in the energy industry is $108,150, the highest of any industry.
The average project management lead salary in the finance industry is $105,489.
Project management leads in the technology industry earn an average salary of $88,576, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for project management leads

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Energy	$108,150	$52.00
2	Finance	$105,489	$50.72
3	Manufacturing	$95,923	$46.12
4	Professional	$89,330	$42.95
5	Technology	$88,576	$42.58

High paying project management lead jobs

Project management lead salary trends

The average project management lead salary has risen by $13,933 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average project management lead earned $71,184 annually, but today, they earn $85,117 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for project management leads over the last decade.

Compare project management lead salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average project management lead salary over time

Compare project management lead salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Project management lead salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$85,100	$40.92	+3.3%
2024	$82,300	$39.57	+2.3%
2023	$80,400	$38.68	+1.9%
2022	$78,900	$37.92	+2.3%
2021	$77,100	$37.07	+1.5%

Recently added project management lead salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Sutterhealth	Care Center Lead, Pain Management	Yuba City, CA	06/30/2025	$63,320
Target	Property Management Lead	Superior, CO	06/30/2025	$51,132
Target	Property Management Lead	El Paso, TX	06/30/2025	$41,218
Target	Property Management Lead	Bedford, NH	06/30/2025	$47,479
Target	Property Management Lead-Grand	Grand Island, NE	06/30/2025	$42,784
Target	Property Management Lead	Seattle, WA	06/30/2025	$56,349
Ntrs	Third Party Management Lead	Chicago, IL	06/30/2025	$83,100
Great Lakes Water Authority	Technical Management Leader	Detroit, MI	06/29/2025	$90,414
Insulet Corporation	Director, Global Expansion & Site Enablement-Project Management Lead (Hybrid-Acton, MA or SAN DI	San Diego, CA	06/28/2025	$180,450
Cox Holdings, Inc.	Cybersecurity Risk Management Lead	Atlanta, GA	06/28/2025	$108,800

Project management lead salary FAQs

What state pays Project Management Leads the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a project management lead?

Can I make 100k as a project manager?

Can project managers make six figures?

Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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