Getting certified
What do project management specialists earn?
Project management specialists earned a median $102,320 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), checked October 2026. BLS doesn't record who holds a PMP®, so these figures describe the occupation, and nothing on this page puts a dollar value on the credential itself.
- Exam
- PMP
- Updated
- Oct 13, 2026
01Pay and jobs, from BLS
| Measure | Figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $102,320 | May 2025 |
| Median hourly wage | $49.19 | May 2025 |
| Lowest 10% earned less than | $61,580 | May 2025 |
| Highest 10% earned more than | $167,970 | May 2025 |
| Jobs | 1,094,300 | 2025 |
| Projected employment growth | 7%, much faster than average | 2025 to 2035 |
| Projected openings | About 76,500 a year | 2025 to 2035 |
02What the BLS figures leave out
BLS reports pay for the occupation, whatever credentials people hold. On certification it says only this: “Although not always required, certification may be beneficial.” A headline claiming the PMP adds a set amount to your pay has no support in BLS data.
PMI® runs its own salary survey of project professionals. Its figures are self-reported by respondents, and this page doesn't use them.
The spread is wide on its own terms: about $106,000 separates the top of the bottom tenth from the bottom of the top tenth.
03If pay is part of why you're weighing the PMP
Start with eligibility. The PMP requires 36 to 60 months of non-overlapping experience leading projects in the last 10 years, depending on your education, or 24 months with a degree from a program accredited by PMI's Global Accreditation Center (GAC), plus 35 hours of training (PMP Examination Content Outline, as of October 2026). The tiers are laid out on PMP requirements, and the whole route on how to get PMP certification.
Still choosing between credentials? Project management certifications compared puts the PMP beside CAPM®, PMI-ACP® and others.
04Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Project Management Specialists checked Oct 13, 2026pay, jobs, outlook; data for May 2025 and 2025 to 2035
- PMI, PMP Examination Content Outline (rev. August 11, 2026) checked Oct 13, 2026eligibility tiers and the 35-hour training requirement