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Project leader salary
Average project leader salary
$98,559
How much does a project leader make?
The average project leader salary in the United States is $98,559. Project leader salaries typically range between $70,000 and $138,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for project leaders is $47.38 per hour.
Project leader salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Project leaders earn the highest average salary in California.
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Where can a Project Leader earn more?
Project leader salary estimates from across the web
Average project leader salary by state
The average project leader salary in California, New York, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average project leader salary states are Missouri, Florida, and Alabama.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for project leaders
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $114,108 | $54.86 |
| 2 | Nevada | $103,884 | $49.94 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $104,540 | $50.26 |
| 4 | New York | $107,999 | $51.92 |
| 5 | Washington | $99,563 | $47.87 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $94,663 | $45.51 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $103,248 | $49.64 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $104,801 | $50.39 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $98,555 | $47.38 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $99,896 | $48.03 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $94,205 | $45.29 |
| 12 | Oregon | $96,543 | $46.41 |
| 13 | Idaho | $96,875 | $46.57 |
| 14 | Virginia | $96,614 | $46.45 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $100,087 | $48.12 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $101,212 | $48.66 |
| 17 | Maryland | $101,137 | $48.62 |
| 18 | Delaware | $97,672 | $46.96 |
| 19 | Montana | $87,775 | $42.20 |
| 20 | Michigan | $88,537 | $42.57 |
| 21 | Arizona | $92,460 | $44.45 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $92,053 | $44.26 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $82,263 | $39.55 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $85,051 | $40.89 |
| 25 | Ohio | $82,578 | $39.70 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $81,661 | $39.26 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $83,131 | $39.97 |
| 28 | Texas | $87,238 | $41.94 |
| 29 | Illinois | $85,380 | $41.05 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $82,293 | $39.56 |
| 31 | Maine | $84,786 | $40.76 |
| 32 | Iowa | $81,803 | $39.33 |
| 33 | Indiana | $80,793 | $38.84 |
| 34 | Hawaii | $80,273 | $38.59 |
| 35 | Utah | $79,371 | $38.16 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $79,246 | $38.10 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $80,811 | $38.85 |
| 38 | Missouri | $76,623 | $36.84 |
| 39 | Kansas | $76,811 | $36.93 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $76,705 | $36.88 |
| 41 | Alaska | $74,501 | $35.82 |
| 42 | Vermont | $78,664 | $37.82 |
| 43 | Georgia | $78,630 | $37.80 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $71,384 | $34.32 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $77,101 | $37.07 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $76,931 | $36.99 |
| 47 | Colorado | $78,832 | $37.90 |
| 48 | Florida | $76,602 | $36.83 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $77,131 | $37.08 |
| 50 | Alabama | $75,205 | $36.16 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $70,736 | $34.01 |
Highest paying cities for project leaders
The highest-paying cities for project leaders are San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $126,263 | $60.70 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $108,284 | $52.06 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $104,823 | $50.40 |
| 4 | Jersey City, NJ | $103,363 | $49.69 |
| 5 | Bethesda, MD | $100,804 | $48.46 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $100,277 | $48.21 |
| 7 | Hartford, CT | $99,755 | $47.96 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $98,482 | $47.35 |
| 9 | Richmond, VA | $96,392 | $46.34 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $92,606 | $44.52 |
| 11 | Phoenix, AZ | $92,577 | $44.51 |
| 12 | Troy, MI | $88,983 | $42.78 |
| 13 | Austin, TX | $88,939 | $42.76 |
| 14 | Durham, NC | $86,333 | $41.51 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $85,640 | $41.17 |
| 16 | Minneapolis, MN | $82,308 | $39.57 |
| 17 | Columbus, OH | $82,181 | $39.51 |
| 18 | Columbus, IN | $80,287 | $38.60 |
| 19 | Duluth, GA | $79,083 | $38.02 |
| 20 | Denver, CO | $78,695 | $37.83 |
Project Leaders are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Project leader salary details
A project leader's salary ranges from $70,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $138,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a project leader's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $138,000 | $11,500 | $66 |
| 75th Percentile | $117,000 | $9,750 | $56 |
| Average | $98,559 | $8,213 | $47 |
| 25th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 10th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
Highest paying project leader jobs
The highest paying types of project leaders are senior leader, senior analyst/project manager, and senior project manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology Project Manager | $106,981 | $8,915 | $51.43 | 207,249 |
| Technical Project Coordinator | $78,126 | $6,511 | $37.56 | 150,141 |
| Project Manager/Scrum Master | $95,047 | $7,921 | $45.70 | 99,027 |
| Consultant/Project Manager | $100,754 | $8,396 | $48.44 | 213,963 |
| Technical Project Manager | $108,205 | $9,017 | $52.02 | 209,820 |
| Project Manager/Analyst | $100,168 | $8,347 | $48.16 | 179,991 |
Top companies hiring project leaders now:
Which companies pay project leaders the most?
Project leader salaries at Boston Consulting Group and Ropes & Gray are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average project leader salary at companies like Apple and ZS are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Consulting Group | $179,105 | $86.11 |
| 2 | Ropes & Gray | $170,227 | $81.84 |
| 3 | Apple | $169,132 | $81.31 |
| 4 | ZS | $167,724 | $80.64 |
| 5 | Meta | $166,873 | $80.23 |
| 6 | $157,632 | $75.78 | |
| 7 | Bloomberg | $154,223 | $74.15 |
| 8 | Cambridge Associates | $153,803 | $73.94 |
| 9 | McChrystal Group | $153,629 | $73.86 |
| 10 | Amazon | $152,116 | $73.13 |
| 11 | Barclays | $147,350 | $70.84 |
| 12 | Phillips 66 | $145,577 | $69.99 |
| 13 | Citi | $145,454 | $69.93 |
| 14 | Starz | $144,846 | $69.64 |
| 15 | Genentech | $144,705 | $69.57 |
| 16 | Lowell General Hospital | $144,000 | $69.23 |
| 17 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $143,310 | $68.90 |
| 18 | Amundi | $143,192 | $68.84 |
| 19 | Barnes & Noble | $141,836 | $68.19 |
| 20 | Lionsgate | $141,524 | $68.04 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Project Leader salary by industry
The average project leader salary varies across industries:
- The average project leader salary in the professional industry is $118,370, the highest of any industry.
- The average project leader salary in the finance industry is $104,990.
- Project leaders in the technology industry earn an average salary of $94,862, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for project leaders
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $118,370 | $56.91 |
| 2 | Finance | $104,990 | $50.48 |
| 3 | Retail | $102,771 | $49.41 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $100,548 | $48.34 |
| 5 | Transportation | $98,381 | $47.30 |
| 6 | Technology | $94,862 | $45.61 |
High paying project leader jobs
Project leader salary trends
The average project leader salary has risen by $16,133 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average project leader earned $82,426 annually, but today, they earn $98,559 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for project leaders over the last decade.
Compare project leader salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average project leader salary over time
Compare project leader salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Project leader salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $98,600 | $47.38 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $95,300 | $45.82 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $93,200 | $44.79 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $91,300 | $43.91 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $89,300 | $42.92 | +1.5% |
Recently added project leader salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parker Global Strategies | Senior Project Leader-Logistics | Beachwood, OH | 06/29/2025 | $83,600 |
| Get It-Executive | WFM Strategy Project Lead-Remote | WFH | Guadalupe, AZ | 06/29/2025 | $65,520 |
| Global Channel Management, Inc. | Remote Project Lead | Atlanta, GA | 06/29/2025 | $58,436 |
| AEP Service Corporation | ETT Technical Project Lead | Austin, TX | 06/28/2025 | $96,110 |
| PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. | Construction Project Lead | Pittsburgh, PA | 06/28/2025 | $55,000 |
| PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. | Construction Project Lead | Washington, DC | 06/28/2025 | $55,000 |
| Capco | Technical Applications Project Leader | Hartford, CT | 06/28/2025 | $125,000 |
| The Revenue Optimization Companies | Driver Project Lead | Dallas, TX | 06/28/2025 | $41,740 |
| The Revenue Optimization Companies | Driver Project Lead | Atlanta, GA | 06/28/2025 | $41,740 |
| Capco, a Wipro Company | Technical Applications Project Leader | Hartford, CT | 06/28/2025 | $125,000 |
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