Project Management Specialists Average Salary in California
$124,430 average · $124,430 median · BLS OEWS 2025
SOC Code: 13-1082What is this?
This page shows employer-reported wages for Project Management Specialists in California, drawn from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey — median and mean pay, the full percentile distribution, and the industries that employ this occupation locally. Industry choice is the dominant pay lever: the same analyst role pays substantially more in finance, tech, or energy than in education, nonprofits, or local government. Professional credentials (CPA, PHR, PMP, CFA) reliably move workers from the median toward the 75th percentile because they are contractually required for certain work, not merely decorative.
How much do Project Management Specialists make in California?
The average project management specialists salary in California is $124,430 per year. That works out to about $59.82 per hour on average. BLS counts roughly 114,380 project management specialists jobs in California.
Mean and median are close, so pay is relatively concentrated around $124,430. Entry-level roles (10th percentile) report about $124,430; experienced workers at the 90th percentile report about $124,430 — a 0% spread from bottom to top. Figures are employer-reported wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — not self-reported survey averages — so they are the right baseline for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
How Business and Financial Operations Careers Are Structured
Business and financial operations specialists — analysts, accountants, HR specialists, buyers, project managers — form the professional middle layer of nearly every industry. The work is office-based and increasingly remote-friendly, which means the geographic wage gaps shown in this data are gradually being arbitraged by remote hiring in ways the survey is only beginning to reflect.
The wage tables and percentile chart on this page show how project management specialists pay is distributed in California specifically — and because state-level wages for the same occupation routinely differ by 30% or more, the local figures here are the ones that matter for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
What Moves Pay in This Field
Industry choice is the dominant pay lever: the same analyst role pays substantially more in finance, tech, or energy than in education, nonprofits, or local government. Professional credentials (CPA, PHR, PMP, CFA) reliably move workers from the median toward the 75th percentile because they are contractually required for certain work, not merely decorative.
Entry typically requires a bachelor's degree, but the field is unusually open to career-changers because the core skills — analysis, communication, process discipline — transfer across industries. Early-career workers should weight employers by what they teach: two years in a rigorous environment moves you up this distribution faster than five in a lax one.
New to reading wage distributions? Our guide to salary percentiles explains how to place yourself on the chart above, and the negotiation playbook shows how to use these numbers in an actual conversation.
What Do Project Management Specialists Do?
Project Management Specialists positions belong to the business and financial operations field. Business and financial operations specialists — analysts, accountants, HR specialists, buyers, project managers — form the professional middle layer of nearly every industry. The work is office-based and increasingly remote-friendly, which means the geographic wage gaps shown in this data are gradually being arbitraged by remote hiring in ways the survey is only beginning to reflect.
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 13-1082
Project Management Specialists pay in California
In California, project management specialists report a median of $124,430 (about $59.82/hour) across roughly 114,380 jobs. The local pay band runs from about $124,430 at the 10th percentile to $124,430 at the 90th.
Compared with the national distribution, local industry mix and cost of living are the main reasons California wages for this occupation sit where they do — toggle Regional Price Parity on this page to see purchasing-power-adjusted pay.
What your paycheck is really worth in California
Prices in California run 11% above the national average (RPP 110.7). So a nominal salary of $124,430 has the buying power of about $112,383 in national terms.
California vs. United States for Project Management Specialists
The median project management specialists salary in California is $124,430, which is +12.4% above the national median of $110,740 (mean pay is +12.7% above the U.S. mean of $110,450). Among 51 states and D.C. with OEWS data, California ranks #4 by median wage for this occupation (top tier). California accounts for about 2.0% of U.S. project management specialists employment in the latest OEWS release.
See every state ranked for this occupation on the best-paying states page, or compare purchasing power on real wages.
Income reality check
The median salary for Project Management Specialists in California of $124,430 falls in the Upper-middle class band of this framework - roughly ~13% of the U.S. population and ~4% of the global population sit in this band.
Illustrative relative standing for education only - this ladder is a simplified framework, not an official Census, BLS, or World Bank statistical series. Salary figures on Wage Atlas come from official BLS OEWS data.
Salary Overview
Salary Distribution & Your Position
Advance Your Career
Ready to level up? Find courses, certifications, and coaching to boost your salary potential.
AI Replacement Risk Analysis
Forward-looking analysis of automation and AI impact
- Knowledge-based work - moderate automation risk
- Data-driven decision making
Includes risk scoring, timeline estimates, adaptation strategies, and more
Occupation Report Card
Top Industries for Project Management Specialists
| $119,266 | $110,935 | $57 | 860,030 | |
| $104,397 | $99,031 | $50 | 524,090 |
Related Occupations
SOC: 11-2022 • 88% match | $164,400 | $164,350 | $79 | 3,252,530 |
SOC: 13-1111 • 90% match | $112,617 | $113,790 | $54 | 4,824,600 |
SOC: 13-1161 • 91% match | $89,203 | $89,790 | $43 | 4,666,320 |
SOC: 13-1071 • 86% match | $81,718 | $81,210 | $39 | 4,999,700 |
| Find Human Resources Specialists Jobs | ||||
SOC: 25-2031 • 88% match | $76,487 | $76,410 | $37 | 8,356,230 |
SOC: 25-2021 • 82% match | $72,861 | $72,710 | $35 | 10,929,790 |
Related Occupations
Explore similar occupations and career paths:
Project Management Specialists in Other States
Compare salaries for this occupation across different states:
Explore More Data for Project Management Specialists
Career Advancement Strategy
Skills to Develop
Fastest growing skill in marketing technology
High ROI focus drives salary premiums
Data-driven marketing is becoming standard
Essential for senior marketing roles
Required for VP and C-level positions
Explore Similar Careers
Related Metrics
Viewing: Project Management Specialists (SOC: 13-1082)