How much does a project director make?

The average project director salary in the United States is $107,396. Project director salaries typically range between $70,000 and $162,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for project directors is $51.63 per hour. Project director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Project directors earn the highest average salary in Nevada.

Project director salary

Q: What state pays Project Directors the most?

Nevada pays Project Directors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $138,103 per year, or $66.40 per hour.

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

You know if you are being paid fairly as a project director if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Hawaii you should be paid close to $132,092 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: How much money does a project manager make?

A project manager makes an average of $85,000 per year. Most project managers may start with an overall entry-level salary of approximately $62,000 per year. Those in the top 10% may see salaries as high as $116,000 before being promoted to another position or gaining more responsibilities as a Project manager.

Q: What is the salary of a director working at a Big 4 company?

The salary of a director working at a Big 4 company is about $308,400 per year. Due to these companies' authority, established reputation, and history, directors may find themselves making a significant annual sum but face extraordinary duties and company requirements.

Average project director salary

$107,396

$51.63 hourly rate

Entry-level project director salary

$70,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Project Director Salaries

A Project Director plays a crucial role in overseeing projects from inception to completion. The average salary of $107,396 reflects the demand for skilled professionals in this field. Salaries can range significantly based on geographical location, with states like California and New York offering higher compensation. For instance, the cost of living in these areas often necessitates higher salaries to attract talent.

Salary Variances by Industry

Industries such as technology and construction typically offer higher salaries for Project Directors due to the complexity and scale of projects. In addition, experience plays a pivotal role in determining salary levels. Project Directors with extensive experience and specialized skills tend to command higher pay. Additionally, certifications such as PMP (Project Management Professional) can enhance your marketability and salary prospects.

Job Opportunities

Explore job listings for Project Directors across various platforms to find opportunities aligning with your skills. Consider roles in high-paying sectors and locations to maximize your earning potential. Being proactive in your job search can lead to significant career advancements and salary increases.

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Where can a Project Director earn more?

Compare salary by location

164k

144k

124k

104k

84k

64k

Columbus, OH$139,747

Philadelphia, PA$94,451

Compare salary by company

175k

155k

135k

115k

95k

Fried Frank$159,027

The Joint Commission$124,533

Project director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, SalaryExpert and Payscale, the average salary for a project director typically falls between $96,313 and $158,873.

zippia

$107,396yearly

glassdoor[1]

$158,085yearly

indeed[2]

$96,313yearly

Salary.com[3]

$127,035yearly

payscale[4]

$98,372yearly

SalaryExpert[5]

$158,873yearly

Average project director salary by state

The average project director salary in Nevada, Hawaii, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average project director salary states are Alabama, Nebraska, and North Dakota.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for project directors

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Texas	$122,424	$58.86
2	Nevada	$138,103	$66.40
3	Washington	$121,867	$58.59
4	California	$129,938	$62.47
5	Iowa	$100,077	$48.11
6	New Mexico	$106,790	$51.34
7	New Jersey	$107,859	$51.86
8	Arizona	$128,544	$61.80
9	Hawaii	$132,092	$63.51
10	Maine	$108,555	$52.19
11	Connecticut	$118,009	$56.74
12	Minnesota	$101,102	$48.61
13	Ohio	$98,683	$47.44
14	Utah	$108,733	$52.28
15	Oregon	$106,480	$51.19
16	Alaska	$111,396	$53.56
17	New York	$104,688	$50.33
18	Louisiana	$95,090	$45.72
19	District of Columbia	$100,400	$48.27
20	Delaware	$107,254	$51.56
21	Rhode Island	$99,293	$47.74
22	Kentucky	$97,109	$46.69
23	Indiana	$96,050	$46.18
24	Idaho	$93,475	$44.94
25	Vermont	$98,644	$47.42
26	South Dakota	$87,416	$42.03
27	Virginia	$97,489	$46.87
28	Massachusetts	$94,472	$45.42
29	Kansas	$92,329	$44.39
30	Michigan	$90,989	$43.74
31	Pennsylvania	$94,075	$45.23
32	New Hampshire	$90,348	$43.44
33	Maryland	$98,826	$47.51
34	Montana	$95,131	$45.74
35	Mississippi	$84,563	$40.66
36	West Virginia	$92,620	$44.53
37	Illinois	$94,693	$45.53
38	Tennessee	$86,348	$41.51
39	Georgia	$86,903	$41.78
40	Alabama	$82,095	$39.47
41	Oklahoma	$82,212	$39.52
42	Wisconsin	$83,866	$40.32
43	Arkansas	$79,121	$38.04
44	South Carolina	$87,419	$42.03
45	North Dakota	$80,973	$38.93
46	Colorado	$94,091	$45.24
47	Florida	$91,427	$43.96
48	North Carolina	$86,149	$41.42
49	Nebraska	$80,982	$38.93
50	Missouri	$79,032	$38.00
51	Wyoming	$80,268	$38.59

Top project director jobs near you

Highest paying cities for project directors

The highest-paying cities for project directors are Las Vegas, NV, San Francisco, CA, and Urban Honolulu, HI.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Las Vegas, NV	$139,747	$67.19
2	San Francisco, CA	$138,574	$66.62
3	Urban Honolulu, HI	$132,431	$63.67
4	Phoenix, AZ	$129,667	$62.34
5	San Antonio, TX	$125,641	$60.40
6	Seattle, WA	$123,776	$59.51
7	Hartford, CT	$117,924	$56.69
8	Salt Lake City, UT	$107,525	$51.69
9	Portland, OR	$106,688	$51.29
10	New York, NY	$104,826	$50.40
11	Washington, DC	$100,484	$48.31
12	Providence, RI	$99,304	$47.74
13	Des Moines, IA	$99,290	$47.74
14	Baltimore, MD	$98,963	$47.58
15	Columbus, OH	$98,642	$47.42
16	Arlington, VA	$97,822	$47.03
17	Indianapolis, IN	$96,132	$46.22
18	Baton Rouge, LA	$95,457	$45.89
19	Chicago, IL	$94,926	$45.64
20	Philadelphia, PA	$94,451	$45.41

Project director salary details

A project director's salary ranges from $70,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $162,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average project director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a project director's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$162,000	$13,500	$78
75th Percentile	$133,000	$11,083	$64
Average	$107,396	$8,950	$52
25th Percentile	$86,000	$7,167	$41
10th Percentile	$70,000	$5,833	$34

Highest paying project director jobs

The highest paying types of project directors are director, special projects, executive director, and director of project management.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Director, Special Projects	$129,916	$10,826	$62.46	45,103
Communications Project Manager	$85,174	$7,098	$40.95	146,055
Consultant/Project Manager	$100,754	$8,396	$48.44	213,963
Operations Project Manager	$90,352	$7,529	$43.44	210,582
Director Of Project Management	$126,958	$10,580	$61.04	200,498
Contract Project Manager	$81,263	$6,772	$39.07	159,765

Top companies hiring project directors now:

Which companies pay project directors the most?

Project director salaries at Fried Frank and Pace University are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average project director salary at companies like Citi and Nike are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Fried Frank	$159,027	$76.46
2	Pace University	$147,635	$70.98
3	Citi	$147,190	$70.76
4	Nike	$145,792	$70.09
5	QSSI	$144,305	$69.38
6	BP America Inc	$139,327	$66.98
7	Über	$137,855	$66.28
8	Open Society Foundations	$136,669	$65.71
9	Sagitec Solutions LLC	$136,219	$65.49
10	Community Health Systems	$134,623	$64.72
11	The Aspen Institute	$133,484	$64.17
12	Nokia	$132,517	$63.71
13	2k	$131,513	$63.23
14	Florida Power and Light	$130,906	$62.94
15	Dun & Bradstreet	$130,483	$62.73
16	Thales	$129,599	$62.31
17	FHI 360	$128,086	$61.58
18	Molina Healthcare	$128,047	$61.56
19	Hexaware Technologies	$124,707	$59.96
20	The Joint Commission	$124,533	$59.87

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$109,000$107,000$105,000$103,000$101,000$99,000

MaleFemale

Project Director salary by industry

The average project director salary varies across industries:

The average project director salary in the technology industry is $106,707, the highest of any industry.
The average project director salary in the finance industry is $104,370.
Project directors in the government industry earn an average salary of $64,853, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for project directors

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Technology	$106,707	$51.30
2	Construction	$104,370	$50.18
3	Manufacturing	$98,639	$47.42
4	Professional	$95,802	$46.06
5	Non Profits	$92,138	$44.30
6	Health Care	$90,555	$43.54
7	Education	$81,209	$39.04
8	Government	$64,853	$31.18

High paying project director jobs

Project director salary trends

The average project director salary has risen by $13,221 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average project director earned $94,175 annually, but today, they earn $107,396 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for project directors over the last decade.

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

Average project director salary over time

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

Project director salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2026	$107,000	$51.63	+4.1%
2025	$103,000	$49.53	+1.3%
2024	$102,000	$48.89	+1.7%
2023	$99,900	$48.04	+0.6%
2022	$99,300	$47.75	+0.1%

Recently added project director salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Thornton Tomasetti	Building Energy Analytics Project Director	Fine, NY	06/30/2025	$93,000
Pew Charitable Trusts	Project Director, Private Sector, Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals	Ione, WA	06/30/2025	$159,200
Get It-Hospitality	Project Director-Remote \| WFH	Raleigh, NC	06/29/2025	$65,000
Project Farma	Director, Capital Projects	Washington, DC	06/29/2025	$50,000
Webcor Construction, LP	Project Director (Infrastructure)	Los Angeles, CA	06/29/2025	$195,000
Cumminggroup	Director, Project Controls	Cleveland, OH	06/29/2025	$133,100
Blusky	Construction Project Director	Detroit, MI	06/29/2025	$70,000
Blusky	Construction Project Director	Centennial, CO	06/29/2025	$70,000
Thornton Tomasetti	Building Science Project Director	Chicago, IL	06/27/2025	$100,000
The Rockefeller Foundation	Project Director, Regenerative School Meals	New York, NY	06/27/2025	$172,000