How project management pay compares to the national average
If you work in project management, you might wonder how your salary stacks up against the typical Australian full-time worker. The best place to start is the national full-time average published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This page explains how to read a project management salary as a year, a week, and an hour, and where official data can (and cannot) give you a precise figure.
The national full-time average
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026 shows that full-time adult ordinary-time earnings averaged $2,083.70 per week. Multiplied by 52, that is about $108,352 per year. This is the figure used by the line tool on this site. It is an average across all full-time adults, not a median, and it excludes overtime and bonuses.
For comparison, the full-time median (the middle point) is lower: about $90,532 per year, based on the ABS Employee Earnings survey from August 2025. The all-employees median (including part-time) is about $74,100. These medians give a better sense of what a typical worker earns, while the average is pulled higher by high earners.
What the ABS says about project management
The ABS does not publish a specific average or median for the occupation "project management". The closest category is "Managers", which in the Employee Earnings survey (May 2025) had average weekly total cash earnings of $2,800.90 for all employees. That figure includes part-time managers and owner-managers, so it is not directly comparable to a full-time project manager role.
For full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate (a more consistent group), managers averaged $2,688.70 per week. But again, this is an average, not a median, and it covers all types of managers, not just project managers.
Jobs and Skills Australia provides a profile for ICT Project Managers (ANZSCO 135112). It notes that median weekly earnings are not available for this occupation. The profile does show that 92% work full-time, the median age is 43, and 27% are women. Without a published median, you cannot rely on a single official figure for project management salary.
Reading your salary as a week and an hour
The line tool on this site lets you enter a yearly salary before tax. It then shows you the equivalent weekly amount (based on 52 weeks) and hourly amount (based on a 38-hour week). For example, if you earn $110,000 per year, that is about $2,115 per week and $55.66 per hour. You can then see how far you are above or below the national full-time average of $2,083.70 per week.
This is useful because many project management roles are advertised as annual packages. Converting to a weekly or hourly rate helps you compare with award rates or with the national minimum wage, which from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour ($1,004.90 per week, $52,255 per year on 38 hours). Most project management positions pay well above the minimum.
Tax and take-home pay
For the 2026–27 financial year, resident tax rates are:
- Nil on the first $18,200
- 15% on income from $18,201 to $45,000
- 30% on income from $45,001 to $135,000
- 37% on income from $135,001 to $190,000
- 45% on income above $190,000
Plus a 2% Medicare levy (some people may be eligible for reductions). On a salary of $108,352 (the national average), the tax would be roughly $24,667 plus Medicare, leaving about $81,685 after tax and levy. Your actual tax depends on your total income, deductions, and offsets.
State differences
Full-time average weekly earnings vary by state and territory, according to the ABS. The on-site notes give these annualised figures:
- New South Wales: $109,658
- Victoria: $106,137
- Queensland: $106,064
- South Australia: $102,450
- Western Australia: $115,825
- Tasmania: $96,008
- Northern Territory: $103,173
- Australian Capital Territory: $119,090
If you are a project manager in Western Australia or the ACT, your salary may need to be higher to match the local average. In Tasmania, the average is lower, so a given salary may go further.
Using the line tool
To see where your project management salary sits, Place a salary on the line. You can also explore Job medians for other occupations, though project management is not separately listed. Remember that the official data does not give a single "project management salary" – your best reference is the national full-time average and the manager averages above.
In summary, while there is no precise published figure for project management salary, you can use the national average and manager data as benchmarks. The line tool helps you visualise your own pay as a week and an hour, and compare it to the national line.