How much do program managers make in 2026?
Program managers are counted in the BLS project management specialists series: OEWS May 2025 puts SOC 13-1082 at a national median of $102,320 a year ($49.19 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $61,580 and the top 10% at $167,970. The series is very large at 1,066,670 workers and pools project and programme management across every industry, so it describes the profession broadly. Before using it, resolve a title ambiguity that matters financially. In traditional programme management — construction, defence, government, pharmaceutical development — a programme manager coordinates a portfolio of related projects toward a shared outcome, sitting a level above project managers, and this band describes that role well. In technology companies, particularly large ones, technical programme manager is a distinct and considerably better-paid role that involves driving cross-team engineering delivery, and its total compensation, including equity, routinely exceeds the top of this published band. Those roles are frequently counted in computer occupations rather than here. For traditional programme management, position follows portfolio value and stakeholder complexity: coordinating three related projects sits near the median, while running a multi-year programme with a large budget and executive governance sits at the top. Employment is projected to grow 5.6% through 2034 with roughly 78,200 openings a year. → Full program manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $102,320 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Program Managers earn a national median $102,320/yr ($49.19/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 13-1082); the P10 to P90 range is $61,580 to $167,970.
- The title covers two different jobs: traditional programme management coordinating related projects, and technical programme management at technology companies, which pays considerably more.
- Technical programme manager total compensation including equity routinely exceeds the top of this published band, and those roles are often counted in computer occupations instead.
- For traditional programme management, portfolio value and stakeholder complexity set position — three related projects near the median, a multi-year governed programme at the top.
US Program Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do program managers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 13-1082; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 13-1082, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a program manager earn at each career stage?
Programme pay follows the value and interdependency of what you are holding together. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 13-1082.
By State
Which states pay program managers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national project management specialist median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Programme management is among the more remote-capable professions, which has compressed geographic differences, while technology-sector programme roles remain concentrated in specific metros.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($117,670), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay program managers the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations, and they cannot show the equity that dominates technical programme manager packages.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a program manager’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does program manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Program Managers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify program manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a program manager actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Program Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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