Median pay for project managers runs from $46,920 in Ponce to $157,300 in Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area — a 3.35× range across 521 metropolitan areas. The national median of $102,320 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
The top tenth of project managers earn $167,970 or more; the bottom tenth earn under $61,580. That is a 2.73× gap within the same occupation, in the same year. A spread this wide means the job title is not what determines pay — specialisation, employer type, seniority or book of business is. Expect the early years to sit near the bottom of the band rather than the middle, and treat the $102,320 median as a waypoint, not a destination.
Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area () leads and Ponce (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area | $157,300 | $75.63 | 1.02 | 590 |
| Dothan AL | $135,260 | $65.03 | 0.14 | 60 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $135,120 | $64.96 | 1.32 | 10,300 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $135,040 | $64.93 | 1.28 | 20,770 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $130,380 | $62.68 | 1.88 | 26,910 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $127,030 | $61.07 | 1.78 | 38,230 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $126,660 | $60.90 | 1.06 | 68,910 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $125,940 | $60.55 | 1.42 | 1,260 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $124,350 | $59.79 | 0.93 | 6,860 |
| Peoria IL | $123,730 | $59.48 | 0.64 | 730 |
| Boulder CO | $122,040 | $58.67 | 2.22 | 2,920 |
| Hanford-Corcoran CA | $118,380 | $56.91 | 0.27 | 90 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $117,460 | $56.47 | 1.02 | 10,740 |
| Warner Robins GA | $116,980 | $56.24 | 0.67 | 350 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $116,740 | $56.12 | 1.88 | 20,710 |
| Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $116,090 | $55.81 | 0.86 | 340 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $114,990 | $55.28 | 1.02 | 18,840 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $113,750 | $54.69 | 1.02 | 1,680 |
| Huntsville AL | $112,130 | $53.91 | 0.46 | 850 |
| Colorado Springs CO | $111,740 | $53.72 | 1.48 | 3,200 |
| Kokomo IN | $110,920 | $53.33 | 0.29 | 70 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $109,990 | $52.88 | 0.71 | 1,960 |
| Dover DE | $109,940 | $52.86 | 0.22 | 100 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy NY | $109,850 | $52.81 | 1.05 | 3,240 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic CT | $109,800 | $52.79 | 1.06 | 920 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce PR | $46,920 | $22.56 | 0.28 | 120 |
| Aguadilla PR | $49,610 | $23.85 | 1.2 | 400 |
| Mayaguez PR | $56,750 | $27.28 | 0.18 | 60 |
| Lincoln NE | $64,710 | $31.11 | 0.76 | 950 |
| Jonesboro AR | $66,430 | $31.94 | 0.29 | 120 |
| East Arkansas nonmetropolitan area | $66,540 | $31.99 | 0.2 | 90 |
| Hot Springs AR | $69,110 | $33.23 | 0.51 | 140 |
| Eagle Pass TX | $69,550 | $33.44 | 0.26 | 30 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX | $69,910 | $33.61 | 0.53 | 1,080 |
| Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area | $70,200 | $33.75 | 0.76 | 460 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder CO | $122,040 | $58.67 | 2.22 | 2,920 |
| Lexington Park MD | $103,700 | $49.86 | 2.02 | 980 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $102,390 | $49.23 | 1.97 | 17,470 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $116,740 | $56.12 | 1.88 | 20,710 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $130,380 | $62.68 | 1.88 | 26,910 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $127,030 | $61.07 | 1.78 | 38,230 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $108,340 | $52.09 | 1.74 | 14,440 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray UT | $98,000 | $47.12 | 1.59 | 8,990 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | $103,720 | $49.87 | 1.58 | 14,700 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $99,510 | $47.84 | 1.58 | 35,550 |
| Raleigh-Cary NC | $102,280 | $49.18 | 1.56 | 7,930 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $98,900 | $47.55 | 1.55 | 43,120 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $126,660 | $60.90 | 1.06 | 68,910 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $98,900 | $47.55 | 1.55 | 43,120 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $108,310 | $52.07 | 0.9 | 38,540 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $127,030 | $61.07 | 1.78 | 38,230 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $99,510 | $47.84 | 1.58 | 35,550 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $130,380 | $62.68 | 1.88 | 26,910 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $103,400 | $49.71 | 1.06 | 21,060 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $105,320 | $50.64 | 0.68 | 21,040 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $135,040 | $64.93 | 1.28 | 20,770 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $116,740 | $56.12 | 1.88 | 20,710 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $98,720 | $47.46 | 1 | 19,340 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $114,990 | $55.28 | 1.02 | 18,840 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 13-1082. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 521 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.