How far does a project manager’s paycheck really go across the U.S.? We crunched the numbers using data from ZipRecruiter, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and state-level cost of living indices to find out where project managers earn the most in real terms.
Spoiler: It’s not California or New York.
Hover over the interactive map below to see the average salary for project managers in each state.
Teal states are where your money goes the furthest — these are the states paying over $110k as an average salary after the cost of living adjustment.
Yellow states have salaries of over $95k and the pink states are where you might find yourself stretched. Unsurprisingly, these are often the areas with the highest cost of living.
Why adjusted salary tells the real story
When you see headlines like “Project Managers in New Hampshire earn over $103,000,” it sounds great. That is until you remember the cost of housing, food, and everything else which can knock over $10k off your salary in real terms.
That’s why we adjusted salary figures by each state’s cost of living index, revealing where project managers truly get the most bang for their buck.
Top 10 US states for project managers (adjusted for cost of living)
| Rank | State | Adjusted BLS Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | $131,679 |
| 2 | Arkansas | $125,345 |
| 3 | Georgia | $124,861 |
| 4 | Kansas | $123,148 |
| 5 | Iowa | $121,960 |
| 6 | Tennessee | $118,627 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $118,615 |
| 8 | Kentucky | $118,418 |
| 9 | Indiana | $117,839 |
| 10 | Ohio | $116,391 |
The worst states for project managers (when cost of living is factored in)
Despite high headline salaries, these states offer the lowest adjusted salaries for project managers:
- Hawaii: Highest cost of living by far, crushing purchasing power.
- California: Sky-high housing costs drag down take-home value.
- New York: Similar story: solid pay, poor return.
Regional variations are key
Southern and Midwestern states dominate the top of the list when adjusted for affordability.
East and West Coast salaries look impressive until you factor in cost of living. Then they drop down the ranks.
Where you live as a project manager can drastically impact your real earnings. In Hawaii, the high cost of living reduces the value of a typical PM salary by over $50,000, while in Oklahoma, lower expenses effectively boost take-home value by around $16,000. Across the U.S., the difference between the best- and worst-value states spans a staggering $66,000, proving that location isn’t just a lifestyle choice, it’s a financial one.
Project managers in affordable states may not earn the most on paper but their pay goes further, and today, that can really make a difference for working families.
What this means for employers and project managers
Are you a hiring manager? Consider promoting your location as a benefit. Remote project managers will get more value in lower-COL states.
Are you a job seeker? Don’t chase a big salary without considering what it buys you. A $95k role in Texas might be worth more than $115k in San Francisco. Look at the package as a whole as well as the cost of living in the local area and compare roles on a like-for-like basis.
Methodology
We used:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics data for state-level median salaries for Project Management Specialists (SOC 13-1082).
- ZipRecruiter to verify regional averages.
- MERIC cost of living index (2023), where 100 = U.S. average.
We then calculated:
Adjusted Salary = (BLS Median Salary ÷ COL Index) × 100
