Salary Range & Percentiles
Pay distribution across experience levels
- 10th Percentile — Entry Level$61,580
- 25th Percentile — Junior$78,440
- 50th Percentile — Median$102,320
- 75th Percentile — Senior$133,100
- 90th Percentile — Top Earners$167,970
The top 10% of Project Management Specialists earn $167,970 or more per year. Entry-level professionals can expect to start around $61,580, with significant growth over the first 5 years.
What Project Management Specialists Do
Role, training and entry requirements
Project management specialists plan and coordinate projects from start to finish. They define scope, build schedules and budgets, coordinate team members and vendors, track progress, and report to stakeholders across industries such as technology, construction, healthcare, and consulting.
How to become one
Most have a bachelor's degree, often in business or a field related to their industry. Certifications such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) are widely recognized and can strengthen a candidate's prospects.
Salary by State
Geographic salary comparison
| State | Avg Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $127,900 | +15.5% |
| Washington | $127,580 | +15.2% |
| New York | $126,260 | +14.0% |
| California | $124,430 | +12.4% |
| Virginia | $123,390 | +11.4% |
| Massachusetts | $120,970 | +9.2% |
| Delaware | $120,830 | +9.1% |
| District of Columbia | $119,530 | +7.9% |
| Colorado | $118,680 | +7.2% |
| New Mexico | $117,000 | +5.7% |
| Oregon | $115,770 | +4.5% |
| Connecticut | $113,490 | +2.5% |
| Maryland | $112,710 | +1.8% |
| Rhode Island | $112,110 | +1.2% |
| Illinois | $111,230 | +0.4% |
| Alabama | $109,660 | -1.0% |
| Georgia | $108,080 | -2.4% |
| North Carolina | $107,630 | -2.8% |
| Pennsylvania | $106,910 | -3.5% |
| Iowa | $106,580 | -3.8% |
| Kansas | $106,050 | -4.2% |
| Nevada | $106,040 | -4.2% |
| Arizona | $105,310 | -4.9% |
| Michigan | $104,690 | -5.5% |
| Maine | $104,230 | -5.9% |
| Texas | $104,210 | -5.9% |
| Alaska | $103,850 | -6.2% |
| Florida | $103,780 | -6.3% |
| Idaho | $103,630 | -6.4% |
| Ohio | $102,210 | -7.7% |
| Utah | $101,770 | -8.1% |
| Minnesota | $101,580 | -8.3% |
| South Carolina | $101,350 | -8.5% |
| North Dakota | $100,790 | -9.0% |
| Wisconsin | $99,720 | -10.0% |
| Missouri | $99,600 | -10.1% |
| Indiana | $98,560 | -11.0% |
| Wyoming | $98,200 | -11.3% |
| West Virginia | $97,340 | -12.1% |
| New Hampshire | $97,090 | -12.3% |
| Montana | $96,530 | -12.8% |
| Louisiana | $96,070 | -13.2% |
| Oklahoma | $94,400 | -14.8% |
| Tennessee | $93,630 | -15.5% |
| Vermont | $90,600 | -18.2% |
| Hawaii | $90,380 | -18.4% |
| Mississippi | $89,910 | -18.8% |
| Kentucky | $89,470 | -19.2% |
| South Dakota | $88,360 | -20.2% |
| Nebraska | $86,240 | -22.1% |
| Arkansas | $84,850 | -23.4% |
What Factors Affect Project Management Specialists Salary?
Key factors affecting compensation
Pay for Project Management Specialists is influenced by geographic location, years of experience, employer type, and educational background. Location alone is a large factor: New Jersey pays an average of $127,900, while Arkansas pays $84,850 — a gap of $43,050 per year.
Industry and project scale matter most: specialists managing large technology, engineering, or defense projects tend to earn the most. Certification, technical expertise, and experience managing larger budgets and teams all move pay upward.
These figures are the wages employers report to BLS: base pay plus commissions, production bonuses and tips. They exclude overtime pay, shift differentials, year-end bonuses, benefits and self-employed workers, so total compensation can be higher than the numbers shown.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) · May 2025
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this salary
What is the average salary for Project Management Specialists?
The average salary for Project Management Specialists in the United States is $110,740 per year, with a median of $102,320.
What is the starting salary for Project Management Specialists?
Entry-level Project Management Specialists typically earn between $61,580 and $78,440 per year depending on location and employer.
What state pays Project Management Specialists the most?
New Jersey pays Project Management Specialists the most at $127,900 per year on average, followed by Washington ($127,580) and New York ($126,260).
How much do Project Management Specialists make per hour?
Based on the average annual salary of $110,740, Project Management Specialists earn approximately $53.24 per hour (based on 2,080 working hours/year).
Is Project Management Specialists a good career in 2026?
BLS counts 1,066,670 Project Management Specialists jobs in the United States, with a mean annual wage of $110,740 and a median of $102,320 (OEWS May 2025). This site does not publish job-growth projections; the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook covers the outlook for each occupation.
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