Loading
Related reading
Loading
Fractional rate benchmark
Project Manager hourly rates currently average $119/hr across our live benchmarks. The middle 50% of postings fall in the $80–$150/hr band. Typical scope is around 13 hours per week. Demand is rising sharply compared to the prior 90 days. Work arrangement split: 30% remote, 45% hybrid, 25% in-office.
Talk to our team about your needs and get matched with qualified talent.
Typical monthly investment
$4,100–$7,800/month
Based on 13 hours per week at $80–$150 per hour.
Fractional Project Manager
$4,100–$7,800 /mo
Full-time Project Manager
$12,167 /mo
Full-time estimate includes salary, employer payroll taxes and benefits using a national average. Some bonuses are included; equity and recruiting fees are not. Fractional bar shows the cost at the average rate.
Based on 40 job posts and 132 candidate profiles from the last 90 days. Last updated .
A fractional Project Manager costs $4,100 to $7,800 per month at a typical 13 hours per week. The average hourly rate is $119/hr. The middle 50% of rates run from $80/hr to $150/hr.
Monthly retainer = 13 hours per week x 4 weeks x hourly rate: at the 25th percentile rate ($80/hr) that is $4,100 per month; at the average rate ($119/hr) it is $6,100; at the 75th percentile ($150/hr) it is $7,800. Figures are rounded down to the nearest $100.
Weekly hours reflect typical fractional scope across all roles. There is not yet enough fractional Project Manager data to publish a role-specific figure.
Full-time reference: Project Management Specialists, all company sizes. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025, SOC 13-1082); employer payroll tax and benefit estimate from US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (June 2026). Wages are 70% of total employer cost.
Middle 50% of rates
$80-$150/hr
The middle 50% of observed rates — a realistic budgeting range for most engagements.
GF Demand Index
30+67%
Our proprietary index measuring demand for fractional talent.
| Hourly rate range | Share of observed rates |
|---|---|
| $40-$62/hr | 1.5% |
| $62-$84/hr | 25.7% |
| $84-$106/hr | 21.1% |
| $106-$128/hr | 15.8% |
| $128-$150/hr | 4.2% |
| $150-$172/hr | 15.1% |
| $172-$194/hr | 9.1% |
| $194-$216/hr | 7.5% |
| $216-$230/hr | 0.0% |
$40-62
2% of samples
$62-84
26% of samples
$84-106
21% of samples
$106-128
16% of samples
$128-150
4% of samples
$150-172
15% of samples
$172-194
9% of samples
$194-216
8% of samples
$216-230
0% of samples
25th percentile
$80/hr
Average rate
$119/hr
$247,520/yr equivalent
75th percentile
$150/hr
Employer offers
$89/hr
25th–75th: $80/hr – $95/hr
Average hourly rate posted in live fractional job listings.
Talent asks
$127/hr
25th–75th: $90/hr – $150/hr
Average hourly rate fractional candidates set on their profile.
Talent asks $38/hr more than employers post on average — negotiation room sits in the gap.
≈ 33% of a full-time week
~1.6
days / week
33%
of full-time
676
hrs / year
$6,100
estimated / mo
$4,100-$7,800
middle 50% of rates / mo
A typical fractional Project Manager engagement is scoped at roughly 13 hours a week — senior leadership on a part-time cadence rather than a full-time hire. Estimated monthly retainers use $119/hr and a four-week month.
Remote
Fully distributed
Hybrid
Some in-person
On-site
Office-based
Hybrid-leaning role — plan for some in-person collaboration when scoping engagements.
Tell us what you need and we'll match you with pre-screened fractional Project Manager talent, usually within a few days.
Hire a Fractional Project ManagerJoin the network to see live Project Manager roles, benchmark your own rate, and get matched with companies hiring now.
Join as Fractional TalentDemand for fractional Project Manager talent is rising sharply compared with the prior 90 days. These benchmarks feed the State of Fractional Work report, and you can compare every role on the fractional rates and cost by role table.
A fractional Project Manager costs $4,100 to $7,800 per month at a typical 13 hours per week. The average hourly rate is $119/hr. The middle 50% of rates run from $80/hr to $150/hr.
Monthly retainer = 13 hours per week x 4 weeks x hourly rate: at the 25th percentile rate ($80/hr) that is $4,100 per month; at the average rate ($119/hr) it is $6,100; at the 75th percentile ($150/hr) it is $7,800. Figures are rounded down to the nearest $100.
Weekly hours reflect typical fractional scope across all roles. There is not yet enough fractional Project Manager data to publish a role-specific figure.
$4,100 to $7,800 per month, with $6,100 at the average hourly rate. That assumes 13 hours per week and a 4-week month. The range spans the 25th to 75th percentile of observed hourly rates.
$119/hr on average. The median is $110/hr. The middle 50% of rates fall between $80/hr and $150/hr.
About 13 hours per week, or roughly 1.6 days. That is 33% of a full-time week, which is why fractional leadership is priced as a monthly retainer rather than a salary. Weekly hours reflect typical fractional scope across all roles. There is not yet enough fractional Project Manager data to publish a role-specific figure.
A fractional Project Manager at 13 hours per week costs about $73,200 a year, roughly 50% of the $146,000 loaded annual cost of a full-time hire. The full-time figure is the US median salary for Project Management Specialists ($102,320, BLS May 2025, all company sizes) plus estimated employer payroll taxes and benefits using BLS private-industry averages. These include paid leave, insurance, retirement contributions, and some bonuses. Equity and recruiting fees are excluded.
We analyze public hiring activity and pay rates for job postings over the last 90 days to provide a comprehensive view of the fractional market. Benchmarks are only published when there's sufficient data to ensure accuracy.
Monthly retainers are the 25th to 75th percentile hourly rate multiplied by typical weekly hours and a four-week month. Weekly hours reflect typical fractional scope for this role, or across all roles when role-specific data is limited. Job-post hours are never used for the retainer.
Scope of ownership
Company-wide leadership and board-facing work typically commands higher rates than narrow execution support.
Stage and urgency
Interim leadership, turnaround work, and fundraising moments tend to raise willingness to pay.
Location expectations
Remote-first work broadens the talent pool, while location-specific roles can show tighter supply.
Depth of specialization
Technical, regulated, or highly verticalized experience can push a fractional leader above the market average.