Project manager: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Business and financial project management professionals (SOC 2440)
About £47,124 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +5.4% on last year
£5,254 a month About £3,927 a month after tax 283 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £48,811 in 2021 to £63,046 in 2026 (+29%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £28,167 | £38,096 | £48,811 | £64,637 | x |
| 2022 | £29,993 | £38,740 | £50,286 | £65,860 | x |
| 2023 | £31,254 | £40,981 | £52,799 | £69,798 | x |
| 2024 | £33,293 | £43,269 | £56,489 | £75,494 | £93,278 |
| 2025 | £35,000 | £46,370 | £59,843 | £77,236 | £98,537 |
| 2026 | £36,446 | £48,092 | £63,046 | £83,712 | £108,651 |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £63,046 a year and half earn more. That is 54% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £48,092 and £83,712; the middle 80% between £36,446 and £108,651.
Ranked by median, it is number 19 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
The mean (£74,796) is well above the median: a minority in this job earn much more than most.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,927 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,776 in Scotland.
The median for men is £64,722 and for women £56,308, a gap of 13% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £36,446 | £3,037 |
| 20th | £44,949 | £3,746 |
| 25th (P25) | £48,092 | £4,008 |
| 30th | £50,792 | £4,233 |
| 40th | £56,228 | £4,686 |
| Median (50th) | £63,046 | £5,254 |
| 60th | £70,000 | £5,833 |
| 70th | £77,970 | £6,497 |
| 75th (P75) | £83,712 | £6,976 |
| 80th | £89,782 | £7,482 |
| 90th (P90) | £108,651 | £9,054 |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £64,722 | £79,100 | 188 |
| Women | £56,308 | £66,346 | 96 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £47,124 | £3,927 |
| Scotland | £45,313 | £3,776 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £63,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 44 job titles to SOC 2440 Business and financial project management professionals. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Agile coach
- Business change manager
- Change manager
- Chief knowledge officer
- Chief risk officer
- Client delivery manager
- Clinical project coordinator
- Clinical study coordinator
- Clinical trial coordinator
- Clinical trials coordinator
- Contract manager
- Contracts manager
- Credit risk manager
- Head of delivery
- Head of pmo
- Head of programme management office
- Head of risk management
- Hr project manager
- Impact manager
- Investor development manager
- Operational risk manager
- Pmo manager
- Portfolio manager
- Programme coordinator
- Programme office manager
- Programme officer
- Project controller
- Project delivery manager
- Project delivery officer
- Project lead
- Project leader
- Project manager
- Project office manager
- Project support business manager
- Project support manager
- Projects manager
- Research support officer
- Risk analysis manager
- Risk and assurance manager
- Risk and control manager
- Risk assurance manager
- Risk manager
- Scrum master
- Work package manager
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Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.