Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Special projects manager salary
Average special projects manager salary
$90,221
Understanding Special Projects Manager Salaries
A Special Projects Manager plays a pivotal role in guiding projects from conception to execution, often requiring a blend of management skills and industry knowledge. On average, these professionals earn $90,221 per year. However, salaries can vary significantly across different states and industries.
Highest Paying States and Industries
For instance, states like California and New York typically offer the highest salaries due to their robust job markets. Industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare also tend to provide competitive compensation, reflecting the specialized skills required in managing complex projects.
Factors Influencing Earnings
Experience is another critical factor; those with over five years in the field can expect higher salaries. Additionally, certifications in project management can enhance a candidate's marketability and earning potential.
Utilizing platforms like Zippia, job seekers can access salary insights tailored to their location and experience level, helping them make informed career decisions.
Let Zippia find your next special projects manager job
Let Zippia find your next special projects manager job
Where can a Special Projects Manager earn more?
Special projects manager salary estimates from across the web
Average special projects manager salary by state
The highest-paying states for special projects managers are California, Washington, and Maine. The lowest average special projects manager salary states are North Dakota, Iowa, and Tennessee.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for special projects managers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $105,018 | $50.49 |
| 2 | California | $108,931 | $52.37 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $102,303 | $49.18 |
| 4 | New York | $101,596 | $48.84 |
| 5 | Michigan | $99,857 | $48.01 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $100,890 | $48.50 |
| 7 | Montana | $100,782 | $48.45 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $97,489 | $46.87 |
| 9 | Maine | $103,145 | $49.59 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $98,218 | $47.22 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $91,261 | $43.88 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $95,668 | $45.99 |
| 13 | Oregon | $89,628 | $43.09 |
| 14 | Vermont | $92,158 | $44.31 |
| 15 | Delaware | $91,437 | $43.96 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $90,059 | $43.30 |
| 17 | Indiana | $89,301 | $42.93 |
| 18 | Arizona | $84,533 | $40.64 |
| 19 | Georgia | $88,232 | $42.42 |
| 20 | Missouri | $83,494 | $40.14 |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $86,922 | $41.79 |
| 22 | Ohio | $81,005 | $38.94 |
| 23 | Maryland | $84,414 | $40.58 |
| 24 | Illinois | $83,214 | $40.01 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $84,398 | $40.58 |
| 26 | Texas | $83,762 | $40.27 |
| 27 | Alaska | $85,174 | $40.95 |
| 28 | Nevada | $84,559 | $40.65 |
| 29 | Utah | $80,807 | $38.85 |
| 30 | Kansas | $83,998 | $40.38 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $82,815 | $39.81 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $83,788 | $40.28 |
| 33 | Pennsylvania | $77,595 | $37.31 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $80,778 | $38.84 |
| 35 | Virginia | $79,227 | $38.09 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $73,945 | $35.55 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $82,628 | $39.73 |
| 38 | Colorado | $80,782 | $38.84 |
| 39 | Idaho | $81,164 | $39.02 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $74,221 | $35.68 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $73,148 | $35.17 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $73,751 | $35.46 |
| 43 | Alabama | $76,750 | $36.90 |
| 44 | North Dakota | $72,459 | $34.84 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $75,290 | $36.20 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $70,846 | $34.06 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $72,777 | $34.99 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $71,445 | $34.35 |
| 49 | Florida | $70,612 | $33.95 |
| 50 | Iowa | $71,704 | $34.47 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $70,468 | $33.88 |
Highest paying cities for special projects managers
The highest-paying cities for special projects managers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $121,116 | $58.23 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $105,852 | $50.89 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $102,441 | $49.25 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $101,731 | $48.91 |
| 5 | Stamford, CT | $97,161 | $46.71 |
| 6 | Camden, NJ | $95,154 | $45.75 |
| 7 | Wilmington, DE | $91,529 | $44.00 |
| 8 | Wilmington, NC | $90,220 | $43.38 |
| 9 | Indianapolis, IN | $89,230 | $42.90 |
| 10 | Portland, OR | $89,192 | $42.88 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | $87,035 | $41.84 |
| 12 | Baltimore, MD | $84,574 | $40.66 |
| 13 | San Marcos, TX | $84,176 | $40.47 |
| 14 | Saint Louis, MO | $83,891 | $40.33 |
| 15 | Fridley, MN | $83,800 | $40.29 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $83,317 | $40.06 |
| 17 | Denver, CO | $80,844 | $38.87 |
| 18 | Columbus, OH | $80,771 | $38.83 |
| 19 | Charlottesville, VA | $78,472 | $37.73 |
| 20 | Philadelphia, PA | $78,100 | $37.55 |
Special projects manager salary details
A special projects manager's salary ranges from $66,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a special projects manager's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| 75th Percentile | $105,000 | $8,750 | $50 |
| Average | $90,221 | $7,518 | $43 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
Highest paying special projects manager jobs
The highest paying types of special projects managers are director, special projects, senior operations manager, and senior project manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | $58,651 | $4,888 | $28.20 | 1,236,194 |
| Club Manager | $44,990 | $3,749 | $21.63 | 87,247 |
| Pool Manager | $35,205 | $2,934 | $16.93 | 87,939 |
| Fitness Manager | $44,522 | $3,710 | $21.41 | 98,611 |
| Controls Manager | $100,698 | $8,392 | $48.41 | 293,881 |
| Program Manager | $96,084 | $8,007 | $46.19 | 197,556 |
Top companies hiring special projects managers now:
Which companies pay special projects managers the most?
Special projects manager salaries at Google and Cloudflare are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average special projects manager salary at companies like Amazon and Uber Technologies are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $132,452 | $63.68 | |
| 2 | Cloudflare | $125,940 | $60.55 |
| 3 | Amazon | $115,617 | $55.59 |
| 4 | Uber Technologies | $113,733 | $54.68 |
| 5 | East-West Center | $111,642 | $53.67 |
| 6 | Citi | $110,779 | $53.26 |
| 7 | Ross Stores | $109,560 | $52.67 |
| 8 | Sony Pictures | $106,215 | $51.06 |
| 9 | Littelfuse | $100,774 | $48.45 |
| 10 | TASER Self-Defense | $99,963 | $48.06 |
| 11 | Sumaria Systems | $97,425 | $46.84 |
| 12 | Vizio | $96,255 | $46.28 |
| 13 | Liberty Mutual Insurance | $95,809 | $46.06 |
| 14 | Deloitte | $94,143 | $45.26 |
| 15 | Patterson-UTI Energy | $91,420 | $43.95 |
| 16 | TXU Energy Retail Company | $91,212 | $43.85 |
| 17 | North Shore High School | $90,686 | $43.60 |
| 18 | Boston Public Schools | $90,515 | $43.52 |
| 19 | Intertek | $90,100 | $43.32 |
| 20 | Rady Children's Hospital And Health Center | $89,621 | $43.09 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Special Projects Manager salary by industry
The average special projects manager salary varies across industries:
- The average special projects manager salary in the finance industry is $101,144, the highest of any industry.
- The average special projects manager salary in the finance industry is $84,730.
- Special projects managers in the media industry earn an average salary of $71,795, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for special projects managers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $101,144 | $48.63 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $84,730 | $40.74 |
| 3 | Professional | $82,971 | $39.89 |
| 4 | Health Care | $72,454 | $34.83 |
| 5 | Media | $71,795 | $34.52 |
High paying special projects manager jobs
Special projects manager salary trends
The average special projects manager salary has risen by $11,107 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average special projects manager earned $79,114 annually, but today, they earn $90,221 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for special projects managers over the last decade.
Compare special projects manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average special projects manager salary over time
Compare special projects manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Special projects manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $90,200 | $43.38 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | $86,500 | $41.61 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | $85,400 | $41.07 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $83,900 | $40.36 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | $83,400 | $40.11 | +0.1% |
Recently added special projects manager salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beam Living | Executive Special Projects Manager | Fine, NY | 06/28/2025 | $120,000 |
| David | Special Project Manager | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $120,000 |
| Davita | Analytics and Special Projects Manager | Nome, TX | 06/26/2025 | $78,000 |
| Davita | Manager, Special Projects (Interim/Other) | Hope, IN | 06/26/2025 | $82,800 |
| State of Oklahoma | Project Manager, Special Education Investigator | Oklahoma City, OK | 06/26/2025 | $60,000 |
| The Nuclear Company | Manager, Special Projects | Columbia, SC | 06/25/2025 | $121,000 |
| Suffolk Construction | Project Manager, Special Projects | San Francisco, CA | 06/24/2025 | $135,000 |
| Milrose Consultants LLC | Project Manager, Special Inspections | New York, NY | 06/21/2025 | $90,000 |
| Girl Scout Council of The Nation's Capital | Special Projects Manager | Washington, DC | 06/20/2025 | $76,000 |
| Bridgeprep Academy, Inc. | Special Populations Manager (South Florida) | Miami, FL | 06/16/2025 | $44,000 |
Special projects manager salary FAQs
Search for special projects manager jobs