How much does a program manager make?

The average program manager salary in the United States is $96,084. Program manager salaries typically range between $65,000 and $141,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for program managers is $46.19 per hour. Program manager salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Program managers earn the highest average salary in California.

Program manager salary

Q: What state pays Program Managers the most?

California pays Program Managers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $103,085 per year, or $49.56 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a program manager?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a program manager if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Jersey you should be paid close to $95,411 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Program Manager?

A good starting salary for a program manager is $65,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a program manager in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for program managers is $97,969, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a program manager can vary by state.

Q: Do program managers get paid more than project managers?

Yes, program managers get paid more than project managers, in general. Salaries for program managers typically start around $80,000 but can exceed $120,000. With advanced training and specialized certifications, program managers can start off on the higher end of the salary range.

Q: Do program managers get paid well?

Yes, program managers get paid well. Program managers tend to make salaries between $80,000 and $125,000 per year. As with any role, a program manager's salary is dependent on factors such as location, company, experience, and education.

Q: Is program manager a good career?

Yes, program management is a good career. Many program managers enjoy their jobs because no two days are alike, and they can see their planning and hard work come to fruition. Typically, program managers have high annual salaries, handle greater business challenges, have opportunities to mentor project managers, and opportunities for career growth.

Average program manager salary

$96,084

$46.19 hourly rate

Entry-level program manager salary

$65,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Program Manager Salaries

As of October 2025, the average salary for a Program Manager stands at $96,084 annually, translating to about $46 per hour. This figure can fluctuate based on various factors, including geographical location, years of experience, and the specific industry sector.

For instance, Program Managers in California and New York often see higher salaries due to the high cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. In contrast, states with lower living costs may offer reduced salaries.

Factors Influencing Salary

Experience: More experienced Program Managers typically command higher salaries.
Industry: Certain industries, such as technology and finance, may offer better compensation packages.
Location: Urban areas often provide higher salaries compared to rural settings.

Understanding these dynamics can help candidates negotiate better salaries and make informed career decisions. Use this information to assess your current role or consider new opportunities that align with your career goals.

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Where can a Program Manager earn more?

Compare salary by location

126k

106k

86k

66k

46k

Columbus, OH$110,079

Madison, WI$76,472

Compare salary by company

165k

145k

125k

105k

Meta$149,617

SAP$134,732

Program manager salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a program manager typically falls between $79,909 and $148,863.

zippia

$96,084yearly

glassdoor[1]

$108,278yearly

indeed[2]

$88,010yearly

comparably[3]

$79,909yearly

Salary.com[4]

$148,863yearly

ZipRecruiter[5]

$107,460yearly

Average program manager salary by state

The highest-paying states for program managers are California, New Jersey, and Washington. The lowest average program manager salary states are Colorado, Kansas, and Arkansas.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for program managers

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Rhode Island	$91,487	$43.98
2	Washington	$93,447	$44.93
3	California	$103,085	$49.56
4	New Jersey	$95,411	$45.87
5	Delaware	$90,560	$43.54
6	New York	$91,607	$44.04
7	Virginia	$87,018	$41.84
8	Connecticut	$88,464	$42.53
9	Massachusetts	$88,721	$42.65
10	West Virginia	$87,949	$42.28
11	Michigan	$87,011	$41.83
12	North Carolina	$85,419	$41.07
13	Arizona	$84,324	$40.54
14	North Dakota	$80,114	$38.52
15	Pennsylvania	$84,665	$40.70
16	District of Columbia	$86,522	$41.60
17	Illinois	$83,360	$40.08
18	New Hampshire	$81,800	$39.33
19	Ohio	$80,603	$38.75
20	Oregon	$79,004	$37.98
21	Kentucky	$80,736	$38.82
22	Texas	$77,410	$37.22
23	Hawaii	$89,423	$42.99
24	Indiana	$79,869	$38.40
25	Georgia	$78,603	$37.79
26	Nevada	$77,285	$37.16
27	Maryland	$80,640	$38.77
28	Wisconsin	$76,730	$36.89
29	Tennessee	$75,750	$36.42
30	Minnesota	$76,038	$36.56
31	New Mexico	$73,243	$35.21
32	Maine	$74,664	$35.90
33	Vermont	$77,756	$37.38
34	Alabama	$72,494	$34.85
35	Montana	$69,608	$33.47
36	South Dakota	$72,379	$34.80
37	Idaho	$69,694	$33.51
38	Iowa	$73,532	$35.35
39	Alaska	$74,400	$35.77
40	Mississippi	$71,273	$34.27
41	South Carolina	$72,533	$34.87
42	Nebraska	$68,764	$33.06
43	Louisiana	$72,719	$34.96
44	Missouri	$73,602	$35.39
45	Utah	$67,064	$32.24
46	Colorado	$68,050	$32.72
47	Florida	$70,731	$34.01
48	Arkansas	$67,108	$32.26
49	Kansas	$67,607	$32.50
50	Wyoming	$66,339	$31.89
51	Oklahoma	$66,207	$31.83

Top program manager jobs near you

Highest paying cities for program managers

The highest-paying cities for program managers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	San Francisco, CA	$110,079	$52.92
2	Seattle, WA	$94,596	$45.48
3	New York, NY	$91,874	$44.17
4	Urban Honolulu, HI	$89,522	$43.04
5	Boston, MA	$88,637	$42.61
6	Hartford, CT	$88,193	$42.40
7	Arlington, VA	$87,985	$42.30
8	Washington, MI	$87,023	$41.84
9	Washington, DC	$86,608	$41.64
10	Raleigh, NC	$86,565	$41.62
11	Philadelphia, PA	$85,011	$40.87
12	Phoenix, AZ	$84,474	$40.61
13	Chicago, IL	$83,783	$40.28
14	Baltimore, MD	$80,717	$38.81
15	Richmond, IN	$80,579	$38.74
16	Columbus, OH	$80,448	$38.68
17	Austin, TX	$79,299	$38.12
18	Portland, OR	$78,702	$37.84
19	Atlanta, GA	$78,644	$37.81
20	Madison, WI	$76,472	$36.77

Program Managers are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Program manager salary details

A program manager's salary ranges from $65,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $141,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average program manager salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a program manager's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$141,000	$11,750	$68
75th Percentile	$118,000	$9,833	$57
Average	$96,084	$8,007	$46
25th Percentile	$78,000	$6,500	$38
10th Percentile	$65,000	$5,417	$31

Highest paying program manager jobs

The highest paying types of program managers are director program management, engineering program manager, and lead program manager.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Manager, Project Management	$102,925	$8,577	$49.48	263,655
Consultant/Project Manager	$100,754	$8,396	$48.44	213,963
Operations Project Manager	$90,352	$7,529	$43.44	210,582
Program Supervisor	$45,460	$3,788	$21.86	65,551
Program Director	$80,664	$6,722	$38.78	82,810
Manager, Program Management	$112,937	$9,411	$54.30	271,873

Top companies hiring program managers now:

Which companies pay program managers the most?

Program manager salaries at Meta and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average program manager salary at companies like NVIDIA and McKinsey & Company Inc are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Meta	$149,617	$71.93
2	Google	$147,694	$71.01
3	NVIDIA	$143,554	$69.02
4	McKinsey & Company Inc	$143,353	$68.92
5	Airbnb	$143,117	$68.81
6	Apple	$142,071	$68.30
7	Microsoft	$140,450	$67.52
8	Bridgewater Associates	$139,239	$66.94
9	eBay	$138,686	$66.68
10	First Republic Bank	$138,462	$66.57
11	Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation	$138,316	$66.50
12	Avid	$138,275	$66.48
13	Intuitive Surgical	$137,489	$66.10
14	Varian Medical Systems	$136,950	$65.84
15	BP America Inc	$136,893	$65.81
16	Quidel	$136,150	$65.46
17	Cadence Design Systems	$135,794	$65.29
18	VMware	$135,786	$65.28
19	PayPal	$135,517	$65.15
20	SAP	$134,732	$64.78

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$98,000$96,200$94,400$92,600$90,800$89,000

MaleFemale

Program Manager salary by industry

The average program manager salary varies across industries:

The average program manager salary in the technology industry is $115,112, the highest of any industry.
The average program manager salary in the finance industry is $106,852.
Program managers in the government industry earn an average salary of $71,183, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for program managers

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Technology	$115,112	$55.34
2	Manufacturing	$106,852	$51.37
3	Professional	$96,059	$46.18
4	Health Care	$84,178	$40.47
5	Government	$71,183	$34.22

High paying program manager jobs

Program manager salary trends

The average program manager salary has risen by $11,829 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average program manager earned $84,255 annually, but today, they earn $96,084 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for program managers over the last decade.

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

Average program manager salary over time

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

Program manager salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$96,100	$46.19	+4.1%
2024	$92,200	$44.31	+1.3%
2023	$91,000	$43.74	+1.7%
2022	$89,400	$42.98	+0.6%
2021	$88,900	$42.72	+0.1%

Recently added program manager salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Audubon Engineering	Conservation Program Manager	Greenwich, CT	06/30/2025	$65,000
Audubon Engineering	Manager, Public Programs	Seattle, WA	06/30/2025	$71,250
Axos Bank	Program Manager, Consumer Lending	San Diego, CA	06/30/2025	$70,000
Cushman & Wakefield Inc.	Capital Programs (Small Projects) Manager	Eagan, MN	06/30/2025	$89,250
Philips Healthcare	Solutions Program Manager, SRC	Murrysville, PA	06/30/2025	$112,500
University of Pennsylvania	Program Manager (Cardiovascular Medicine Business Office)	Noma, FL	06/30/2025	$64,500
Parkland Health and Hospital System	Health Economics Program Manager-Pchp	Dallas, TX	06/30/2025	$85,000
Esimplicity	Program Manager	Columbia, MD	06/30/2025	$149,400
Ioaging	Interdisciplinary Program Manager	San Francisco, CA	06/30/2025	$100,549
Ntrs	Cyber Exercise Program Manager	Chicago, IL	06/30/2025	$114,700