Project Manager Salary
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Project manager postings advertised a median salary range of $98,000 to $140,000 in October 2026, in our US Job Postings Report: October 2026. That range is from postings that state pay: 4,733 of the 8,305 we read on US employers' career sites, or 57%. These are advertised ranges, which can differ from what people end up earning.
Salary by level: bottom, middle and top of the range
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| Level | Bottom | Middle | Top | Postings that state pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intern | $48k | $55k | $62k | 131 |
| Junior | $70k | $83k | $94k | 259 |
| Mid | $80k | $98k | $123k | 173 |
| Senior | $115k | $139k | $163k | 1,044 |
| Lead | $106k | $133k | $158k | 892 |
| Principal | - | - | - | - |
| Director | $148k | $179k | $207k | 205 |
| Executive | - | - | - | - |
57% of project manager postings state pay, and the chart is of those. Each bar runs from the median bottom of the advertised range to its median top, and the gap marks the middle. A dash means we do not publish that figure this month. These are advertised ranges, which can differ from what people end up earning.
Salary by industry
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| Industry | Bottom | Middle | Top | Postings that state pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction & real estate | $110k | $129k | $150k | 957 |
| Manufacturing & industry | $99k | $127k | $155k | 876 |
| Professional services | $98k | $125k | $141k | 571 |
| Technology / IT | $101k | $125k | $145k | 649 |
| Energy, utilities & mining | $100k | $122k | $139k | 224 |
| Finance & insurance | $98k | $121k | $143k | 299 |
| Healthcare | $91k | $115k | $137k | 459 |
| Retail & consumer goods | $77k | $85k | $98k | 106 |
| Education | $65k | $71k | $77k | 179 |
By the sector of the employer's main industry, of postings that state pay, highest middle first. A sector with fewer than 100 such postings, or where one employer holds over 30% of them, is left out. Industry is read by our AI. Checked on 500 random postings, it was about 90% right.
Of the 4,733 postings that state pay, the middle of the advertised range is $133,000 at lead level, $139,000 at senior level, and $179,000 at director level.
Skills named in postings
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| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Project management | 41% |
| Excel | 21% |
| Risk management | 20% |
| Microsoft Office | 18% |
| Project scheduling | 13% |
| Scheduling | 13% |
| Project planning | 13% |
| PowerPoint | 13% |
| Communication | 12% |
| Budgeting | 11% |
| Word | 11% |
| Budget management | 11% |
| Microsoft Project | 10% |
| Project coordination | 10% |
| Stakeholder management | 9% |
Salary by skill named in postings
| Scheduling | $122k | $120k | +$2k | +$12k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Project | $125k | $120k | +$5k | +$6k |
| Risk management | $133k | $115k | +$18k | +$6k |
| Budgeting | $124k | $120k | +$4k | +$5k |
| Project scheduling | $122k | $120k | +$2k | $0k |
| Budget management | $126k | $120k | +$6k | $0k |
| Communication | $107k | $123k | −$15k | $0k |
| Word | $104k | $122k | −$18k | −$3k |
| Stakeholder management | $130k | $120k | +$11k | −$3k |
| Project management | $125k | $118k | +$7k | −$3k |
| Excel | $105k | $125k | −$20k | −$5k |
| Microsoft Office | $109k | $123k | −$14k | −$6k |
| Project planning | $120k | $120k | $0k | −$8k |
| PowerPoint | $110k | $122k | −$13k | −$10k |
| Project coordination | $77k | $125k | −$48k | - |
The middle of the advertised range for postings that name each skill and for those that do not, of 4,732 postings that state pay. Senior postings name different skills from junior ones, so the plain difference partly measures seniority. “At the same level” compares postings of one level at a time and weighs the levels by the postings naming the skill; it stands on the postings whose title gives a level, which is a minority, and is a dash where no level has 50 postings on each side. A skill with fewer than 100 postings on either side, or where one employer holds over 30% of them, is left out.
Project management appears in 41% of postings, Excel in 21%, and risk management in 20%.
Also in postings this month
Bonus, equity and commission
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| Extra | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Bonus | 29% |
| Equity | 12% |
| Commission | 2% |
| Sign-on bonus | 0% |
From 8,297 postings. Bonus, commission and equity are read by our AI, which was right on 140 of 146 postings checked and found 140 of 154.
Benefits named
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| Benefit | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Health | 58% |
| Retirement | 57% |
| Paid leave | 54% |
| Learning budget | 26% |
| Parental leave | 20% |
| Remote stipend | 1% |
| Four-day week | 0% |
From 8,297 postings. Health means medical, dental or vision cover; retirement, a pension or 401(k); paid leave, paid time off, vacation or paid holidays; learning budget, money for training, tuition or conferences; remote stipend, an allowance for a home office, internet or coworking. Benefits are read by our AI, which was right on 219 of 241 postings checked and found 219 of 243.
Remote, hybrid or onsite
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| Work mode | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Onsite | 57% |
| Hybrid | 23% |
| Remote | 20% |
78% of project manager postings state a work mode, and the chart is of those.
Education
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| Education | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 84% |
| Secondary school | 9% |
| Vocational training | 5% |
| Master's degree | 2% |
| No formal education | 0% |
| Doctorate | 0% |
71% of project manager postings state education, and the chart is of those. 33% say experience can stand in for a degree. Experience in place of a degree is read by our AI, which was right on 65 of 67 postings checked and found 65 of 78.
Who hires
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| Industry | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Construction & real estate | 26% |
| Manufacturing & industry | 15% |
| Technology / IT | 14% |
| Professional services | 12% |
| Healthcare | 10% |
| Finance & insurance | 5% |
| Energy, utilities & mining | 5% |
| Education | 4% |
| Retail & consumer goods | 3% |
| Government & public sector | - |
| Nonprofit | 1% |
Every sector with at least 1% of the 8,006 project manager postings that name an industry, by the sector of the employer's main industry. A dash is a sector where one employer holds over 30% of its postings. Industry is read by our AI. Checked on 500 random postings, it was about 90% right.
Using these figures
Project manager postings ask for 5 years of experience at lead level, 7 years at senior level, and 8 years at director level. Those figures can help you read the level a posting has in mind when the title alone does not say. When you are asked for salary expectations or weigh an offer, the advertised range for the level that matches your experience is a useful reference.
Postings name Excel in 21% of listings; include it on your resume if you use it in your work. For full resumes written for this job, see our project manager resume examples.
Compare every role in the US Job Postings Report: October 2026.
From 8,305 project manager postings at 2,461 employers' career sites we crawl, first seen October 1 to 31, 2026, in the United States. This is not all US jobs: we read employers with an online career site, which leans toward tech and toward mid-size and large companies, and we keep adding employers. So a posting count is only a sample size. Role, level, work mode and education are read from each posting by our AI and were checked against the postings on a sample of 1,049: role 96% right, level 94%, work mode 85%, education 98%, years 99%. Skills are read the same way and have had a lighter check: a second model, on 108 postings, found 96% named in the posting and 87% really skills. Visa sponsorship is read the same way and was checked against the postings: 129 of 150 that our AI counted as sponsoring say so, and most of the others only accept people who already hold a visa. Of 3,350 postings it did not count that mention a visa, 3 say they sponsor. So the visa shares run a little high.
