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The national median salary for Project Management Specialists is $100,755 per year ($48.44/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $76,939 and $131,664 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $165,797 per year. There are approximately 1,006,160 project management specialists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Analyze and coordinate the schedule, timeline, procurement, staffing, and budget of a product or service on a per project basis. Lead and guide the work of technical staff. May serve as a point of contact for the client or customer.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+5.6%
Faster than average
Annual openings
78K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
1.0M
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
8% from new growth92% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
93K
$105,890
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
72K
$127,290
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
71K
$100,880
Nonresidential Building Construction
NAICS 236200
67K
$102,040
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
49K
$114,660
Wage range across top 5 industries: $100,880 to $127,290 (26% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$28.77
$59,842
P25
$36.99
$76,939
P50MEDIAN
$48.44
$100,755
P75
$63.30
$131,664
P90
$79.71
$165,797
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · finance sector
Hot
Openings Rate
6.0%
Quits Rate
1.2%
Finance and Insurance openings surged to 428K (+98K) in March, pushing the openings rate to 6.0% -- the highest in any major sector. Quits ticked up to 1.2%. Demand for finance talent has reaccelerated sharply.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average project management specialists salary?
The national median salary for Project Management Specialists is $100,755 per year ($48.44/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $76,939 and $131,664 annually.
How much do top-earning project management specialists make?
The 90th percentile salary for Project Management Specialists is $165,797 per year ($79.71/hr). The 75th percentile is $131,664 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for project management specialists?
Entry-level Project Management Specialists (10th percentile) earn approximately $59,842 per year ($28.77/hr). The 25th percentile is $76,939 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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