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Research and development project manager salary
Average research and development project manager salary
$98,808
Understanding the Research and Development Project Manager Salary
A Research and Development Project Manager plays a critical role in overseeing projects that drive innovation and product development. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position is $98,808 annually, translating to about $48 per hour. Salaries can differ based on various factors including geographic location, industry, and level of experience.
For instance, project managers with several years of experience often earn significantly more. In states like California and New York, compensation tends to be higher due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. Cities such as San Francisco and New York City consistently rank among the highest-paying locations for this role.
It is essential for prospective candidates to research salary trends in their desired regions and industries. Tools such as Zippia provide detailed insights into salaries by state and city, allowing job seekers to make informed decisions about their career paths.
With the right qualifications and experience, a Research and Development Project Manager can secure lucrative opportunities that align with their career goals.
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Where can a Research And Development Project Manager earn more?
Research and development project manager salaries by experience level
Average research and development project manager salary by state
The highest-paying states for research and development project managers are California, Nevada, and New York. The lowest average research and development project manager salary states are Kentucky, Iowa, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for research and development project managers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $117,024 | $56.26 |
| 2 | Minnesota | $98,964 | $47.58 |
| 3 | California | $120,238 | $57.81 |
| 4 | Georgia | $98,385 | $47.30 |
| 5 | Michigan | $89,302 | $42.93 |
| 6 | Oregon | $100,659 | $48.39 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $110,829 | $53.28 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $90,738 | $43.62 |
| 9 | Tennessee | $87,066 | $41.86 |
| 10 | Arizona | $92,820 | $44.63 |
| 11 | New York | $111,186 | $53.45 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $106,893 | $51.39 |
| 13 | Indiana | $87,596 | $42.11 |
| 14 | Virginia | $99,661 | $47.91 |
| 15 | Texas | $86,755 | $41.71 |
| 16 | Montana | $88,519 | $42.56 |
| 17 | Ohio | $82,835 | $39.82 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $96,467 | $46.38 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $82,625 | $39.72 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $86,259 | $41.47 |
| 21 | South Dakota | $82,526 | $39.68 |
| 22 | Idaho | $88,308 | $42.46 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $88,523 | $42.56 |
| 24 | Utah | $89,339 | $42.95 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $85,590 | $41.15 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $81,222 | $39.05 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $84,241 | $40.50 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $79,422 | $38.18 |
| 29 | Delaware | $89,448 | $43.00 |
| 30 | District of Columbia | $93,610 | $45.00 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $77,129 | $37.08 |
| 32 | Illinois | $85,895 | $41.30 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $76,415 | $36.74 |
| 34 | Alabama | $80,848 | $38.87 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $77,817 | $37.41 |
| 36 | Maine | $81,096 | $38.99 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | $80,778 | $38.84 |
| 38 | Kansas | $75,971 | $36.52 |
| 39 | Washington | $84,210 | $40.49 |
| 40 | Maryland | $86,511 | $41.59 |
| 41 | Alaska | $80,948 | $38.92 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $75,021 | $36.07 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $70,494 | $33.89 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $75,780 | $36.43 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $77,352 | $37.19 |
| 46 | Missouri | $70,576 | $33.93 |
| 47 | Iowa | $74,444 | $35.79 |
| 48 | Vermont | $76,123 | $36.60 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $68,914 | $33.13 |
| 50 | Colorado | $77,272 | $37.15 |
| 51 | Florida | $71,023 | $34.15 |
Highest paying cities for research and development project managers
The highest-paying cities for research and development project managers are Berkeley, CA, New York, NY, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berkeley, CA | $133,791 | $64.32 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $111,675 | $53.69 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $106,634 | $51.27 |
| 4 | Plymouth, MN | $98,827 | $47.51 |
| 5 | North Brunswick, NJ | $96,567 | $46.43 |
| 6 | Horsham, PA | $91,398 | $43.94 |
| 7 | Greenville, NC | $91,091 | $43.79 |
| 8 | Salt Lake City, UT | $88,552 | $42.57 |
| 9 | Portage, MI | $88,079 | $42.35 |
| 10 | Cedar Park, TX | $87,261 | $41.95 |
| 11 | Columbus, IN | $87,141 | $41.89 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $86,296 | $41.49 |
| 13 | Seattle, WA | $84,781 | $40.76 |
| 14 | Lenexa, KS | $75,980 | $36.53 |
| 15 | Tallahassee, FL | $73,951 | $35.55 |
Research and development project manager salary details
A research and development project manager's salary ranges from $67,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $144,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a research and development project manager's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $144,000 | $12,000 | $69 |
| 75th Percentile | $120,000 | $10,000 | $58 |
| Average | $98,808 | $8,234 | $48 |
| 25th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
Highest paying research and development project manager jobs
The highest paying types of research and development project managers are engineering director, senior engineering manager, and vice president of engineering.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Supervisor | $97,535 | $8,128 | $46.89 | 57,046 |
| Engineering Operations Manager | $122,682 | $10,223 | $58.98 | 125,798 |
| Vice President Of Engineering | $150,651 | $12,554 | $72.43 | 92,133 |
| Manufacturing Engineering Manager | $112,535 | $9,378 | $54.10 | 83,671 |
| Process Engineering Manager | $124,640 | $10,387 | $59.92 | 87,396 |
| Engineering Director | $162,252 | $13,521 | $78.01 | 63,868 |
Top companies hiring research and development project managers now:
Which companies pay research and development project managers the most?
Research and development project manager salaries at The Walt Disney Company and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average research and development project manager salary at companies like Koch Industries and Parsons are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Walt Disney Company | $169,244 | $81.37 |
| 2 | Apple | $154,922 | $74.48 |
| 3 | Koch Industries | $134,726 | $64.77 |
| 4 | Parsons | $129,660 | $62.34 |
| 5 | PlayStation | $126,606 | $60.87 |
| 6 | SAS Institute | $123,106 | $59.19 |
| 7 | Biogen | $122,544 | $58.92 |
| 8 | Nokia | $121,994 | $58.65 |
| 9 | HERE Holding Corporation | $119,951 | $57.67 |
| 10 | Edwards Lifesciences | $118,671 | $57.05 |
| 11 | Medline | $118,361 | $56.90 |
| 12 | Datacolor | $117,639 | $56.56 |
| 13 | AstraZeneca | $117,617 | $56.55 |
| 14 | Bosch USA | $116,518 | $56.02 |
| 15 | Ericsson | $114,807 | $55.20 |
| 16 | Agilent Technologies | $114,153 | $54.88 |
| 17 | Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. | $114,139 | $54.87 |
| 18 | Hospira | $112,197 | $53.94 |
| 19 | Welch Allyn | $111,109 | $53.42 |
| 20 | Philips Healthcare | $110,915 | $53.32 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Research And Development Project Manager salary by industry
The average research and development project manager salary varies across industries:
- The average research and development project manager salary in the professional industry is $112,357, the highest of any industry.
- The average research and development project manager salary in the finance industry is $108,659.
- Research and development project managers in the government industry earn an average salary of $67,024, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for research and development project managers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $112,357 | $54.02 |
| 2 | Technology | $108,659 | $52.24 |
| 3 | Health Care | $103,332 | $49.68 |
| 4 | Construction | $92,592 | $44.52 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $84,208 | $40.48 |
| 6 | Government | $67,024 | $32.22 |
High paying research and development project manager jobs
Research and development project manager salary trends
The average research and development project manager salary has risen by $18,066 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average research and development project manager earned $80,742 annually, but today, they earn $98,808 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for research and development project managers over the last decade.
Compare research and development project manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average research and development project manager salary over time
Compare research and development project manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Research and development project manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $98,800 | $47.50 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $95,700 | $46.01 | +2.8% |
| 2023 | $93,000 | $44.72 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $91,000 | $43.75 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $89,000 | $42.80 | +1.4% |
Recently added research and development project manager salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson & Johnson | Principal R&D Project Manager | Santa Clara, CA | 06/28/2025 | $121,000 |
| Stryker Corporation | Project Manager, R&D | Greenwood Village, CO | 06/27/2025 | $96,400 |
| Industrial Light & Magic | Senior R&D Imagineer-Technical Project Manager | Glendale, CA | 06/20/2025 | $152,200 |
| Siemens Corporation | R&D Project Manager-Power Distribution | Wendell, NC | 06/19/2025 | $89,670 |
| Job Listingsfujifilm | R&D Project Manager | Irvine, CA | 06/18/2025 | $82,353 |
| Walt Disney Co | Senior R&D Imagineer-Technical Project Manager | Glendale, CA | 06/17/2025 | $152,200 |
| Fujifilm Holdings America | R&D Project Manager | Irvine, CA | 06/17/2025 | $82,353 |
| Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies | R&D Project Manager | Irvine, CA | 06/17/2025 | $82,353 |
| Commonwealth Fusion Systems | Senior R&D Technical Project Manager | Devens, MA | 06/13/2025 | $100,000 |
| BMC Software | R&D Project Manager | New York, NY | 06/12/2025 | $99,600 |
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