Program Leader Salary in the United States

How much does a Program Leader make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Program Leader in the United States is $98,327 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $47.

However, a Program Leader's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $115,449
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $85,962 to $107,289
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $74,704
Compensation Planning
Develop a Job Description
Pay Equity
2025 Compensation Trend
AI-Powered HR
Recruit with AI
View as table View as graph 25% $85,962 10% $74,704 90% $115,449 75% $107,289 $98,327 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Program Leader Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $107,289 $8,941 $2,063 $52
Average $98,327 $8,194 $1,891 $47
25th Percentile $85,962 $7,163 $1,653 $41
Check out Program Leader Job Openings in the United States
Supervisory Roles All Counties

Helen Ross McNabb Center - KNOXVILLE, TN

Child Care Program Leader

Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County - LOVELAND, CO

Subcontracts Program Management Leader

Lockheed Martin - MOORESTOWN, NJ

Integrated Program Planning Associate Manager IV

Lockheed Martin - KING OF PRUSSIA, PA

Search More Program Leader Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence Program Leader Salaries

A Program Leader's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Program Leader Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Program Leader's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $95,750
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $96,609
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $98,326
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $102,467
  • Expert (over 8 years): $105,464
Levels Salary
Entry Level Program Leader$95,750
Intermediate Level Program Leader$96,609
Senior Level Program Leader$98,326
Specialist Level Program Leader$102,467
Expert Level Program Leader$105,464
$95,750 0 yr
$96,609 < 2 yrs
$98,326 2-4 yrs
$102,467 5-8 yrs
$105,464 > 8 yrs
View as Table
View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Program Leader Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Program Leaders. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $108,867.
  • California: $108,454.
  • Massachusetts: $107,009.

Top Paying Cities for Program Leaders

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $124,019
  • San Francisco: $122,800
  • Oakland: $120,076

What Skills Can Increase a Program Leader's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 9.5% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Event Management (Mentioned in 2.41% Job Postings): Setting up, designing, and hosting social and business events to boost the business's reputation and client base.
  • Product Management (Mentioned in 1.14% Job Postings): Product management is an organisational lifecycle function within a company dealing with the planning, forecasting, and production, or marketing of a product or products at all stages of the product lifecycle. Similarly, product lifecycle management (PLM) integrates people, data, processes and business systems. It provides product information for companies and their extended supply chain enterprise. The role may consist of product development and product marketing, which are different (yet complementary) efforts, with the objective of maximizing sales revenues, market share, and profit margins. Product management also involves elimination decisions. Product elimination begins with the identification of elimination candidates, proceeds with the consideration of remedial actions, continues with a projection of the impact on the business as a whole if a candidate product is eventually eliminated, and concludes with the implementation stage, where management determines the elimination strategy for an item. The product manager is often responsible for analyzing market conditions and defining features or functions of a product and for overseeing the production of the product. The role of product management spans many activities from strategic to tactical and varies based on the organizational structure of the company. To maximize the impact and benefits to an organization, Product management must be an independent function separate on its own.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 9.5%
Event Management 2.41%
Product Management 1.14%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Program Leader's salary.
  • Product Management: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
  • Agile: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
  • Jira: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Product Management
$110,126
12%
Agile
$110,126
12%
Jira
$108,159
10%
Change Management
$107,176
9%
Building Relationships
$105,209
7%
Collaboration
$105,209
7%
Get Latest Data

Program Leader Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Program Leader's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Program Leader

Salaries for a Program Leader can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $102,685 in 2023 to around $101,798 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Program Leader salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Program Leader Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$102,685
2024
$102,464
2025
$101,798
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $102,685
2024 $102,464
2025 $101,798
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Program Leader

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution.

Compensation Planning

Common company salaries for Program Leader

Here are companies hiring for Program Leader and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Program Leader Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Program Leader job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
For Employees

Get a Salary Increase

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Search Job Openings

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

For Employers

Adjust Employee Salary

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Price My Industry Jobs

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst