Project Manager Salary by U.S. City (2026)

Project Manager salaries across 50 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles, plus cost-of-living-adjusted real pay. Compare metros.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) & BEA Regional Price Parities · Updated June 2026

Cities tracked
50
National average
$78,400

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How Project Manager pay varies by city

Across the 50 U.S. metros tracked here, Project Manager pay ranges from about $47,040 in New Orleans, LA to $116,207 in Boston, MA (median wage). But the highest nominal pay isn’t the best deal once local prices are factored in: adjusted for cost of living, Denver, CO delivers the strongest real buying power (about $115,946 in national-average dollars). The U.S. national average for this role is about $78,400.

The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.

CityMedian10th %ile90th %ileCost of living
(US = 100)		Real pay
(COL-adjusted)
Boston, MA$116,207$73,460$146,129108.3$107,301
Seattle, WA$109,680$79,850$177,760111.1$98,722
Fort Worth, TX$108,341$54,802$145,818103.1$105,083
Raleigh, NC$100,050$59,988$128,09298.2$101,884
Denver, CO$99,250$59,230$216,000105.8$93,809
New York, NY$95,120$56,950$186,360112.6$84,476
San Jose, CA$82,130$47,600$179,980110.4$74,393
Colorado Springs, CO$79,060$52,510$169,210100.7$78,510
Oakland, CA$77,290$45,250$177,580115.6$66,860
San Francisco, CA$77,290$45,250$177,580115.6$66,860
Washington, DC$77,190$49,690$163,060108.9$70,882
Miami, FL$74,080$39,080$135,990114.2$64,869
Houston, TX$73,130$36,520$156,59098.6$74,168
Charlotte, NC$72,810$43,640$222,55097.3$74,830
Baltimore, MD$72,560$47,270$145,630104.5$69,435
Chicago, IL$72,100$40,180$137,490103.6$69,595
San Diego, CA$72,010$37,430$173,220111.9$64,352
Philadelphia, PA$70,040$46,030$130,450102.6$68,265
Sacramento, CA$67,730$36,210$132,790106.7$63,477
Austin, TX$66,460$39,050$126,16098.1$67,747
Milwaukee, WI$65,000$48,380$106,61096.9$67,079
Phoenix, AZ$64,490$40,290$115,980103.3$62,430
Mesa, AZ$64,490$40,290$115,980103.3$62,430
Atlanta, GA$64,130$35,360$133,120100.1$64,066
Los Angeles, CA$64,080$39,400$151,750113.6$56,408
Long Beach, CA$64,080$39,400$151,750113.6$56,408
Nashville, TN$64,020$31,310$124,99096.3$66,480
Minneapolis, MN$63,970$47,220$112,240104.8$61,040
Indianapolis, IN$62,370$38,750$116,27095.7$65,172
Portland, OR$62,040$50,200$130,080105.4$58,861
Detroit, MI$61,810$44,190$107,400100.3$61,625
Omaha, NE$61,710$41,740$100,85091.9$67,149
Dallas, TX$61,430$39,360$130,890103.1$59,583
Arlington, TX$61,430$39,360$130,890——
Las Vegas, NV$60,800$35,750$100,280100.2$60,679
Fresno, CA$60,210$33,700$138,230102.2$58,914
Louisville, KY$60,040$33,740$85,71093.1$64,490
Tucson, AZ$59,680$38,430$97,53096.9$61,589
Kansas City, MO$57,990$34,650$101,40092.5$62,692
Oklahoma City, OK$57,900$37,450$140,71090.4$64,049
Jacksonville, FL$57,120$31,160$118,99099.5$57,407
Cleveland, OH$56,900$36,470$109,310——
Memphis, TN$56,480$36,410$107,59092.2$61,258
San Antonio, TX$56,390$17,690$128,81094.7$59,546
Albuquerque, NM$54,000$36,920$100,44095.5$56,545
Tulsa, OK$51,490$35,210$128,09089.2$57,724
Wichita, KS$50,680$31,130$87,02088.9$57,008
El Paso, TX$49,870$32,730$111,61089.9$55,473
Columbus, OH$48,970$36,890$90,82095.5$51,277
New Orleans, LA$47,040$27,500$81,59092.6$50,799

“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.

Compare cost of living

Frequently Asked Questions

The national average for Project Managers is $78,400 per year, based on BLS OEWS wage data. Metro-level pay varies widely: across the 50 cities we track, average pay runs from $47,040 in New Orleans to $116,207 in Boston.

Boston leads after adjusting for the local cost of living: its $116,207 average pay is worth about $107,301 in national-average dollars, ahead of Fort Worth at $105,083.

Real pay divides the metro's average wage by its Regional Price Parity from the BEA, so expensive and cheap cities can be compared directly. Boston's index is 108.3, so its $116,207 average equals about $107,301 in national buying power.

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