How Much Do Program Directors Make?

Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary program directors make, you've come to the right place.

Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for program directors and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of program directors are offering as compensation.

Keep reading to learn more about how much program directors can expect to make in the United States.

At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Program Directors

According to data from 2023, there were about 190,581 positions for program directors in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for program directors was reported to be $77,022. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 60,775 job postings related to positions for program directors.

How Much Money Do Program Directors Make?

Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money program directors and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.

Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for program directors.

Annual Salary for Program Directors

According to the BLS, the lowest earners for program directors and related professions earned about $48,880 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $127,546 annually.

As mentioned previously, the median salary for program directors in the United States in 2023 was $77,022.

Hourly Salary for Program Directors

The BLS also breaks down compensation for program directors by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for program directors in 2023 was $37. Lowest hourly earners took home $24 while the highest reported hourly salaries for program directors was $61.

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Degree Options for Program Directors

Advertised Compensation for Program Directors

Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for program directors, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for program directors.

Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™

Annual Salary from Job Postings for Program Directors

During a review of 53,432 job postings related to program directors, advertised salary was included in 21,149 of them, which was 40%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for program directors was $62,336 per year.

Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Program Directors

A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for program directors. Based on 35% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for program directors in the United States is about $30.

Salary Trend for Program Directors

If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for program directors. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.

Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for program directors dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for program directors have increased 25%.

What's the Job Growth for Program Directors?

Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for program directors over the next 10 years.

According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 190,507 jobs for program directors in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 26,275 jobs will be added. That's a 13.8% increase over the next 10-year period.

Additional Links

Ready to dig deeper into career information about program directors? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for program directors.

What do program directors do?
Program Directors: How do you become one?

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