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Project manager & leader salary
Average project manager & leader salary
$102,092
Average Project Manager & Leader Salary
The average annual salary for a Project Manager & Leader is $102,092, with variations based on factors such as location and industry. For instance, project managers in metropolitan areas typically earn more due to higher living costs and demand for skilled professionals.
Salary by State
In states like California and New York, salaries can exceed the national average significantly. For example, top-paying states often offer salaries reaching $120,000 or more.
Highest Paying Cities
Cities such as San Francisco, New York City, and Washington D.C. are among the highest paying for project management roles, reflecting the local demand for leadership in various industries.
Opportunities for Growth
With experience, project managers can advance to higher positions such as Senior Project Manager or Program Director, which can lead to salaries exceeding $130,000. Understanding the regional and industry-specific salary trends can help candidates make informed career choices.
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Where can a Project Manager & Leader earn more?
Average project manager & leader salary by state
The average project manager & leader salary in California, New Jersey, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average project manager & leader salary states are Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Colorado.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for project managers & leader
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $129,510 | $62.26 |
| 2 | Virginia | $113,239 | $54.44 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $116,047 | $55.79 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $101,584 | $48.84 |
| 5 | New York | $114,669 | $55.13 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $105,285 | $50.62 |
| 7 | Nevada | $104,843 | $50.41 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $102,246 | $49.16 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $99,311 | $47.75 |
| 10 | Delaware | $108,271 | $52.05 |
| 11 | Arizona | $104,652 | $50.31 |
| 12 | Illinois | $103,531 | $49.77 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $101,746 | $48.92 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $105,950 | $50.94 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $97,125 | $46.69 |
| 16 | Montana | $94,414 | $45.39 |
| 17 | Maryland | $101,786 | $48.94 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $100,624 | $48.38 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $89,527 | $43.04 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $94,879 | $45.61 |
| 21 | Washington | $93,764 | $45.08 |
| 22 | Michigan | $96,237 | $46.27 |
| 23 | Texas | $94,233 | $45.30 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $87,262 | $41.95 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $90,087 | $43.31 |
| 26 | Oregon | $91,517 | $44.00 |
| 27 | Alabama | $90,279 | $43.40 |
| 28 | Florida | $93,182 | $44.80 |
| 29 | Missouri | $89,618 | $43.09 |
| 30 | Indiana | $88,962 | $42.77 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $92,354 | $44.40 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $84,778 | $40.76 |
| 33 | Georgia | $88,189 | $42.40 |
| 34 | Utah | $85,284 | $41.00 |
| 35 | Alaska | $87,494 | $42.06 |
| 36 | Ohio | $84,614 | $40.68 |
| 37 | Maine | $87,807 | $42.21 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $85,133 | $40.93 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $88,028 | $42.32 |
| 40 | Idaho | $86,176 | $41.43 |
| 41 | Iowa | $85,243 | $40.98 |
| 42 | Vermont | $84,589 | $40.67 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $83,722 | $40.25 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $84,661 | $40.70 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $81,690 | $39.27 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $83,342 | $40.07 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $81,156 | $39.02 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $82,769 | $39.79 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $78,042 | $37.52 |
| 50 | Kansas | $80,747 | $38.82 |
| 51 | Colorado | $81,660 | $39.26 |
Highest paying cities for project managers & leader
The highest-paying cities for project managers & leader are San Francisco, CA, Jersey City, NJ, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $138,468 | $66.57 |
| 2 | Jersey City, NJ | $116,214 | $55.87 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $114,866 | $55.22 |
| 4 | Sterling, VA | $113,958 | $54.79 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $105,285 | $50.62 |
| 6 | Las Vegas, NV | $104,931 | $50.45 |
| 7 | Phoenix, AZ | $104,925 | $50.44 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $103,818 | $49.91 |
| 9 | Annapolis, MD | $101,995 | $49.04 |
| 10 | Hartford, CT | $101,677 | $48.88 |
| 11 | Bismarck, ND | $101,493 | $48.79 |
| 12 | Charlotte, NC | $100,865 | $48.49 |
| 13 | Washington, DC | $100,589 | $48.36 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $94,565 | $45.46 |
| 15 | Redmond, WA | $94,245 | $45.31 |
| 16 | Tampa, FL | $94,003 | $45.19 |
| 17 | Minneapolis, MN | $90,116 | $43.33 |
| 18 | Jefferson City, MO | $89,586 | $43.07 |
| 19 | Indianapolis, IN | $88,867 | $42.72 |
| 20 | Columbia, SC | $88,299 | $42.45 |
Project manager & leader salary details
A project manager & leader's salary ranges from $74,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $139,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a project manager & leader's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $139,000 | $11,583 | $67 |
| 75th Percentile | $120,000 | $10,000 | $58 |
| Average | $102,092 | $8,508 | $49 |
| 25th Percentile | $86,000 | $7,167 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $74,000 | $6,167 | $36 |
Highest paying project manager & leader jobs
The highest paying types of project managers & leader are director of project management, 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 |
| Business Analyst/Project Manager | $99,882 | $8,324 | $48.02 | 173,827 |
| Director Of Project Management | $126,958 | $10,580 | $61.04 | 200,498 |
| 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 |
Top companies hiring project managers & leader now:
Which companies pay project managers & leader the most?
Project manager & leader salaries at Apple and Thoughtworks are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average project manager & leader salary at companies like Palo Alto Networks and Citi are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $160,010 | $76.93 |
| 2 | Thoughtworks | $144,728 | $69.58 |
| 3 | Palo Alto Networks | $141,801 | $68.17 |
| 4 | Citi | $139,136 | $66.89 |
| 5 | Vista Equity Partners | $138,871 | $66.76 |
| 6 | Aryaka | $135,892 | $65.33 |
| 7 | BNY Mellon | $134,387 | $64.61 |
| 8 | Koch Industries | $131,813 | $63.37 |
| 9 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $127,446 | $61.27 |
| 10 | CorePartners | $127,323 | $61.21 |
| 11 | Riverbed Holdings, Inc. | $123,003 | $59.14 |
| 12 | The Clorox Company | $121,572 | $58.45 |
| 13 | TD Securities | $119,804 | $57.60 |
| 14 | Hotwire | $119,799 | $57.60 |
| 15 | Arkema | $119,682 | $57.54 |
| 16 | Activision Blizzard | $119,665 | $57.53 |
| 17 | Avanade | $119,399 | $57.40 |
| 18 | Parsons | $118,260 | $56.86 |
| 19 | TEKsystems | $117,901 | $56.68 |
| 20 | General Electric | $117,541 | $56.51 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Project Manager & Leader salary by industry
The average project manager & leader salary varies across industries:
- The average project manager & leader salary in the health care industry is $104,848, the highest of any industry.
- The average project manager & leader salary in the finance industry is $104,526.
- Project managers & leader in the professional industry earn an average salary of $97,703, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for project managers & leader
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $104,848 | $50.41 |
| 2 | Finance | $104,526 | $50.25 |
| 3 | Technology | $102,312 | $49.19 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $100,631 | $48.38 |
| 5 | Telecommunication | $97,946 | $47.09 |
| 6 | Professional | $97,703 | $46.97 |
High paying project manager & leader jobs
Project manager & leader salary trends
The average project manager & leader salary has risen by $16,711 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average project manager & leader earned $85,381 annually, but today, they earn $102,092 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for project managers & leader over the last decade.
Compare project manager & leader salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average project manager & leader salary over time
Compare project manager & leader salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Project manager & leader salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $102,000 | $49.08 | +3.3% |
| 2025 | $98,700 | $47.47 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $96,500 | $46.39 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $94,600 | $45.49 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | $92,500 | $44.46 | +1.5% |
Recently added project manager & leader salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliant Energy | Lead Project Manager | Cedar Rapids, IA | 06/29/2025 | $145,000 |
| Get It-Professional Services | Lead Project Manager-Remote | WFH | Scottsdale, AZ | 06/29/2025 | $71,000 |
| Keybank National Association | Lead Project Manager (Recovery Modernization Project) | Albany, NY | 06/27/2025 | $80,000 |
| Evoke Consulting | Lead Archaeologist & Project Manager | [Nps0001006] | Triangle, VA | 06/27/2025 | $60,000 |
| Leidos Holdings Inc. | Project Manager-Lead Service Desk | Rowe, MA | 06/25/2025 | $112,450 |
| Islandsearch Group | Lead Project Manager (Structural) | Newark, NJ | 06/16/2025 | $150,000 |
| ICF | Lead Project Manager, Renewables (Independent Engineer)-Remote | Washington, DC | 06/12/2025 | $107,936 |
| ICF International, Inc. | Lead Project Manager, Renewables (Independent Engineer)-Remote | Houston, TX | 06/11/2025 | $107,936 |
| ICF International, Inc. | Lead Project Manager, Renewables (Independent Engineer)-Remote | Denver, CO | 06/11/2025 | $107,936 |
| Get It-Marketing | Project Manager Lead-Remote | WFH | Scottsdale, AZ | 06/10/2025 | $100,000 |
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