Aviation Project Manager Salary in the United States

How much does an Aviation Project Manager make in the United States?

As of May 01, 2026, the average salary for an Aviation Project Manager in the United States is $193,596 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $93.

However, an Aviation Project Manager's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $220,272
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $167,026 to $207,559
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $142,835
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View as table View as graph 25% $167,026 10% $142,835 90% $220,272 75% $207,559 $193,596 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Aviation Project Manager Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $207,559 $17,297 $3,992 $100
Average $193,596 $16,133 $3,723 $93
25th Percentile $167,026 $13,919 $3,212 $80
Check out Aviation Project Manager Job Openings in the United States
Lead Project Engineer

L3Harris Technologies - Dayton, OH

Project Manager

iRiS Recruiting Solutions - Columbus, OH

Project Manager

Allied Staff Augmentation Partners, Inc. ( ASAP, Inc. ) - Perry, OH

Project Manager

Equity Construction Solutions - Hilliard, OH

Search More Aviation Project Manager Jobs in the United States

Key Factors That Influence Aviation Project Manager Salaries

An Aviation Project Manager'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, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Aviation Project Manager Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Aviation Project Manager'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): $158,768
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $128,741
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $164,050
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $195,441
  • Expert (over 8 years): $242,342
Levels Salary
Lead Flig... Level Aviation Project Manager$158,768
Flight Op... Level Aviation Project Manager$128,741
Flight Op... Level Aviation Project Manager$164,050
Aviation ... Level Aviation Project Manager$195,441
Flight Op... Level Aviation Project Manager$242,342
$158,768 0 yr
$128,741 < 2 yrs
$164,050 2-4 yrs
$195,441 5-8 yrs
$242,342 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Aviation Project Managers

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: $244,183
  • San Francisco: $241,509
  • Oakland: $236,419

What Skills Can Increase an Aviation Project Manager's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Planning (Mentioned in 8.33% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
  • Software Design (Mentioned in 1.67% Job Postings): Software design is the process by which an agent creates a specification of a software artifact, intended to accomplish goals, using a set of primitive components and subject to constraints. Software design may refer to either "all the activity involved in conceptualizing, framing, implementing, commissioning, and ultimately modifying complex systems" or "the activity following requirements specification and before programming, as ... [in] a stylized software engineering process." Software design usually involves problem solving and planning a software solution. This includes both a low-level component and algorithm design and a high-level, architecture design.
  • Continuous Improvement (Mentioned in 0.83% Job Postings): A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement process (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. Some see CIPs as a meta-process for most management systems (such as business process management, quality management, project management, and program management). W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer of the field, saw it as part of the 'system' whereby feedback from the process and customer were evaluated against organisational goals. The fact that it can be called a management process does not mean that it needs to be executed by 'management'; but rather merely that it makes decisions about the implementation of the delivery process and the design of the delivery process itself.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Planning 8.33%
Software Design 1.67%
Continuous Improvement 0.83%
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 an Aviation Project Manager's salary.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility: Can increase your salary by up to 24%.
  • Long Term Planning: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
  • Marketing Planning: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Corporate Social Responsibility
$240,059
24%
Long Term Planning
$232,315
20%
Marketing Planning
$216,828
12%
Team Management
$216,828
12%
Project Design
$212,956
10%
Catering
$209,084
8%
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How Education impacts an Aviation Project Manager's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Aviation Project Managers enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Aviation Project Manager with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $188,420 and $207,090).

Aviation Project Manager Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Aviation Project Manager
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.5%
High School 14.4%
Associates 12.9%
Bachelors 46.2%
Masters 24.7%
Doctorate 1.3%
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Aviation Project Manager Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Aviation Project Manager'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 May 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Aviation Project Manager

Salaries for an Aviation Project Manager can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $140,116 in 2023 to around $134,362 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Aviation Project Manager salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Aviation Project Manager Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$140,116
2024
$137,570
2025
$134,362
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $140,116
2024 $137,570
2025 $134,362
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Aviation Project Manager

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Aviation Project Manager

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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.

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