What Project Management Specialists earn in Clackamas County, OR
The median pay for Project Management Specialists in Clackamas County, OR is $108,340 per year, which works out to $52.09 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan area, the labor market that Clackamas County, OR belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $120,220, which is 11.0% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 14,440 people working in this occupation across the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Clackamas County, OR has roughly 423,975 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Project Management Specialists in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $67,370 a year ($32.39 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $177,090 or more ($85.14 an hour). That is a gap of $109,720 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $83,740 at the 25th percentile and $140,990 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 2.6 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $52.09 an hour or $108,340 a year at the median for Clackamas County, OR. Before any deductions, that is $9,028 a month, $4,167 every two weeks and $2,083 each week. After taxes the same job pays $36.94 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
How pay in Clackamas County, OR compares
Compared with the Oregon average
A worker in this occupation in Clackamas County, OR earns $3,322 more than the Oregon average of $105,018, a premium of 3.2%. Over a year that premium is worth $3,322 before tax and roughly $2,356 after tax. Within Oregon, Clackamas County, OR already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Project Management Specialists is $104,422 across the contiguous United States. At $108,340, Clackamas County, OR pays $3,918 more, which is 3.8% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Clackamas County, OR
Among the 592 occupations with published wages in Clackamas County, OR, Project Management Specialists ranks number 93 by median pay, ahead of about 84% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Software Developers at $156,000 a year, which is $47,660 more than the median for Project Management Specialists.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Project Management Specialists earning the Clackamas County, OR median of $108,340, they add up to $31,504. The result is $76,836 of take-home pay a year ($6,403 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $29 goes to taxes and $71 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 29.1%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $92,590. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 22% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $15,284, an effective 14.1% of gross pay, well below the 22% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $6,717 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $1,571. FICA totals $8,288, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in Oregon
Oregon income tax on this salary is $7,932 a year, or 7.3% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 52% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $661 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Clackamas County, OR
IRS Statistics of Income data for Clackamas County, OR show an average adjusted gross income of $111,729 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 14.8% across all filers. Filers in the $100,000 to under $200,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 11.1%, compared with the 14.1% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Clackamas County, OR
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Clackamas County, OR: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $76,836 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Clackamas County, OR, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,633 a month ($19,596 a year), and at $1,878 for two bedrooms. For Project Management Specialists, a one-bedroom absorbs 25.5% of take-home pay and 18.1% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 3.2% of gross pay for Project Management Specialists in Clackamas County, OR. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Oregon residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,553 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $595, for $2,148 in total. Gasoline in Oregon averages $4.06 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,879.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $27,059 a year in Clackamas County, OR. Subtract that from $76,836 of take-home pay and $49,778 remains, which is $4,148 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 45.9% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Can Project Management Specialists afford to live in Clackamas County, OR?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $108,340 that ceiling is $2,709 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,633 is $1,076 under it, so rent fits the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $31.40 an hour; the median for Project Management Specialists is $52.09, which is 66% above that mark. Another way to see it: at $36.94 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 10.2 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,878 a month means $939 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $8,328 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $58,106.
How fast you can save
At $4,148 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 3 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 6 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Project Management Specialists pay in Clackamas County, OR
How much do Project Management Specialists make per hour in Clackamas County, OR?
The median is $52.09 per hour, based on $108,340 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $32.39 at the 10th percentile to $85.14 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Project Management Specialists take home after taxes in Clackamas County, OR?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $108,340 becomes $76,836 a year. That is $6,403 a month, $2,955 every two weeks or $1,478 a week.
How much tax do Project Management Specialists pay in Clackamas County, OR?
Total taxes are $31,504 a year, an effective rate of 29.1%: $15,284 federal income tax, $8,288 FICA and $7,932 Oregon income tax.
Do Project Management Specialists earn more in Clackamas County, OR than elsewhere in Oregon?
Yes. The local median of $108,340 is +3.2% versus the Oregon average of $105,018, a difference of $3,322 a year.
Can Project Management Specialists afford a one-bedroom apartment in Clackamas County, OR?
A one-bedroom costs $1,633 a month against take-home pay of $6,403, which is 25.5% of take-home pay. That meets the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $2,709 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Project Management Specialists in Clackamas County, OR?
About $4,148 a month ($49,778 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $27,059 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Clackamas County, OR at the 30% guideline?
$31.40 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $19,596 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Project Management Specialists is $52.09.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the Oregon rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.