Side-by-side distribution
Program Manager
$154,338
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 51.2%
- Live roles
- 4,650
Project Manager
$126,550
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 32.8%
- Live roles
- 9,912
Highest-paying jobs
GMP Custom Program Manager
Program Capture Sales Account & Business Development Manager
Program Capture Business Development Manager
Technical Program Manager, Architecture
Technical Program Manager, Product Software
Engineering Program Manager, RISCV
Technical Program Manager
Technical Program Manager, Platform & Runtime Engineering
IP Customer Program Manager
Senior Program Manager
Highest-paying jobs
Remediation Project Manager
Senior Director, Project Team Leader / Executive Committee Business Manager
Sr. Project Manager - Transportation
Senior Project Manager - TRANSIT
Senior Manager - Technical Project Management (semiconductor/capital equipment)
Sr. Project Manager for Roadway Engineering
Senior Project Manager - Federal Programs
Finance Transformation Project Manager
Project Manager, Global Brand Experience (Fixed-Term)
Senior Project Manager (Calypso)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$180,500 | 103 |
Northrop Grumman
|
$190,250 | 64 |
OpenAI
|
$264,250 | 42 |
Applied Materials
|
$137,750 | 39 |
Anthropic
|
$327,500 | 33 |
Leidos
|
$163,338 | 32 |
|
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
|
$181,500 | 29 |
Blue Origin
|
$174,226 | 21 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
STV
|
$150,869 | 92 |
| PA Parsons | $175,150 | 88 |
Cumming Group
|
$152,767 | 75 |
Cushman & Wakefield
|
$120,250 | 70 |
| JC Johnson Controls | $107,500 | 61 |
AtkinsRéalis
|
$145,000 | 57 |
|
Applied Materials
|
$128,250 | 54 |
HITT Contracting
|
$114,400 | 47 |
Program Manager salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $216,750 | 239 |
| Seattle | $181,550 | 106 |
| New York | $173,500 | 232 |
| Los Angeles | $170,313 | 62 |
| Atlanta | $151,000 | 29 |
| Boston | $149,375 | 72 |
| Austin | $149,000 | 65 |
| Denver | $142,850 | 49 |
| Chicago | $141,250 | 80 |
| Berlin | $129,160 | 5 |
Project Manager salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $160,000 | 108 |
| Los Angeles | $150,000 | 105 |
| Seattle | $142,050 | 56 |
| Atlanta | $138,413 | 48 |
| Denver | $138,300 | 73 |
| New York | $133,000 | 267 |
| Boston | $129,967 | 71 |
| Chicago | $129,056 | 142 |
| Austin | $128,250 | 80 |
| Toronto | $104,878 | 58 |
Program Manager vs Project Manager: which pays more?
The median for Program Manager is $154,338 per year (typically $116,000–$189,738), versus $126,550 for Project Manager ($102,500–$151,406). That puts Program Manager about 22% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Program Manager and Project Manager are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.