The following article discusses the career path of Project Manager. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Project Managers.
Job Duties
Project managers are responsible for different projects within the organization. They plan and create strategies that define the goals of the project and the time frame in which it should be completed. They also document and coordinate the project team, assigning tasks to individual members, while supporting and directing the team as a whole. Furthermore, they manage the timeline, the budget, and the available resources for the project itself.
They examine any problems they encounter and develops solutions. They implement any changes as are needed to make sure the timeline is followed and the deadline can be reached within budget. They also report on the progress of their project to stakeholders, senior project managers, and the Board of Directors.
Other job duties of a project manager are:
- To assign the different resources to the elements of the projects, monitoring the objectives
- To create plans and budgets in order to reach all relevant targets
- To ensure that any issues are resolved in order to reach the relevant goals
- To communicate with the team about changes in performance, goals, or tasks
- To take part in contract finalization and client meetings
- To develop new specifications and requirements
Where We Work
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 281,700 administrative services managers in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals were:
- Educational services; state, local, and private: 13%
- Healthcare and social assistance: 13%
- Professional, scientific, and technical services: 9%
- Finance and insurance: 8%
- Local government, excluding education and hospitals: 7%
How to Become
Project managers usually have at least a bachelor’s degree. They must be very strong communicators with excellent problem solving and organizational skills, as well as being motivational leaders. This is often more than can be gained solely from completing a bachelor’s degree, which is why project managers are usually expected to have several years of relevant professional experience as well.
Education Requirements
Typically, project managers have at least a bachelor’s degree in order to gain employment in this field. Usually, the major of the degree is in information management, facility management, engineering, business, or related field. Work experience is also very important and this must reflect their leadership and managerial experiences. Usually, they have experience in project management, business operations, buildings maintenance, and so on. They also often have some administrative experience, particularly in relation to record keeping.
Certifications and licenses are not required for project managers, but it does provide a significant advantage, particularly if they have certification in a relevant field. Some of the applicable certifications, offered by the Project Management Institute, include:
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Program Management Professional (PgMP)
- Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP)
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
- PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)
- PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
- PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)
- PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)
Traits & Qualities
The most effective project managers have the following traits to some degree or other:
- Strong analytical skills
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
- Detail oriented
- Strong leadership skills
Minimum Education
Bachelor’s Degree
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- Most Reported
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$24,000
$170,000
The following section lists Project Manager salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, California had the largest quoted salary of $87,996 while Montana had the smallest quoted salary of $57,085.
| Alaska – $86,036 | Rank: 4th |
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The average salary ranks 4th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, Wipro, City of Seward, and TEKsystems.
$19,000 $200,000 Salary Distribution
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| Alabama – $80,430 | Rank: 18th |
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The average salary ranks 18th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like U.S. Army, Construction Professionals Mullin Company, MATRIX Resources, and AIC.
$23,000 $172,000 Salary Distribution
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| Arkansas – $68,697 | Rank: 42nd |
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The average salary ranks 42nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Infosys, ANCHOR PERSONNEL NETWORK, LLC, UST Global, and Agile Attributes, LLC.
$20,000 $146,000 Salary Distribution
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| Arizona – $75,328 | Rank: 30th |
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The average salary ranks 30th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, Progressive Recruitment, AIC, and CorTech, LLC.
$25,000 $152,000 Salary Distribution
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| California – $87,996 | Rank: 1st |
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The average salary ranks 1st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like TEKsystems, Apple, Chevron, and Ericsson.
$28,000 $181,000 Salary Distribution
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| Colorado – $77,474 | Rank: 23rd |
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The average salary ranks 23rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Kaiser Permanente, U.S. Army, Mason Frank International, and Select Source International Pvt Ltd.
$21,000 $169,000 Salary Distribution
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| Connecticut – $84,257 | Rank: 9th |
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The average salary ranks 9th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Apollo Professional Solutions, Inc., ACT-Consulting, epromptus inc, and TCA Consulting Group Inc..
$28,000 $171,000 Salary Distribution
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| DC – $85,416 | Rank: 7th |
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The average salary ranks 7th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Cognizant Technology Solutions, Mason Frank, Primastep LLC, and Piper Companies.
$28,000 $173,000 Salary Distribution
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| Delaware – $79,029 | Rank: 20th |
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The average salary ranks 20th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Infosys, NITYO INFOTECH, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank Of America.
$25,000 $163,000 Salary Distribution
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| Florida – $74,646 | Rank: 32nd |
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The average salary ranks 32nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Citi, Syntel, U.S. Air Force, and Capgemini.
$22,000 $157,000 Salary Distribution
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| Georgia – $77,561 | Rank: 22nd |
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The average salary ranks 22nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like MATRIX Resources, Pyramid Consulting Group, Crystal Equation, and Capgemini.
$21,000 $168,000 Salary Distribution
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| Hawaii – $76,992 | Rank: 25th |
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The average salary ranks 25th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, TEKsystems, Armstrong Franklin Technology, and Spencer Ogden Energy.
$23,000 $161,000 Salary Distribution
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| Iowa – $65,984 | Rank: 48th |
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The average salary ranks 48th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like gpac, Infosys, CyberCoders, and Wells Fargo.
$17,000 $147,000 Salary Distribution
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| Idaho – $67,237 | Rank: 46th |
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The average salary ranks 46th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like PETERSON CONSULTING GROUP, Rose International, CyberCoders, and Wipro.
$17,000 $150,000 Salary Distribution
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| Illinois – $80,971 | Rank: 15th |
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The average salary ranks 15th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Accenture, Caterpillar, Health Care Service Corporation, and TEKsystems.
$25,000 $166,000 Salary Distribution
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| Indiana – $71,022 | Rank: 38th |
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The average salary ranks 38th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Kingsley Rose, Cerebral Group LLC, Expert Hiring LLC, and Interpro Inc.
$20,000 $152,000 Salary Distribution
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| Kansas – $68,083 | Rank: 43rd |
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The average salary ranks 43rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Capgemini, CRTechnical, gpac, and Ericsson.
$20,000 $144,000 Salary Distribution
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| Kentucky – $72,079 | Rank: 36th |
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The average salary ranks 36th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like V-Soft Consulting Group, Washington Frank, Infosys, and Humana.
$21,000 $153,000 Salary Distribution
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| Louisiana – $80,535 | Rank: 16th |
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The average salary ranks 16th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like KJMK Management, Inc. DBA RealStreet Staffing (A), RealStreet Staffing, Entergy, and ANCHOR PERSONNEL NETWORK, LLC.
$21,000 $178,000 Salary Distribution
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| Massachusetts – $84,190 | Rank: 10th |
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The average salary ranks 10th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Infosys, Syntel, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and athenahealth.
$28,000 $170,000 Salary Distribution
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| Maryland – $84,593 | Rank: 8th |
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The average salary ranks 8th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like T&W Logistics, LLP, WHO… a staffing company, Latitude 36, and Burns & McDonnell.
$25,000 $177,000 Salary Distribution
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| Maine – $82,698 | Rank: 14th |
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The average salary ranks 14th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Bertram & Associates, Phillips Staffing Solutions, Cameron Craig Group, and Career Brokers, Inc..
$28,000 $165,000 Salary Distribution
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| Michigan – $78,178 | Rank: 21st |
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The average salary ranks 21st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Impact Business Group, Chandra Technologies, Inc., CorTech, LLC, and BSC.
$24,000 $162,000 Salary Distribution
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| Minnesota – $76,758 | Rank: 27th |
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The average salary ranks 27th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Syntel, Timothy Jon & Associates, Target, and U.S. Bank.
$23,000 $160,000 Salary Distribution
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| Missouri – $73,442 | Rank: 33rd |
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The average salary ranks 33rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Nigel Frank International, Mason Frank, IDC Technologies, and CloudbigD.
$22,000 $153,000 Salary Distribution
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| Mississippi – $64,959 | Rank: 49th |
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The average salary ranks 49th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Silverleaf Recruitment, Sundial Solar Power Developers, Inc., University of Mississippi, and Home Repair and Remodeling Company.
$17,000 $142,000 Salary Distribution
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| Montana – $57,085 | Rank: 51st |
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The average salary ranks 51st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, LC Staffing, Benchmarkinc, and State of Montana.
$14,000 $130,000 Salary Distribution
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| North Carolina – $80,511 | Rank: 17th |
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The average salary ranks 17th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like TIAA, ACT-Consulting, Veredus, and Robert Half Management Resources.
$25,000 $167,000 Salary Distribution
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| North Dakota – $69,790 | Rank: 40th |
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The average salary ranks 40th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like International Search Consultants, CyberCoders, Spherion, and Express Employment Professionals.
$17,000 $156,000 Salary Distribution
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| Nebraska – $69,616 | Rank: 41st |
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The average salary ranks 41st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like C.B. HARRIS and Company, Inc, Infosys, gpac, and CyberCoders.
$20,000 $147,000 Salary Distribution
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| New Hampshire – $83,336 | Rank: 13th |
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The average salary ranks 13th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Lodestar Executive Search, Systematic business consulting, JDP Search Group, and True North Consultants.
$32,000 $158,000 Salary Distribution
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| New Jersey – $85,795 | Rank: 5th |
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The average salary ranks 5th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Becton Dickinson & Company, Datanomics, Goldman Sachs, and HCL Technologies.
$27,000 $176,000 Salary Distribution
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| New Mexico – $60,361 | Rank: 50th |
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The average salary ranks 50th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Benefitalign, LLC, PUEBLO OF SANDIA, Sabio Systems, and TruTEMPS Staffing.
$14,000 $147,000 Salary Distribution
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| Nevada – $73,204 | Rank: 34th |
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The average salary ranks 34th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like HRmango, NV Energy, RSCONSULTING SERVICES, and Genric Solutions.
$20,000 $158,000 Salary Distribution
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| New York – $87,800 | Rank: 2nd |
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The average salary ranks 2nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Thomson Reuters, Mitchell/Martin Inc., Bloomberg, and AIG.
$24,000 $190,000 Salary Distribution
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| Ohio – $75,339 | Rank: 29th |
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The average salary ranks 29th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Skilled Talent, Capgemini, Infosys, and Procter & Gamble.
$26,000 $150,000 Salary Distribution
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| Oklahoma – $70,391 | Rank: 39th |
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The average salary ranks 39th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, ABB, MAS Technology Staffing, and Astra Solutions.
$16,000 $162,000 Salary Distribution
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| Oregon – $77,049 | Rank: 24th |
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The average salary ranks 24th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, Galaxux Inc., TEKsystems, and At-Tech.
$26,000 $155,000 Salary Distribution
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| Pennsylvania – $76,838 | Rank: 26th |
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The average salary ranks 26th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Siemens AG, Robert Half Management Resources, Cigna, and Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC.
$22,000 $164,000 Salary Distribution
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| Rhode Island – $86,746 | Rank: 3rd |
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The average salary ranks 3rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Infosys, 360HeadHunter, State of Rhode Island, and Rhode Island Department of Administration.
$38,000 $155,000 Salary Distribution
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| South Carolina – $67,920 | Rank: 44th |
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The average salary ranks 44th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Infojini Consulting Inc, Beechwood Computing Ltd, innoSoul Inc, and Samiti technology.
$17,000 $152,000 Salary Distribution
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| South Dakota – $66,492 | Rank: 47th |
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The average salary ranks 47th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like First Dakota Enterprises, Inc..
$20,000 $140,000 Salary Distribution
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| Tennessee – $75,540 | Rank: 28th |
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The average salary ranks 28th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Construction Professionals Mullin Company, Infosys, Cameron Craig Group, and LKF Leasing (AU).
$25,000 $153,000 Salary Distribution
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| Texas – $83,545 | Rank: 11th |
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The average salary ranks 11th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like WorleyParsons, ConocoPhillips, KBR, and Technip.
$25,000 $176,000 Salary Distribution
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| Utah – $67,784 | Rank: 45th |
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The average salary ranks 45th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like FLSmidth, CyberCoders, Collabera, and PTS ONLY ON W2.
$19,000 $146,000 Salary Distribution
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| Virginia – $83,525 | Rank: 12th |
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The average salary ranks 12th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Request Technology, and CGI Group.
$26,000 $171,000 Salary Distribution
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| Vermont – $71,116 | Rank: 37th |
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The average salary ranks 37th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Infosys, CyberCoders, NativeEnergy, and Sailotech Pvt Ltd.
$22,000 $147,000 Salary Distribution
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| Washington – $85,564 | Rank: 6th |
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The average salary ranks 6th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like IBM, Robert Half Management Resources, Peterson Group, and Ericsson.
$30,000 $169,000 Salary Distribution
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| Wisconsin – $75,089 | Rank: 31st |
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The average salary ranks 31st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like gpac, Pathfinder Search Group, Capgemini, and Sun Plus Data Group Inc..
$26,000 $147,000 Salary Distribution
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| West Virginia – $72,966 | Rank: 35th |
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The average salary ranks 35th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like H.E. Neumann Company, Benchmarkinc, Alumni Builders, and Saunders Staffing.
$17,000 $167,000 Salary Distribution
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| Wyoming – $79,990 | Rank: 19th |
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The average salary ranks 19th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like State of Wyoming and Performance Search Group.
$19,000 $181,000 Salary Distribution
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According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Project Manager. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.
| Employer Name | Location | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Guarantee Construction Group | Colorado | $200,000 |
| Burns & McDonnell | Maryland | $189,737 |
| Goldman Sachs | New Jersey | $170,229 |
| WorleyParsons | Texas | $166,968 |
| Mackenzie Stuart plc | Alaska | $158,764 |
| HCL Technologies | New Jersey | $152,636 |
| Real Estate Development And Construction Company | Missouri | $140,000 |
| ConocoPhillips | Texas | $135,214 |
| Apple | California | $135,148 |
| CyberCoders | West Virginia | $135,054 |
| KBR | Texas | $135,009 |
| Xcel Energy | Colorado | $133,493 |
| Cigna | Pennsylvania | $133,385 |
| Mason Frank | DC | $132,453 |
| Technip | Texas | $131,172 |
| Primastep LLC | DC | $130,506 |
| Mitchell/Martin Inc. | New York | $129,723 |
| Piper Companies | DC | $128,401 |
| Los Alamos National Laboratory | New Mexico | $128,013 |
| HRmango | Utah | $127,572 |
Learn More
| Career Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Forensic Accountant | $82,160 |
| Accounting Manager | $81,709 |
| Procurement Manager | $81,418 |
| Healthcare Manager | $81,093 |
| Director of Communications | $81,076 |
| Program Analyst | $78,849 |
| Insurance Underwriter | $77,694 |
| Investment Consultant | $76,236 |
| Investment Analyst | $76,199 |
| Technical Analyst | $76,186 |
