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.

Cities tracked
50
National average
$78400

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, Wichita, KS delivers the strongest real buying power (about $322,951 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$116207$73460$146129108.3$107335
Seattle, WA$109680$79850$177760111.1$110759
Fort Worth, TX$108341$54802$145818103.1$105094
Raleigh, NC$100050$59988$12809298.2$101929
Denver, CO$99250$59230$216000105.8$115946
New York, NY$95120$56950$186360112.6$100211
San Jose, CA$82130$47600$179980110.4$92698
Colorado Springs, CO$79060$52510$169210100.7$93906
Oakland, CA$77290$45250$177580115.6$85631
San Francisco, CA$77290$45250$177580115.6$85631
Washington, DC$77190$49690$163060108.9$90050
Miami, FL$74080$39080$135990114.2$77027
Houston, TX$73130$36520$15659098.6$86121
Charlotte, NC$72810$43640$22255097.3$101882
Baltimore, MD$72560$47270$145630104.5$85752
Chicago, IL$72100$40180$137490103.6$81326
San Diego, CA$72010$37430$173220111.9$82208
Philadelphia, PA$70040$46030$130450102.6$77296
Sacramento, CA$67730$36210$132790106.7$75082
Austin, TX$66460$39050$12616098.1$79069
Milwaukee, WI$65000$48380$10661096.9$78670
Mesa, AZ$64490$40290$115980103.3$73009
Phoenix, AZ$64490$40290$115980103.3$73009
Atlanta, GA$64130$35360$133120100.1$78864
Long Beach, CA$64080$39400$151750113.6$72284
Los Angeles, CA$64080$39400$151750113.6$72284
Nashville, TN$64020$31310$12499096.3$75848
Minneapolis, MN$63970$47220$112240104.8$73696
Indianapolis, IN$62370$38750$11627095.7$75217
Portland, OR$62040$50200$130080105.4$74150
Detroit, MI$61810$44190$107400100.3$70430
Omaha, NE$61710$41740$10085091.9$74300
Arlington, TX$61430$39360$130890
Dallas, TX$61430$39360$130890103.1$72626
Las Vegas, NV$60800$35750$100280100.2$68762
Fresno, CA$60210$33700$138230102.2$73602
Louisville, KY$60040$33740$8571093.1$65174
Tucson, AZ$59680$38430$9753096.9$68517
Kansas City, MO$57990$34650$10140092.5$71232
Oklahoma City, OK$57900$37450$14071090.4$84141
Jacksonville, FL$57120$31160$11899099.5$67981
Cleveland, OH$56900$36470$109310
Memphis, TN$56480$36410$10759092.2$70504
San Antonio, TX$56390$17690$12881094.7$70769
Albuquerque, NM$54000$36920$10044095.5$69119
Tulsa, OK$51490$35210$12809089.2$80514
Wichita, KS$50680$31130$8702018.3$322951
El Paso, TX$49870$32730$11161089.9$70424
Columbus, OH$48970$36890$9082095.5$61591
New Orleans, LA$47040$27500$8159026.3$205665

“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.

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