Ok, so you think you may have found your passion in life – becoming a Certified Project Manager or CPM.

However, the million-dollar question is…

How much will I earn per year as a CPM?

We will share that with you, but there are some other, equally important, things to consider first:

  • Is being a Project Manager a growing or a dying career?
  • Is there high or low unemployment as a CPM?
  • And where is the best place to live and get paid as a CPM?

Keep reading and, hopefully, we can answer some of these questions for you.

What kind of salary can I expect?

The demand for skilled project professionals indicates they are valuable to businesses interested in executing strategy more accurately and driving excellence. This demand will naturally continue to elevate the salaries for these high-value professionals. The Project Management Institute’s ninth edition salary survey shows an annual median of $108,200 for project managers working in the U.S.

What are the top 10 highest paying states for a CPM?

According to zippia.com, here is the breakdown of the states that pay the most (highest to least):

  • Virginia (Well done!)
  • Texas
  • Georgia
  • Alabama
  • Illinois
  • Colorado
  • West Virginia
  • Missouri
  • Mississippi
  • North Carolina

What are the top 10 lowest paying states for a CPM?

The 10 states lowest in the ranking for project manager salaries are (lowest listed first):

  • Louisiana
  • Alaska
  • North Dakota
  • Oregon
  • Maine
  • Vermont
  • New York
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • Hawaii

What is the growth potential like in this career?

Well, according to glassdoor.com, being a Certified Project Manager is ranked #48 among the 50 best overall jobs in the U.S. for 2018. That’s quite impressive if you consider all the jobs out there!

Not only that, CPMs are experiencing a growth in demand that is double the national average. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical job growth in a sector is 7%. But for project managers, the job growth over the next 10 years is expected to be over 47%.

What are the unemployment figures for certified project managers?

When looking at a career to get into, you always want to factor in the likelihood of staying employed. Certified Project Managers have significantly low unemployment rates. According to glassdoor.com, the unemployment rate for Project Managers is only 3.9%.

The bottom line: Becoming a certified project manager is not just a rewarding career, it is a growing, lucrative one, too.