Project Manager.
Los Angeles.
$114,000
median salary, 13% above the national average
$87,000 to $150,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
Los Angeles is 18% more expensive than the national average. For Project Managers, that shakes out to a median of $114,000, with the full range spanning $87,000 to $150,000. Industry, project complexity, and budget size are the primary drivers. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Project Manager in Los Angeles, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $108,310 for Project Management Specialists (SOC 13-1082) in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area, based on 38,540 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$65,540
25th percentile
$82,060
Median
$108,310
75th percentile
$144,440
90th percentile
$185,220
Workers surveyed
38,540
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Project Management Specialists (SOC 13-1082) rather than Project Manager specifically. The Los Angelesrange at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 13-1082Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $103,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$74,000
to $91,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$97,000
to $120,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$125,000
to $148,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$143,000
to $177,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $27,000 to the total package.
Base
$114,000
Equity
$15,000
Bonus
$10,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $141,000
How Los Angeles compares.
Los Angeles, CA
$114,000
Cost of living: 18% above average
National Average
$101,000
Los Angeles is $13,000 above
Project Manager salary by city.
Salary by role in Los Angeles.
What you should know.
The Project Manager landscape in Los Angeles is not what most salary sites will tell you. Los Angeles blends a thriving entertainment industry with a growing tech and startup ecosystem, often called Silicon Beach. The city's diverse economy spans aerospace, healthcare, fashion, and gaming. LA offers strong salaries that, while below San Francisco levels, pair with a broader lifestyle appeal and lower housing costs relative to the Bay Area. Industry, project complexity, and budget size are the primary drivers. IT and construction project managers managing multimillion dollar initiatives earn significantly more than those on smaller engagements. PMP certification adds a measurable premium. Agile coaching experience and program level responsibility also push compensation upward.
Associate project managers start at $60,000 to $80,000, advancing to PM at $90,000 to $125,000 in two to four years. Senior PMs earn $125,000 to $160,000. Program managers reach $150,000 to $200,000, and directors of PMO or VP level roles at large organizations can exceed $220,000. In Los Angeles, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 18% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. Bonuses of 8 to 15% tied to project delivery milestones are common. Equity is available at tech companies, adding $10,000 to $50,000 annually. Benefits packages often include professional development budgets and certification exam reimbursement for PMP, Scrum Master, and related credentials. And on the tax side: california's 13.3% top state income tax rate applies to LA earners as well. There is no city income tax, but the high state rate makes take home pay lower than cities in no income tax states. When someone quotes you $114,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight cross industry skills. LA employers value candidates who bridge entertainment and tech, so framing your experience across verticals can unlock higher offers. The range for Project Managers in Los Angeles runs from $87,000 to $150,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An Occupational Therapist in Los Angeles earns $113,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Los Angeles is CTO at $368,000
Common questions.
Project Manager salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Los Angeles.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Project Managers in Los Angeles.
Related tools.
Do you work as a project manager in Los Angeles?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools