How much do property managers make in 2026?
Property managers earn a national median of $69,990 a year ($33.65 an hour) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 for SOC 11-9141, property, real estate and community association managers, with the bottom 10% near $41,010 and the top 10% at $139,680 across 311,180 workers. The band is wide because the code covers several quite different jobs. Residential property management — apartment communities, single-family portfolios and community associations — sits in the lower half, is high-volume and tenant-facing, and is frequently paid with a base plus leasing or renewal commission that the published wage figure cannot show. Commercial property management sits well above it: office, industrial and retail assets involve triple-net lease administration, common area maintenance reconciliations, capital projects and reporting to institutional owners, and the accounting content of the role is substantial. The other decisive variable is licensing. Most states require a real estate licence to manage property for others, and several offer a specific property management licence; that requirement is a real gate and a real professional credential. Portfolio value, not building count, is what ultimately positions someone in this band. Employment is projected to grow 3.6% through 2034 with roughly 39,000 openings a year. → Full property manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $69,990 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Property Managers earn a national median $69,990/yr ($33.65/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-9141); the P10 to P90 range is $41,010 to $139,680.
- Commercial property management sits well above residential in the $41,010 to $139,680 band, because lease administration, CAM reconciliation and institutional owner reporting carry real accounting content.
- Residential roles are frequently paid base plus leasing and renewal commission, which the published wage figure cannot show and which makes the annual median an incomplete comparison.
- Most states require a real estate licence to manage property for others, which is a genuine gate on entry and a recognised professional credential.
US Property Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do property 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 11-9141; 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 11-9141, 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 property manager earn at each career stage?
Property management pay follows asset class and portfolio value rather than the number of doors. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 11-9141.
By State
Which states pay property managers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the national property manager median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Licensing requirements differ by state and are not portable, so a move across state lines usually means re-credentialling regardless of the pay difference.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($80,490), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
property manager pay by state — all 2 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay property 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. Institutional commercial portfolios concentrate in larger metros, which is where the upper part of this band sits.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a property 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 property manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Property 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 property manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a property 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
Property Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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