CAPM Certification Salary: A 2025 Guide

A Project Management Institute (PMI) survey reveals that becoming certified as a project manager could increase your earning potential by anywhere from 5 to 33 percent [1]. Earning credentials like the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) can also help you build and advance your project management career. 

Your ability to define what success looks like, identify contributing factors to project success, and prioritize and communicate the value of project management to your organization may make you an ideal candidate for a project management position as companies look to hire those familiar with the latest industry trends. Obtaining the CAPM credential can help you build the foundational knowledge and skills you need to advance your career as a project manager.

Learn about the average CAPM certification salary and factors that can affect your earning potential, along with various jobs you can consider and their accompanying salaries.

What is a CAPM certification?

The CAPM credential, offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), validates your foundational knowledge and ability to effectively manage a project. It can also help you prepare for more advanced certifications, such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) credential. The certification exam assesses the most critical and frequently performed responsibilities of associate-level project managers, as determined by a recent global practice analysis. 

This analysis, conducted by a special task force, identified current trends not addressed in the previous CAPM exam but reflective of market needs and expectations in real-world settings. 

As organizations seek ways to maintain and improve productivity, the project management field is evolving to meet project demands, addressing not only the traditional triple constraints of scope, budget, and schedule but also expected project outcomes. As a project management specialist, a role you can expect to grow by 7 percent through 2033 [2], you will likely find yourself evaluating the success of your projects on whether they delivered enough value to justify the expense and effort, as well as on traditional project management fundamentals. 

Resources to help prepare for CAPM certification

Although the PMI typically aligns itself with A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), the PMI performed a global practical analysis to ensure that the CAPM exam verifies the skills that entry- and associate-level project managers engage in on a day-to-day basis in the field. That said, in preparing for the exam, the PMI recommends that, in addition to consulting the PMBOK Guide, you also consider referencing one or more of the following resources:

• Process Groups: A Practice Guide (2022)

• The PMI Guide to Business Analysis (2017) 

• Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide–Second Edition (2024) 

• Agile Practice Guide (2017) 

• The Project Management Answer Book (Second Edition)

• Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme, Hybrid (8th Edition)

The expanded scope of the current CAPM exam, along with the increased credibility the credential can garner from experienced project managers and peers, may positively impact your CAPM certification salary potential.

Is CAPM entry-level?

Yes, the CAPM certification is an entry-level credential with minimal eligibility requirements. Prerequisites include a high school diploma or equivalent and a minimum of 23 hours of project management education before taking the certification exam. The 23 hours of project management education can be met with an exam preparation course such as the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Specialization from Packt or the Certified Associate in Project Management (PMI-CAPM) Specialization from Edureka, both offered on Coursera.

What is the average CAPM certification salary?

The average CAPM certification salary ranges from $75,000 to $92,091 [3, 4]. While considering salary details, it’s important to note that CAPM is a certification rather than a specific role. Therefore, your salary as a professional holding this credential will vary depending on your industry, experience level, and location. While specific salary data isolating the impact of holding a CAPM credential across different industries, experience levels, and locations is limited, data is available on how these factors can broadly influence salaries in the project management field overall. 

Additionally, as you consider pursuing the CAPM credential, it may be helpful to remember that certifications in general tend to benefit job seekers in many ways, including higher earning potential. 

Industry

Although often associated with fields such as engineering, construction, information technology, and health care, project management is also essential in various other industries, including media, television, film, theme park management, and aerospace. As a project manager in technology, finance, construction, or manufacturing, you can expect an average annual salary of over $90,000, with retail, telecommunications, and the professional and government sectors close behind [5]. 

Experience

As a junior-level project manager with zero to three years of experience, you can earn an average annual salary between $64,912 and $71,231. Mid-level project managers with four to fourteen years of experience generally earn, on average, between $79,637 and $94,526 annually. As you approach senior-level status, often 15 or more years of experience, you can expect an average annual salary of approximately $109,000 [5] [6]. 

Location

States with the highest project management salaries include New York, Washington, D.C., New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California, where the average annual wage for the role exceeds $95,000 [5].

CAPM certification jobs and potential salaries

Salaries vary depending on your industry, experience level, location, and specific project management role. Earning a CAPM credential can position you for various roles within the field, each paying above the average salary in the United States, which is $49,500 [7]. 

• Project manager: $71,231

• Project coordinator: $63,198

• Project analyst: $71,353

• Project scheduler: $75,399

• Business development: $66,175

• IT project manager: $81,003

• Nonprofit manager: $67,311

• Project consultant: $74,476

The CAPM credential is not only beneficial for individuals interested in project management, though. If you’re seeking to gain more responsibility in your current role, outside project management, or if you simply want to add project management skills to your resume, the CAPM certification may be an excellent choice for you. 

Developing your project management skills can also potentially help you land an unexpected role, such as one of the following:

• Music video producer (average base salary of $58,026): Project management skills are crucial to this role due to the complex logistics and creativity required to produce a music video.

• Events director (average base salary of $54,121): Project management tenets, such as effective stakeholder communication and strategic risk management, can help you successfully pull off a large event.

• Chief of staff (average base salary of $109,936): As a chief of staff, your responsibilities will likely vary widely and may include assisting your chief executive officer in managing their time and leading special projects to help your organization’s leadership maximize efficiency.

*All annual base salaries from Glassdoor as of June 2025, reflecting 1 to 3 years of experience and no additional pay, such as commission and benefits.

Build in-demand project management skills on Coursera

The CAPM credential can help you gain the foundational knowledge and skills to become a project manager and can serve as an entry-level certification to help you advance your career and boost your earning potential. 

Prepare for the certification exam or explore the field in more depth with online courses and programs like Google’s Project Management: Professional Certificate on Coursera. This Professional Certificate covers topics such as Agile project management, project documentation, and strategic communication and problem-solving. To learn about practical, up-to-date skills and tools for information technology project management, consider the IBM IT Project Manager Professional Certificate, also available on Coursera.