Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a project management specialist make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

In the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan area, project management specialists earned a median of $106,780 a year ($51.34 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 440 of these jobs there. That is 95% above the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $55,040 and $167,690; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and California tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $78,264 in take-home pay.

Project management specialist pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at a glance

Median salary

$106,780$51.34 per hour · $8,898 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$55,040$26.46/hr
25th percentile$78,500$37.74/hr
75th percentile$134,180$64.51/hr
90th percentile$167,690$80.62/hr
Jobs in this metro440Location quotient 0.65 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here95% aboveAll-jobs median $54,730
Against California12% belowStatewide median $120,910
Against the U.S.4% aboveNational median $102,320

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Project management specialist salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA after taxes

$106,780
$40,000$215,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$106,780
Net 73%
Fed 14%
CA 5%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$78,264After all taxes
Monthly deposit$6,522Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$3,010Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate26.7%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$14,662 / yr
California state income tax$5,686 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$8,169 / yr

Project management specialists pay range in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What project management specialists earned in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (CA)
10th percentile$26.46/hr$4,587$55,040$45,063
25th percentile$37.74/hr$6,542$78,500$60,999
MedianMedian$51.34/hr$8,898$106,780$78,264
75th percentile$64.51/hr$11,182$134,180$94,744
90th percentile$80.62/hr$13,974$167,690$114,532

Is $106,780 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for project management specialists next to both.

Median household income$111,093Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)109.99.9% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household96.1%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Project management specialist pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA: common questions

What is the median salary for project management specialists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The BLS median annual wage for project management specialists in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area was $106,780 in May 2025, about $8,898 a month or $51.34 an hour. Statewide, the California median for this job is $120,910, so the metro pays 12% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for project management specialists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

The median hourly wage for project management specialists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA was $51.34 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $26.46 an hour and one in ten earned more than $80.62.

How many project management specialists work in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS estimated 440 jobs for project management specialists in the metro in May 2025, or 4.4 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.65 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for project management specialists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

BLS wage estimates for project management specialists in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA run from $55,040 at the 10th percentile to $78,500 at the 25th, $134,180 at the 75th, and $167,690 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do project management specialists take home after taxes in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On a median gross salary of $106,780, an estimated $78,264 lands in net take-home pay per year ($3,010 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in California in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $28,516 (an effective rate of 26.7%).

How much do project management specialists make per month in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

On the median annual salary of $106,780, gross monthly income is $8,898. After federal, FICA, and California state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $6,522 per month (or $3,010 every two weeks).

Is $106,780 a good salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

At $106,780, the median salary for project management specialists is 96.1% of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA median household income ($111,093). It is 95% above the $54,730 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 109.9, so prices here run 9.9% above the U.S. average.