Source: https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/united-states/ Title: Project Manager hourly rate in the United States | Deftridge Summary: Project Manager pay in the United States: median wage $58 an hour, typical part-time contractor rate $85. The rate is on every task, before you apply. United States · **Updated November 3, 2026** # Project Manager hourly rate in United States The market median wage for a Project Manager in the United States is **$57.68 an hour**. A senior part-time contractor typically receives **$85 an hour** on Deftridge. **$85/hr** typical contractor rate, senior **$57.68/hr** median wage **$44-75** middle half of wages **$1,840** a month at 5 hours a week ## Project Manager wage percentiles in United States Employee wages for the role. The yellow row is the median. | Percentile | Per hour | 5 h a week, per month | Full time, per year | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10th | $34.72 | $750 | $72,200 | | 25th | $44.22 | $960 | $92,000 | | Median | $57.68 | $1,250 | $120,000 | | 75th | $75.03 | $1,630 | $156,100 | | 90th | $94.70 | $2,050 | $197,000 | Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025; aged to October 2026; about 1,006,160 people employed in the role. [How rates are built](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/). ## United States in numbers What sets the United States apart for a Project Manager, from the same sources as the table above. - **$73.82** highest median wage, California - **$45.57** lowest median wage, Mississippi - **1,006,160** people employed in the role - **$90.36** median wage in the San Jose metro area, the highest in the country - **$35** country floor: no United States rate is published below it - Self-employment tax is 15.3%: 12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare; the employer-equivalent half is deductible in working out adjusted gross income. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) - For 2026 the first $184,500 of combined wages, tips and net self-employment earnings is subject to the Social Security part. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) ## What contractors receive The Deftridge rate for a Project Manager in the United States by level and by format. The company adds 15% on top; you keep all of the rate shown. | Level | Per hour | Per month at 5 h/week | | --- | --- | --- | | Senior | $85 | $1,840 | | Manager | $100 | $2,170 | - Regular role **$85** - One-off task **$95** - Task bundle **$85** ## Project Manager pay by region in United States Typical contractor rate for a senior Project Manager, highest first; 9 of 51 places shown. | Place | Median wage | Contractor rate | | --- | --- | --- | | California | $73.82 | $105 | | Delaware | $67.22 | $95 | | Washington | $65.92 | $95 | | New York | $65.42 | $95 | | Virginia | $64.91 | $95 | | Colorado | $62.04 | $90 | | Alaska | $61.96 | $90 | | District of Columbia | $60.68 | $90 | | Massachusetts | $60.68 | $90 | ## Highest-paying metro areas Median employee wage for the role in the metro area (BLS OEWS). - [San Jose $90.36/hr median wage · range $69-117](https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/california/) - [San Francisco $87.90/hr median wage · range $67-112](https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/california/) - [Sacramento $78.40/hr median wage · range $57-95](https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/california/) - [Hanford $72.76/hr median wage · range $55-86](https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/california/) - [Washington, D.C. $72.73/hr median wage · range $54-96](https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/district-of-columbia/) - [Vallejo $72.06/hr median wage · range $54-92](https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/california/) - [New York City $72.05/hr median wage · range $54-93](https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/new-york/) - [Huntsville $71.99/hr median wage · range $51-92](https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/alabama/) - [San Diego $71.55/hr median wage · range $54-90](https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/california/) - [Santa Maria $71.01/hr median wage · range $54-88](https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/california/) ## Questions about pay, fees and privacy The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: [Pricing](https://deftridge.com/pricing/) explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; [How it works](https://deftridge.com/how-it-works/) covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job. [Project Manager rates in every country](https://deftridge.com/rates/project-manager/) · [Project Manager jobs in United States](https://deftridge.com/jobs/project-manager/united-states/) · [Methodology](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/)