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How much does a project manager make?

The only real answer to this question is (the eternally frustrating), “Well, it depends…” As a project manager, your salary depends on factors like your:

  • Sector
  • Seniority—years of experience
  • Specialization
  • Location—which country? Urban or rural?
  • Project management education
  • Average project budget

So, we started surveying the DPM community to get specific insight into project management salaries according to these factors. Our survey was designed to find answers to questions like:

  • What’s a typical project manager salary?
  • What are the average salaries for related roles?
  • How are salaries changing over time?

Hundreds of participants from around the globe filled out our 2023 survey. I supplemented our survey with salary data from other sources on the web, and I’ve compiled the results here to help you better understand the project management career field as it continues to grow.

Take The 2024 Salary Survey!

We’re running our annual salary survey again for 2024, with the goal of providing insights on salaries to project managers around the world. Based on the data we collect through this survey, we’ll analyze trends across job title, location, and experience level to paint a clear picture of how much you should be getting paid. 

By adding your voice to the survey, you’re contributing to valuable research that will give you a leg up in salary and promotion negotiations. And once we’re done compiling and analyzing the data, we’ll email you the results directly (if desired).

2023 Digital Project Manager Salary Survey Results

So, how does our data stack up against other salary comparison websites out there? 

I compiled data from Indeed, Salary.com, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, and other salary comparison websites for 4 of the job titles we included in our survey: project manager, project coordinator, project director, and senior project manager.

NOTE

In our survey, we combined project director and senior project manager into one answer (the cells for those titles have the same number), but I separated these when taking data from the salary comparison sites.

 

We also asked respondents to include any additional cash compensation and bonuses in their yearly salaries.

All salaries use the currency of the specified country. We didn’t collect enough data from project coordinators in the United Kingdom, so that cell is blank. 

Job TitleUSA: Our DataUSA: Comparison SitesCanada: Our DataCanada: Comparison SitesUK: Our DataUK: Comparison Sites
Project Manager$100,459$96,512$99,395$95,434£44,444£56,711
Project Coordinator$52,333$55,355$66,680$60,240-£28,317
Project Director$120,549$97,916$112,733$119,366£57,508£79,937
Senior Project Manager$120,549$119,783$112,733$113,222£57,508£62,653

As you can see, the data we have for some roles is close to what the salary comparison sites are saying, and for some roles it’s quite a ways off. 

The closest numbers are generally the ones where we had the most responses; numbers that were farther apart are generally for roles where we didn’t have as much data (see the average salary for project managers in the UK—we had 26 respondents identify themselves as project managers in the UK, as opposed to 86 in the USA).

One major trend I observed this year was increases almost across the board. You can find country-specific details on this below, but overall, the roles of senior project manager and project director experienced increases of anywhere from 6% to 26% compared to last year. 

Project coordinators saw an increase of 25% in Canada, but a drop of 4% in the USA, according to our data. Project managers saw increases across all 3 countries: 13% in the UK, 31% in the United States, and a whopping 44% in Canada.

In 2020, I noted that upper-level PMO roles were undergoing a shift, possibly due to flattening workplace hierarchies, or ongoing conversations and regulations that have targeted pay inequality in corporations. 

While our data is limited, it’s fair to say that these trends may have contributed to the increases in salaries for positions such as project manager and project coordinator as they take on more responsibilities within a flattened hierarchy. 

However, it doesn’t account for the increases in more senior roles. This could be due to the higher reliance on those more senior positions in the transition phase to this more flattened hierarchy.

2023 Salary Survey Demographics

This year, we had hundreds of participants from around the globe, with the majority residing in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. The remaining 35% of respondents came from a collection of 58 countries—including India, Australia, Germany, and Mexico.

The large majority of respondents (86%) work on permanent contracts, with 14% working in contract or freelance roles. When it comes to remote work, 38% of respondents are working fully remote, 44% are splitting their time between the office and home in a hybrid setup, and only 18% are working full time in the office.

Here’s a breakdown of which industries respondents are in:

  • Software & IT: 31%
  • Media, Marketing, & Advertising: 20%
  • Construction & Engineering: 7%
  • Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, & Medical: 7%
  • Finance, Banking, & Insurance: 6%
  • Government, Public, & Nonprofit: 6%
  • Retail, Commerce, & Ecommerce: 6%
  • Telecommunications: 3%
  • Energy & Utilities: 2%
  • Transportation & Logistics: 1%
  • Other: 11%

USA Project Manager Salary Highlights

We received 200 responses from project managers in the USA. The salaries for full-time positions ranged from $29,000 to $360,000+. The average freelance project manager rate presented a wide pay range, varying from $51 to $2,000 a day.

average project manager salaries in the USA
American highlights from our salary survey.

Compared to 2020, this year’s survey results demonstrate salary increases for most project manager positions. The national average salary for project managers increased from roughly $76,632 to $100,459.

Senior project managers saw a similar increase from $97,452 to $120,549. Other higher level roles also saw increases in salary: head of project management had an increase from $106,882 to $165,795. Project coordinators saw a decrease from $54,394 to $52,333.

Read about enterprise project management salaries here.

UK Project Manager Salary Highlights

We received 63 responses from project managers in the United Kingdom, with 56% of respondents living in London. The project manager had a salary range from £25,000 to £138,000. The average freelance digital project manager rate varied from £120 to £450 a day.

average project manager salaries in the UK
Highlights for UK salaries from our survey.

Compared to 2020, senior project managers saw a modest jump from £54,424 to £57,508. Project managers saw a slightly larger increase from £39,468 to £44,444.

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Canada Project Manager Salary Highlights

We received 53 responses from project managers in Canada, with just over half coming from Toronto. These project mgmt salaries ranged from $36,400 to $250,000.

average project manager salaries in Canada
Canadian highlights from our salary survey.

In Canada I observed an increase in the salaries of project managers from $68,869 to $99,395. Project coordinators and senior project managers both saw raises as well, going from $53,267 to $66,680 and $89,631 to $112,733, respectively.

How Much Do Project Managers Make?

Otherwise known as, “Am I being paid what I’m worth?”

If you’re looking for an average project manager salary, you’ll find a wide range of answers from career sites and labor organizations. For instance, looking at the results from a few well-known career sites, the average PM salary in the US is reported to be $82,670 on Indeed and $117,534 on SalaryExpert.

I can do better than that.

Below, I show the results of calculating the average salaries for various project management roles by combining salary averages.

I combined the data from our 2023 Salary Survey with data from sites like GlassDoor, Payscale, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and other salary comparison sites. This is why the numbers you’ll see in this section differ slightly from the comparison table above.

I’ve only covered the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, but you can still use these estimates to get a basic idea of project management salaries.

Average Project Manager Salary

This is a broad category that includes project management roles across sectors like IT, government, healthcare, finance, construction, and many more.

  • Project manager salary Canada: $98,328 (CAD)
  • Project manager salary US: $100,238
  • Project manager salary UK: £46,423
average project manager salaries in the USA, UK, and Canada
Averages salaries for project managers in each country.

How much does a project manager make per hour?

Based on the average base salary listed above and calculated based on a 40-hour work week (which 76% of respondents globally are working, versus 18% working more than 40 hours and 6% working part-time), project managers earn an average of $47(CAD)/hour in Canada, $48/hour in the United States, and £22/hour in the United Kingdom.

Keep in mind that this hourly rate is a simple calculation based on average yearly salaries—not necessarily what you’d charge as your project manager hourly rate if you’re a contract, freelance, or work from home project manager.

Average Entry-Level Project Manager Salary

Entry-level PMs go by a few different titles. Typically, the salary falls within the same range as a junior project manager salary, project assistant salary, project coordinator salary, assistant project manager salary, or associate project manager salary.

Or, your role might also simply be “project manager”, but with pay starting on the lower end of the earning scale.

  • Entry-level project manager salary Canada: $63,460 (CAD)
  • Entry-level project manager salary United States: $53,923
  • Entry-level project manager salary United Kingdom: £31,329
average entry level project manager salaries in the USA, UK, and Canada
Averages salaries for entry-level project managers in each country.

NOTE

Are you starting to explore project management as a career? I recommend taking a look at our guide How to Become a Project Manager, which covers the process and goes into more detail about what project managers actually do.

Average Late-Career Project Manager Salary

Predicting what your salary would be as a late career, experienced, or senior PM gets tricky. This is because the project management career path can take you in many directions—and not all of them in project management. 

It’s important to keep this in mind when considering salary averages as your career advances: instead of looking at a senior PM role, you might be looking at a program manager or portfolio manager role, business analysis, operations, directorship, consulting, or many other positions.

The data below combines both our data for project directors/senior project managers (which we combined as the same role in our survey) and data from salary comparison sites for project directors and senior project managers separately.

  • Late career project manager salary Canada: $113,912 (CAD)
  • Late career project manager salary United States: $119,820
  • Late career project manager salary United Kingdom: £61,593
average late career project manager salaries in the USA, UK, and Canada
Averages salaries for senior and late career project managers in each country.

Project Manager Salary Considerations

As with any salary survey, it’s difficult to provide accurate summaries because there are so many variables. Here are a few things to think about as you’re interpreting the results above.

Contract vs. Permanent PMs

There are pros and cons of being a contractor versus a full-time employee. The major advantage of contracting being that you will likely get paid more. The disadvantage is that you may be thrown onto projects that are temporary or provide very little growth to your professional development. 

Sure, you may have a neat list of agencies that you’ve worked for here and there, but the projects need to be substantial enough to bring you to your next career move.

Generalist vs. Specialist Project Managers

If you have gathered significant experience under a certain skill set (ex. understanding a particular CMS really well), this can set you apart from other project managers. Roles like IT project managers or technical project managers tend to get higher pay due to highly specialized skill sets.

With this under your belt, it may allow you to work on more projects pertaining to your skill set and potentially draw a more premium salary within your industry. However, this is subject to supply and demand, so be sure to evaluate whether the skills you have will continue to be in-demand!

Industry: Information Technology and Banking PMs Always On The Money

A big part of determining a project manager’s salary is the industry in which they work. Large financial services companies or software companies are some of the highest paying organizations, compared to non-profits or smaller local companies.

Of course, at the end of the day, it’s about understanding your needs and what is the best fit.

Location: City Slickers Get The Big Bucks

The location factor will always be a salary influencer. Based on our past salary results, major cities that are bigger economic markets have been known to offer higher salaries—places like New York and San Francisco. This, of course, comes with higher expectations and slightly more pressure in performance, and many of these locations have a higher cost of living. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Project Management Careers

In this section, I’ll answer a few frequently asked questions about project managers.

What Qualifications & Skills Do Project Managers Need?

Generally, project manager qualifications include some type of college or post-secondary education, usually in the form of a bachelor’s degree. Beyond that, most organizations tend to favor project managers with a project management certification

The most commonly asked for certification in job descriptions and job postings is the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Having project management skills is often just as valuable as a specific certification. You’ll need a variety of both hard and soft skills—project planning, risk management, and scheduling, as well as things like organization, communication, and a healthy dose of critical thinking.

What Benefits Do Project Managers Receive?

Benefits vary company to company (and country to country—some countries require employers to provide things like a minimum number of vacation days or sick days).

In general, project managers can expect to receive competitive benefits—as covered above, it’s a well paying job, and those tend to come with good benefits. 

Beyond the standard benefits offered by most organizations (extended health care and savings plan matching for retirement, for example), there are new types of benefits popping up. 

You might see project management job benefits like time and budget for personal development, certifications, or continuing education; lifestyle budgets for things like exercise, nutrition, and ergonomic office equipment; unlimited vacation time; or a four day work week.

What Does The Project Management Career Path Look Like?

With such a wide variety of titles and roles in the project management space, there’s lots of room to explore and move up the food chain if you’re not happy with your current project manager job. 

For more about levels of seniority and adjacent project management roles, read this piece on project management careers

Project managers are blessed with so many transferable skills that you can translate the role into almost any industry or field. Why not look into film production, political roles like Chiefs of Staff, or even urban planning? 

What Do Project Managers Do?

Project managers lead and see projects through from initiation to close. We’re responsible for all sorts of things: creating timelines and estimates, motivating and leading the project team, keeping the project on schedule, managing risk, managing stakeholders, logging requirements, and more.

Read more about project manager responsibilities here

What’s Next?

If you didn’t get to participate in the survey this year, keep an eye out for our salary survey for 2024! The more insight we get from readers like you, the better data we can provide to the project management community at large.

If you found this information useful, subscribe to The Digital Project Manager newsletter. You’ll receive hand-picked content, useful insights and best practices, and juicy deets on other trends in the project management world each week.

By Ben Aston

I’m Ben Aston, a digital project manager and founder of thedpm.com. I've been in the industry for more than 20 years working in the UK at London’s top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. I’ve delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. I’ve been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony. I'm a Certified Scrum Master, PRINCE2 Practitioner and productivity nut!