Project manager: the numbers, and which project certification to take when
Project management specialists (SOC 13-1082) is the BLS occupation for project managers who are not in a management occupation; construction managers and computer and information systems managers are counted separately. In May 2025 they earned a median $102,320, and BLS projects 6.7% growth from 2025 to 2035 with about 76,500 openings a year, by far the most of the occupations on this site. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education and no related work experience as typical. The certification depends on your experience: CAPM if you have little ($700 including the required 23 hours of education, November 2026), PMP once you have led projects for two to five years, depending on your education ($1,474 on the cheapest route).
Project management specialists in the BLS data
| Jobs in 2025 | 1,094,300 |
|---|---|
| Projected jobs in 2035 | 1,167,400 |
| Projected change, 2025–35 | +6.7% |
| Openings per year, 2025–35 average | 76,500 |
| Median annual pay, May 2025 | $102,320 |
| Middle half of pay (25th to 75th percentile) | $78,440 to $133,100 |
| Lowest and highest 10 percent earn less than / more than | $61,580 / $167,970 |
| Typical education to enter (BLS) | Bachelor's degree |
| Work experience in a related job (BLS) | None |
This is a large occupation, over a million jobs, and pay ranges widely: the bottom tenth earned less than $61,580 and the top tenth more than $167,970. An IT project manager whose job is coordinating projects rather than managing a department falls in this occupation.
What the job involves
O*NET lists 20 core tasks. Most are about planning and control: working out requirements with stakeholders, identifying the staff, money and resources a project needs, scheduling work to meet deadlines, tracking milestones, assigning responsibilities, solving problems with the team and delivering to an agreed quality. Reported titles include implementation project manager and project management consultant.
Project certifications by where you are
| Where you are | Certification | Cheapest priced route on our guide | What it requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| New to project work | CAPM | $700 | 23 hours of project management education; no experience |
| Leading projects for 2 to 5 years | PMP | $1,474 | 35 hours of training (or an active CAPM) plus experience that depends on education |
| Working in agile teams | PMI-ACP | $495 exam ($435 members), plus training | 21 hours of agile training and agile experience |
| UK, Europe or government frameworks | PRINCE2 Foundation | $701 | No prerequisite |
PMI changes the training rule for the PMP on December 1, 2026: live training finished from then on counts toward the 35 hours only from a PMI Authorized Training Partner or another eligible source. If you are paying for a class, check the PMP guide first. The PMP against PMI-ACP comparison helps if your team works in sprints.
Moving into project management from IT
If you already run migrations, rollouts or upgrades without the title, that can count: PMI's rule is about time spent leading projects. Keep a record of each project's dates, scope and your role from the start, so the PMP application is easy to fill in later.
Questions
- Does IT experience count toward the PMP?
- It can, when you were leading and directing the project; PMI's rule counts time spent leading projects, not the job title.
- Do I need a PMP to be a project manager?
- No. BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education; PMI does not require PMP to work as a project manager, and employers set their own requirements. You can add PMP once you meet PMI's experience rule.
- CAPM or PMP?
- PMP if you meet the experience rule; CAPM if you do not yet. CAPM is not required before PMP.
Next step
Tell us how long you have led projects and your education, and we will reply with the certification you qualify for and an approved way to get the training hours.
Ask whether you qualify for PMP
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections: Table 1.2, 2025–35 (project management specialists, 13-1082), checked November 5, 2026
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national estimates, checked November 5, 2026
- O*NET OnLine: 13-1082.00 Project Management Specialists, checked November 5, 2026
Prices are published list prices we recorded on the dates shown, not quotes. How we research.
This page includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. We paraphrased and selected the content; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.