Pay by state · 54 areas
Project Management Specialist Salary by State (2026)
Project Management Specialists earn the most in Washington at $124,160 a year and the least in Arkansas at $77,170 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $102,320. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $124,160Washington
- National median
- $102,320BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $77,170Arkansas
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for project management specialists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Delaware comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Washington$124,160
- 2New Jersey$122,980
- 3Delaware$122,190
- 4New York$121,040
- 5California$120,910
Lowest median pay
- 1Arkansas$77,170
- 2Hawaii$78,000
- 3Mississippi$78,870
- 4Nebraska$80,150
- 5Vermont$80,800
All states
Project Management Specialist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of project management specialists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $124,160 | $92,830 | $162,490 | 36,240 | $116,023 |
| 2 | NJNew Jersey | $122,980 | $92,850 | $155,490 | 28,300 | $113,028 |
| 3 | DEDelaware | $122,190 | $97,130 | $136,510 | 1,770 | $122,425 |
| 4 | NYNew York | $121,040 | $91,660 | $160,220 | 68,020 | $112,156 |
| 5 | CACalifornia | $120,910 | $85,620 | $155,850 | 114,380 | $109,203 |
| 6 | VAVirginia | $120,840 | $85,550 | $158,050 | 43,860 | $119,520 |
| 7 | MAMassachusetts | $114,190 | $87,290 | $144,990 | 21,960 | $107,974 |
| 8 | COColorado | $110,050 | $85,010 | $136,990 | 32,390 | $106,791 |
| 9 | NMNew Mexico | $106,970 | $79,460 | $155,990 | 4,330 | $116,004 |
| 10 | OROregon | $105,480 | $81,260 | $134,270 | 19,380 | $102,050 |
| 11 | CTConnecticut | $105,240 | $81,490 | $135,100 | 8,410 | $101,573 |
| 12 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $104,900 | $79,340 | $143,440 | 5,170 | $95,450 |
| 13 | RIRhode Island | $104,680 | $79,890 | $132,750 | 3,880 | $102,346 |
| 14 | MDMaryland | $104,040 | $80,010 | $134,630 | 30,530 | $99,124 |
| 15 | ILIllinois | $103,470 | $81,000 | $132,360 | 27,180 | $103,513 |
| 16 | GAGeorgia | $102,140 | $77,470 | $132,550 | 28,900 | $106,072 |
| 17 | MEMaine | $101,830 | $80,060 | $126,020 | 2,620 | $104,925 |
| 18 | MIMichigan | $100,970 | $78,290 | $129,310 | 25,330 | $104,940 |
| 19 | ALAlabama | $100,820 | $78,010 | $132,500 | 3,190 | $113,507 |
| 20 | NCNorth Carolina | $100,820 | $77,970 | $130,690 | 36,200 | $106,885 |
| 21 | PAPennsylvania | $100,150 | $78,370 | $128,640 | 36,150 | $102,642 |
| 22 | KSKansas | $100,010 | $75,990 | $128,780 | 6,030 | $111,038 |
| 23 | NVNevada | $99,940 | $77,460 | $130,010 | 8,290 | $99,961 |
| 24 | AKAlaska | $99,580 | $74,330 | $126,110 | 1,950 | $97,285 |
| 25 | AZArizona | $99,050 | $75,870 | $129,750 | 22,920 | $98,384 |
| 26 | TXTexas | $98,440 | $74,810 | $129,370 | 138,960 | $101,425 |
| 27 | FLFlorida | $98,070 | $75,820 | $128,640 | 76,370 | $94,832 |
| 28 | MNMinnesota | $97,860 | $79,000 | $123,080 | 18,850 | $99,228 |
| 29 | WIWisconsin | $97,580 | $76,720 | $123,850 | 21,610 | $103,704 |
| 30 | UTUtah | $96,720 | $74,840 | $127,160 | 16,450 | $97,831 |
| 31 | IAIowa | $96,540 | $77,360 | $130,170 | 6,720 | $110,002 |
| 32 | NDNorth Dakota | $96,160 | $77,010 | $119,630 | 2,020 | $108,095 |
| 33 | OHOhio | $95,770 | $74,420 | $126,570 | 34,260 | $103,229 |
| 34 | IDIdaho | $95,630 | $71,410 | $128,780 | 5,750 | $100,142 |
| 35 | SCSouth Carolina | $95,040 | $72,960 | $125,480 | 17,040 | $101,377 |
| 36 | INIndiana | $95,020 | $72,690 | $122,260 | 11,970 | $101,812 |
| 37 | MOMissouri | $94,660 | $71,270 | $124,980 | 21,460 | $104,232 |
| 38 | WYWyoming | $94,080 | $71,830 | $120,090 | 1,180 | $101,499 |
| 39 | WVWest Virginia | $91,780 | $65,370 | $125,050 | 2,520 | $102,551 |
| 40 | NHNew Hampshire | $90,890 | $74,010 | $116,500 | 3,840 | $87,256 |
| 41 | MTMontana | $87,890 | $70,830 | $121,160 | 2,940 | $92,863 |
| 42 | OKOklahoma | $86,240 | $66,810 | $116,520 | 11,220 | $98,175 |
| 43 | TNTennessee | $85,890 | $70,220 | $112,350 | 20,780 | $93,491 |
| 44 | LALouisiana | $84,850 | $66,800 | $121,500 | 8,050 | $96,194 |
| 45 | SDSouth Dakota | $82,250 | $67,630 | $104,180 | 1,310 | $92,848 |
| 46 | KYKentucky | $81,700 | $64,130 | $104,860 | 10,250 | $90,618 |
| 47 | VTVermont | $80,800 | $66,830 | $101,620 | 1,190 | $82,484 |
| 48 | NENebraska | $80,150 | $62,390 | $102,820 | 3,190 | $88,954 |
| 49 | MSMississippi | $78,870 | $63,020 | $103,650 | 4,320 | $90,704 |
| 50 | HIHawaii | $78,000 | $62,460 | $104,990 | 1,560 | $70,941 |
| 51 | ARArkansas | $77,170 | $57,630 | $103,670 | 5,510 | $88,765 |
| 52 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $75,240 | $64,990 | $104,960 | 90 | N/A |
| 53 | GUGuam | $67,370 | $54,910 | $90,790 | 400 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $65,800 | $47,330 | $95,390 | 2,330 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For project management specialists, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $124,160, while Delaware leads once prices are taken into account at $122,425.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Project Management Specialist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays project management specialists the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for project management specialists at $124,160 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by New Jersey ($122,980) and Delaware ($122,190).
Which state pays project management specialists the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Arkansas reports the lowest median for project management specialists at $77,170 a year, $46,990 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $75,240, Guam reports $67,370 and Puerto Rico reports $65,800.
In which states do project management specialists earn over $100,000?
22 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is Washington; the lowest of them is Kansas at $100,010. The rest report less, down to $77,170 in Arkansas.
Is the highest-paying state the best for project management specialists after cost of living?
Not on this data. Washington pays the most on paper ($124,160) but ranks 3rd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($116,023). Delaware leads after that adjustment at $122,425, from a raw median of $122,190. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.