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Job outlook for special projects managers in the United States
Special projects manager job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected special projects manager job growth rate is 6% from 2018-2028.
About 189,200 new jobs for special projects managers are projected over the next decade.
Special projects manager salaries have increased 8% for special projects managers in the last 5 years.
There are over 4,763 special projects managers currently employed in the United States.
There are 114,925 active special projects manager job openings in the US.
The average special projects manager salary is $90,221.
Are special projects manager jobs in demand?
Special projects manager job and salary trends over time
Special projects manager jobs over time
Special projects manager job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,763 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 2,084 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,559 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 4,428 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 4,115 | 0.00% |
Average special projects manager salary over time
Special projects manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $90,221 | $43.38 | +4.2% |
| 2025 | $86,544 | $41.61 | +1.3% |
| 2024 | $85,425 | $41.07 | +1.8% |
| 2023 | $83,939 | $40.36 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | $83,430 | $40.11 | +0.1% |
Special projects manager jobs by state
Most common states for special projects managers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 669 | 96% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 2,197 | 30% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,127 | 25% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,626 | 24% |
| 5 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,418 | 23% |
| 6 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 878 | 21% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 200 | 19% |
| 8 | Delaware | 961,939 | 186 | 19% |
| 9 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 351 | 18% |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 246 | 18% |
| 11 | Alaska | 739,795 | 136 | 18% |
| 12 | Vermont | 623,657 | 113 | 18% |
| 13 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,028 | 17% |
| 14 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 765 | 17% |
| 15 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 603 | 17% |
| 16 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 527 | 17% |
| 17 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 132 | 17% |
| 18 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 99 | 17% |
| 19 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 2,065 | 16% |
| 20 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 171 | 16% |
Most common cities for special projects managers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novi | 2 | 3% | $99,959 |
| 2 | Dublin | 1 | 2% | $120,237 |
| 3 | Washington | 4 | 1% | $87,035 |
| 4 | Farmington Hills | 1 | 1% | $100,026 |
| 5 | Garden Grove | 1 | 1% | $103,780 |
| 6 | Grand Rapids | 1 | 1% | $98,998 |
| 7 | Kissimmee | 1 | 1% | $71,129 |
| 8 | Lansing | 1 | 1% | $99,421 |
| 9 | Los Angeles | 2 | 0% | $105,034 |
| 10 | Atlanta | 1 | 0% | $88,460 |
| 11 | Baltimore | 1 | 0% | $84,574 |
| 12 | Baton Rouge | 1 | 0% | $82,797 |
| 13 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $102,441 |
| 14 | Colorado Springs | 1 | 0% | $80,795 |
| 15 | Minneapolis | 1 | 0% | $83,789 |
| 16 | New York | 1 | 0% | $101,731 |
| 17 | Orlando | 1 | 0% | $71,068 |
Special Projects Manager job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of special projects manager experts
Murray State University
Auburn University at Montgomery
The Touro College
Western Carolina University
Auburn University at Montgomery
Maryville University
Davenport University
Azusa Pacific University
Penn State Behrend
Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College - City University of New York
Wofford College
Farmingdale State College
Old Dominion University
Colby-Sawyer College
Dr. Ben Littlepage
ProfessorMurray State University
Educational Administration And Supervision
What will help Special Projects Managers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Ben Littlepage: Salary is maximized when leaders are sought after. Leaders who pursue meaningful experiences and remain 'market ready' are viewed as an asset to any organization. Leaders must carefully consider where the field is moving and respond.
Brett Lehman Ph.D.
ProfessorAuburn University at Montgomery
Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
What's a good job out of college for Special Projects Managers?
Brett Lehman Ph.D.: There is a business side and a human side to this answer. On the business side, I hope graduates are provided benefits like health insurance, a gainful salary, and opportunities for advancement. The way to hit a home-run is to get a job where those needs are taken care of and you still get to use your skills for something you feel is important. Most sociology students get into the subject because they care about the human side, want to help people, and see opportunity for creating positive social change. You'll get motivated sociology graduates when you show them a path towards achievement on the human side; then when we there's less worry about the business side, some impressive results could follow!
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Special Projects Managers?
Jodi Smolen: I think this depends on the industry. Finance students give themselves an advantage by taking the Securities Industry Essential (SIE) exam during college. The exam does not require employer sponsorship and it is good for 4 years. If students want to become a securities trader, investment banker, or financial advisor, the SIE exam is a necessary step before they take the Series 6 and 7 exams after graduation. It shows a prospective employer that the student is serious about a career in the financial services industry.
In addition, finance students should hone their advanced Excel skills. Whether they do this in college, or on their own time, knowing Pivot Tables and VLOOKUP will set them apart from other candidates.
Computer science students should know that Python is in strong demand. If they know the basics of this language, they will have more job opportunities in different industries. Similarly, many data science jobs require Python, SQL or R programming languages. Candidates who pick up programming languages easily can learn on the job, but it is always more desirable to walk into the job knowing the language they want to use.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Special Projects Managers?
Angela Sebby Ph.D.: While jobs may be slower to return to the capacity pre-Covid, the industry and tourism employment will rebound as people still want to travel and explore diverse foods, cultures, and experiences. However, the enduring impact will be the rapid onset of technology that allowed for limited contact with employees and others has become the new norm. Although human interaction is an important aspect of service in the tourism industry, employers have found that they can reduce the number of personal interactions but still deliver an acceptable level of quality service. What would have taken years to adopt, COVID created an amplified adoption.
What soft skills should all Special Projects Managers possess?
TeWhan Hahn Ph.D.: Writing skills including email writing, being able to work in teams, and knowing the workplace etiquettes.
Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.
Program Director & Assistant ProfessorMaryville University
Speech-Language Pathology
What's a day at work look like for a Special Projects Manager?
Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.: A bachelor's in communication sciences and disorders can prepare you for three different tracks. First, it can prepare you to become a licensed Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA). This is someone who works under a fully credential speech-language pathologist. Often times, they carryout intervention plans developed by a fully credentialed speech-language pathologist. If graduate school is on your horizon, a bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders will prepare you for acceptance into a Speech-Language Pathology program, or an Audiology program. If you are not accepted into a graduate program right away, working as a speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) is a great way to get experience in the field!
What soft skills should all Special Projects Managers possess?
Todd Terry: Graduates as they prepare to enter the workforce should pay particular attention to their ability to communicate with coworkers. This communication could happen through face-to-face interactions, remote meetings with the aid of technology for example, meeting by computer software, written communication through instant messaging, or emails. Also, part of communicating is being a good listener.
Graduates should have good critical thinking skills. They will need to be adaptive and able to analyze data to make good informed decisions.
In today's work environment, working on teams is a regular function. Therefore, employers are looking for the candidate who can professionally interact with other team members, have a positive attitude and a good work ethic.
What's a good job out of college for Special Projects Managers?
Bala Musa Ph.D.: A good job out of college is one that allows you to apply creative and critical thinking skills. Future work environments will require employees to innovate and adapt. Any job that helps you cultivate, sharpen and apply those skills will serve you and your organization well. It will prepare you to adapt in the face of change and future disruptions.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Special Projects Managers?
Phil Stuczynski: Yes, and no. On the one hand, we can look back to something as recent as the "Great Recession" from a little over a decade, and in some ways we are still seeing the impact from that generation. Rather than graduates being able to step into a strong entry level position in a desired field, you had many individuals who literally would take any job that was available. And, while it was admirable for individuals to go into a job (something is better than nothing), if you find yourself in a different career path or even in a job that may not need as much training in the skills you specifically went to school for, it can make an improper fit.
Now, the good news here is that students who have been trained in economics, or many business students in general tend to understand the broader vantage point of business. In times like these, even if unemployment starts to creep up, there will be businesses climbing over one another to try and secure talent that can understand data. Certain computer skills, forecasting skills, drawing connections between differing levels of business, any every other combination of resource and household management will be useful to a business.
So, will there be an impact? Perhaps. Jobs are probably just a bit more difficult to come by right now as compared to even one calendar year ago. That being said, many universities have continued to not only have students positioned well so they can plug right in and be effective remotely, but many of those students are as good or better with the technology and software as those in the private sector.
What experience really stands out on Special Projects Manager resumes?
Phil Stuczynski: Currently? I think a big one is going to be being flexible, showing you are able to adapt, and having any example of continuing to push through during these recent times.
We have had students who have literally been stuck. They have been in an apartment or a dormitory hours (or countries) away from home. And yet they still managed. They still did their coursework, they learned new software on the fly, they felt comfortable asking more questions than ever and even teaching themselves more as needed.
When we go back to something such as the great financial crisis, you had individuals who would sort of get burnt out when searching for a job. And to be fair, who could blame them. This was a strained economy and even the most qualified of candidates were hard pressed to find employment coming out of college when you had people with decades of experience competing just to continue bringing a paycheck in. However, you also had some individuals who would do what was necessary. For example I am keenly aware of an individual student I had years ago who was qualified for almost any job in a normal economy. That being said, he took a job with a bank where his degree wasn't even required. He was overqualified and knew it, but he would rather get experience than just sit around and do nothing. Fast forward a few years and he was not only at that bank only a short time before being promoted, but he used that promotion to move into yet a higher role later and has continued to enjoy success he may not have had if he was just waiting on a good job to come along.
What I'm saying is, the parallels here are through no fault of their own, students are going to enter an economy where things aren't as normal as they were just weeks before. This is going to sort itself out, but the students who push forward and adapt and just do something will stand out compared to those who sit on the sidelines and wait. Anything that highlights they are flexible and able to work in the face of disjointed operations or new limitations will not just find themselves being sought after, but because businesses need employees who can make quick changes on the fly more than ever, those students who can prove they can do it? They're going to be the ones who get ahead.
Dr. Mary Kern Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorZicklin School of Business at Baruch College - City University of New York
Narendra P. Loomba Department of Management
What technical skills for a Special Projects Manager stand out to employers?
Dr. Mary Kern Ph.D.: - Clearly, the ability to use different forms of communication technology has become key, and as these forms evolve rapidly, employers are look for an ability to adapt, adopt, and teach them to their colleagues.
- Evidence-based management and decision-making are playing a much larger role in organizations, and thus the ability to work with quantitative data to understand situations and to help make decisions is crucial.
Dr. Smriti Bhargava Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of EconomicsWofford College
Economics Department
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Special Projects Manager job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Smriti Bhargava Ph.D.: This is a hard question to answer given the uncertainty that exists. One trend that is likely to stay is the possibility of working remotely or working-from-home. More and more companies are gravitating towards this trend, and this may open many exciting and flexible opportunities for new graduates and current workers. It may also take a while for the job market to heat up again and to create new jobs.
Xu Zhang Ph.D.
ChairFarmingdale State College
Department of Economics
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Special Projects Manager job market given the pandemic?
Xu Zhang Ph.D.: There are a few trends in the current job maket.
- Slow recovery. Based on the December job market reports released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market slowly recovered since April, but about 44% of the prepandemic jobs have not been gained back. Between March and April, about 22.16 million jobs were lost. The U.S. labor market started to revive in May, and since then until December the market experienced 23.32 million job gains, roughly 56% of pre-pandemic level. The unemployment rate decreased gradually from April (14.8%) to December (6.7%), but still almost twice its pre-pandemic level in February (3.5%). Additionally, although the number of unemployed persons dropped from 23.11million in April to 10.74 million in December 2020, there is still a huge gap compared to 5.72 million in February.
- Uneven impacts by industries. While overall economy was hard hit by the pandemic, the job losses disproportionally impacted industry sectors. Service industries such as educational service, elective healthcare, arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services, have been hurt the most due to social distancing. Other job losses in retail service sector were related to a boom on online shopping. In addition, teenagers experienced record high unemployment rate which is associated with lack of experiences and working in hard-hit service industries.
- More employers embracing remote work. The perception of remote work has totally changed during the pandemic. After experiencing sudden changes to remote work and managing the obstacles working at home, more and more workers and employers embrace remote work, which would expand the layouts of job hunting and talent search to larger geographic areas.
What skills stand out on Special Projects Manager resumes?
Xu Zhang Ph.D.: I believe the most important attributes employers seek on a resume remain the same-problem solving skills, team work skills, analytical/quantitative skills, verbal and written communication skills. However, given the pandemic or any other unexpected shock to work environment, how to quickly and efficiently adapt to new work modes can be a very valuable attribute standing out on resume.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Special Projects Managers?
Robert Mcnab Ph.D.: Graduates will enter a workplace that is dramatically different than a couple of years ago. Remote work, which once was frowned upon by many managers, has become commonplace for many organizations. It is likely that many graduates will do most of their interviewing on Zoom or similar software and some may start their jobs remotely. We should not expect remote interviewing to go away as it increases efficiency and effectiveness. Economics graduates are likely to be in demand given the numerous economic shocks from the pandemic. Understanding how to communicate economic concepts and apply tools and techniques is of increasing importance.
Jennifer Tockman
Director of Career Development and BOLD Women's Leadership NetworkColby-Sawyer College
What type of skills will young Special Projects Managers need?
Jennifer Tockman: Flexibility, ability to adapt to whatever style work style, and the environment we are using given the world around us, working as a team (even if remote), can be a self-learner, especially in a private fashion. Excellent communication skills are also essential for success.