Analyze and coordinate the schedule, timeline, procurement, staffing, and budget of a product or service on a per project basis. Lead and guide the work of technical staff. May serve as a point of contact for the client or customer.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
State licensing. Project Management Specialists is licensed or registered in 3 of 57 states and territories, as reported by each state to CareerOneStop. Federal credentials are listed as well. A license often applies only to certain roles within a career, and records were last updated between 2010 and 2024, so confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 7 professional certifications to Project Management Specialists. 1 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: PMI Project Management Ready (PMI-PMR). Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. On average, workers stand or walk about 1.2 hours and sit about 6.8 hours per day. For 81.2% of workers the job requires sedentary strength. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (94.7%), have a consistently fast work pace (44.9%), cannot pause their work (under 5%), and are exposed to the outdoors (26.5%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round project management specialists ages 25 to 64, median yearly pay is $84,300 with a high school diploma or GED, $86,300 with some college or an associate's degree, $102,500 with a bachelor's degree and $116,800 with a master's degree or higher (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.
Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of project management specialists work in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (29%), Manufacturing (17%), Finance and Insurance (9%) and Information (6%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most project management specialists are Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (9% of the jobs counted, median pay $107,050), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (7% of the jobs counted, median pay $125,100), Nonresidential Building Construction (7% of the jobs counted, median pay $103,240), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (6% of the jobs counted, median pay $103,430) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Scientific Research and Development Services ($127,330), Computer Systems Design and Related Services ($125,100), Management of Companies and Enterprises ($124,180). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
What workers studied. Among project management specialists with a bachelor's degree or higher, the most common fields of the bachelor's degree are Business Management and Administration (8%), General Business (5%), Psychology (4%) and Mechanical Engineering (4%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Injury and illness rates. For the broader group "Logisticians and project management specialists", which includes this career (BLS did not publish enough cases for this exact occupation), employers reported 3.6 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 5 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Business and financial operations", which includes this career, 4.7% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,564 for union members and $1,657 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to project management specialists.
Wages employers offered H-1B workers. For project management specialists, employers filed 2,920 certified Labor Condition Applications for H-1B workers covering 4,636 worker positions in FY2025, with a median lower-bound wage offered of $117,600 (the middle half ran from $86,200 to $150,000) (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification). These are wages named in employers' applications to hire temporary foreign workers, usually in jobs that need at least a bachelor's degree. They are not what every worker in the occupation earns. The Department of Labor has not endorsed this presentation.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Management, business, and financial", which includes this career, 91% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 94% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 97% had paid sick leave, 97% paid vacation and 96% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to project management specialists, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $89.14 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Management, business and financial" in June 2026 ($59.62 in wages and salaries and $29.52 in benefits, 33.1% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for project management specialists are: e-mail (97%), work with or contribute to a work group or team (91%), freedom to make decisions (91%), telephone conversations (91%), spend time sitting (88%), indoors, environmentally controlled (85%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for related work experience, the most common answer (33% of 33 respondents) was "over 2 years, up to and including 4 years"; for on-site or in-plant training, the most common answer (27% of 33 respondents) was "over 1 month, up to and including 3 months"; for on-the-job training, the most common answer (27% of 33 respondents) was "over 3 months, up to and including 6 months". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to project management specialists in the work done and the skills used: Information Technology Project Managers, Management Analysts, Computer and Information Systems Managers, Logisticians, Administrative Services Managers, General and Operations Managers, Training and Development Managers, Construction Managers (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Pay by state. See what project management specialists earn in each state, with the pay range and number of jobs: Project Management Specialists salary by state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025).
Compare project management specialists with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →
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