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Job outlook for technical product managers in the United States
Technical product manager job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected technical product manager job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 33,700 new jobs for technical product managers are projected over the next decade.
Technical product manager salaries have increased 8% for technical product managers in the last 5 years.
There are over 22,310 technical product managers currently employed in the United States.
There are 185,305 active technical product manager job openings in the US.
The average technical product manager salary is $120,052.
Are technical product manager jobs in demand?
Technical Product Manager job and salary trends over time
Technical Product Manager jobs over time
Technical Product Manager job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22,310 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 21,631 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 21,109 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 19,248 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 17,529 | 0.01% |
Average technical product manager salary over time
Technical Product Manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $120,052 | $57.72 | +3.9% |
| 2024 | $115,560 | $55.56 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $113,398 | $54.52 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $111,658 | $53.68 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | $110,772 | $53.26 | +1.9% |
Technical Product Manager jobs by state
Most common states for technical product managers
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 550 | 79% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 3,268 | 44% |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 407 | 38% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,516 | 37% |
| 5 | Vermont | 623,657 | 223 | 36% |
| 6 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 1,435 | 35% |
| 7 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 1,099 | 35% |
| 8 | Delaware | 961,939 | 333 | 35% |
| 9 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,896 | 34% |
| 10 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,870 | 33% |
| 11 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 587 | 31% |
| 12 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 234 | 31% |
| 13 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 3,834 | 30% |
| 14 | California | 39,536,653 | 11,079 | 28% |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 3,555 | 28% |
| 16 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 2,839 | 27% |
| 17 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 2,723 | 27% |
| 18 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 955 | 27% |
| 19 | New York | 19,849,399 | 5,234 | 26% |
| 20 | Alaska | 739,795 | 193 | 26% |
Most common cities for technical product managers
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 5 | 13% | $101,611 |
| 2 | Dover | 5 | 13% | $97,193 |
| 3 | Hartford | 8 | 6% | $101,304 |
| 4 | Atlanta | 25 | 5% | $94,318 |
| 5 | Des Moines | 9 | 4% | $89,819 |
| 6 | Bellevue | 5 | 4% | $126,399 |
| 7 | Boston | 17 | 3% | $109,883 |
| 8 | Denver | 14 | 2% | $88,938 |
| 9 | Urban Honolulu | 7 | 2% | $99,877 |
| 10 | Chicago | 17 | 1% | $94,803 |
| 11 | San Francisco | 13 | 1% | $138,950 |
| 12 | Phoenix | 10 | 1% | $106,103 |
| 13 | Indianapolis | 9 | 1% | $87,072 |
| 14 | San Jose | 6 | 1% | $138,519 |
| 15 | Washington | 6 | 1% | $98,579 |
| 16 | Austin | 5 | 1% | $103,178 |
| 17 | Detroit | 5 | 1% | $97,238 |
| 18 | New York | 13 | 0% | $112,562 |
| 19 | Los Angeles | 6 | 0% | $129,513 |
Technical Product Manager job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of technical product manager experts
Miami University
Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Indiana University
Hawaii Pacific University
What's a day at work look like for a Technical Product Manager?
Patrick Lindsay: Sales is a good job out of college. Regardless of the company, the industry, the marketplace or geography, being in the customer interface is not only the best and quickest way to learn about a business but also to learn about business. They are exposed to the impact from and on all stakeholders. They learn about what a value proposition really is and the importance of Trust. They observe and learn the importance of relationships. And they grasp the importance of why over what and how. Finally, sales experience and success is almost universally transferable. Once a grad has a year to three developing competencies, skills and confidence, they can pursue virtually any other product or service in almost any company. They can pursue a next job in sales but also other areas like marketing, customer service, human resources, training, recruiting, et cetera. Employers are not emphasizing industry knowledge or experience like they once did. And many companies, from small local the largest global companies in their industries, insist their new college hires begin in sales (aka account management, business development, client acquisition).
Now, with the proper training (could be a major/minor but doesn't have to be if the graduate has developed a particular skill set) there are many available jobs for graduates that are technology-related. These are "good job" from a compensation and stability perspective. And any position with a global tech firm is a golden ticket.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Product Managers?
Patrick Lindsay: Absolutely, the pandemic will have an enduring impact on these upcoming graduates. Uncertainty is always part of the job search journey/process for future graduates. Uncertainty is now major Anxiety number one for them.
First, the recruiting process drastically changed and opportunities diminished in the past twelve months. Of course the process had to become virtual. But there has been more than a fifty percent reduction in the number of companies participating in career fairs. Further, those companies are anticipating a reduction in the number of available positions, or have said they will have none at all this year. Some only participated to keep their relationships alive with the universities.
Second, companies cannot commit to the full scope of work for new hires, nor the location... because they still don't know. Starting positions will still be virtual WFH. What does that mean for a college graduate? Move back home with parents? Some companies are anticipating a return this summer to office or other work sites that are bricks and mortar locations. Still others say they will stay virtual. Either way, few will commit to where a new graduate will be located. The common position is "We will see where our needs are when the time comes". Rarely have graduates not known the location of their first job.
Third, where millennials were the driving faction for flexible work environs and work from home, in less than one year, many upcoming Gen Z graduates have changed their perspective and are seeking opportunities to commute to work and interact with people in a live daily routine. They do not want to continue living in a virtual world. It took less than ten months to change a cultural movement. This will be a growing field of study for behavioral psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists.
Fourth, many grads are open to a wider bandwidth of positions and industries (other than those seeking a "professional" career in certification trades: accountancy, engineering, architecture, etc.) than they would have been one year ago. The uncertainty of supply always impacts the demand. Likewise, their career criteria and priorities seem to have changed, but in very inconsistent ways.
What's a good job out of college for Technical Product Managers?
Patrick Lindsay: Sales is a good job out of college. Regardless of the company, the industry, the marketplace or geography, being in the customer interface is not only the best and quickest way to learn about a business but also to learn about business. They are exposed to the impact from and on all stakeholders. They learn about what a value proposition really is and the importance of Trust. They observe and learn the importance of relationships. And they grasp the importance of why over what and how. Finally, sales experience and success is almost universally transferable. Once a grad has a year to three developing competencies, skills and confidence, they can pursue virtually any other product or service in almost any company. They can pursue a next job in sales but also other areas like marketing, customer service, human resources, training, recruiting, et cetera. Employers are not emphasizing industry knowledge or experience like they once did. And many companies, from small local the largest global companies in their industries, insist their new college hires begin in sales (aka account management, business development, client acquisition).
Now, with the proper training (could be a major/minor but doesn't have to be if the graduate has developed a particular skill set) there are many available jobs for graduates that are technology-related. These are "good job" from a compensation and stability perspective. And any position with a global tech firm is a golden ticket.
What technical skills for a Technical Product Manager stand out to employers?
Patrick Lindsay: Most all employers expect full competency in creatively using technology for communications. By that I don't mean mobile devices or social media usgae. I mean a widespread working knowledge of technology tools (apps, software, etc). Employers are seeking those candidates who can convey thoughts, ideas, responses in a multi-faceted way. Basic competency in written correspondence is no longer enough. Employers want to see daily business communication not only contain demonstration of good writing (grammar, syntax, formatting) but also being able to create embedded images, video, and relevant web links to better communicate. And not just for a big fancy client presentation, but consistently in regular communication. Further, they want words supported by data; support words with numerical evidence. As such, advanced excel skills and real experience in data sources and extraction stand out to employers.
Similarly, they expect professional virtual audio-visual communication. It is not enough to just be on the Zoom call. The expectation is to be prepared, to be engaged, to be aware of the audio and video angles and backgrounds. To demonstrate active listening as well as enthusiastic, energetic, even animated talking. Body language and facial expression are even more enhanced in virtual communications.
If there was a positive outcome from being thrust into an academic world that was all virtual, it was the need to learn new technical skills, not only for classwork, but also for social interaction. This will not only be appreciated by employers, but for many, expected.
Sachin Tuli
Director, International Business MajorWisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
International Business
What's a day at work look like for a Technical Product Manager?
Sachin Tuli: The pandemic accelerated ongoing shifts with work-from-anywhere and use of remote meeting technologies. With mass adoption at all levels, these trends are likely to persist to some degree across fields and industries. There will likely be less travel for a number of years, but concurrently we may see more cross-team and cross-national collaboration and coordination. From an international business perspective, firms do plan to continue their globalization efforts and we know that graduates themselves increasingly seek potential global opportunities and mobility when choosing which organizations to work for.
How have salaries changed over time for Technical Product Managers?
Sachin Tuli: Our undergraduate international business program serves as a second major that is coupled with another business major; marketing, finance, and management are most common majors combined with international business. Initial career placement is driven by these first majors, with students using the knowledge and skills gained through the international business curriculum throughout their careers but often leveraging the major directly as they command more responsibility within their organizations. The Wisconsin School of Business continues to place our students competitively with starting salaries having kept pace with industry and peer schools; specific salary information by major can be found here:apps.wsb.wisc.edu
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Product Managers?
Sachin Tuli: Certainly there will be impact on graduates as there will be impact on society as a whole - but which impact? If economic, we serve students from a variety of national backgrounds, so depending on where our students go after graduation their local economy recoveries could diverge from the global average and that could effect both the job market and salaries. For instance, China is forecasted to continue recovering due to its proactive lock downs and ability to serve foreign markets through this past year. In the U.S., where the majority of our students stay, a strong vaccine program, safety net supports and stimulus will help ensure a recovery at large and likely a post-Covid bump. Though the recovery will be uneven, our students primarily head to medium and large firms that will be well poised to hire, or which may have experienced growth through the pandemic. There will be other impacts on personal finances, health and mental health, among others, that should also be considered. The pandemic has laid bare the inequities in society, and firms are pledging to help address these issues through various actions, such as diversity and inclusion initiatives, and proactive internal training and education.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Technical Product Manager job market given the pandemic?
Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.: In the prospering User Experience (UX) economy, I see more and more "remote" UX internships offered to our students and "remote" UX full-time job opportunities offered to our graduates. Both graduates and employers are more comfortable establishing remote working collaborations, which are becoming now the norm more than before, due to the disruption in the traditional office-bound workspace that COVID brought to the marketplace.
What skills stand out on Technical Product Manager resumes?
Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.: In my experience, our most successful MS HCI graduates (https://soic.iupui.edu/hcc/graduate/hci/masters/) take the time to put together a compelling online portfolio that showcases their project experience and skill set in action, as applied to specific research opportunities they had with faculty or projects they worked on during their UX internships in the industry. The personal brand of UX junior professional can be greatly enriched when the portfolio includes not only what the student has done, but why and what was the design rationale behind the process and the results, what was the larger context and goal of the project (especially in large collaborative projects), and what was the specific role and contribution of the student. The discussion about the portfolio of a candidate has become a key ingredient of the interview for UX jobs, besides other important activities such as UX design exercises or remote assignments.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Technical Product Managers to find work opportunities?
Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.: With the many remote work opportunities for our MS HCI graduates, physical location is less relevant than before, and flexibility becomes key. UX job opportunities are plenty in the Midwest, as well as on the East and West Coast, and the roles and competitiveness of these positions vary greatly based on the nature of the organization and the industry ecosystem.
What Technical Product Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Matthew Lopresti: Captains of industry are often asked about the traits they look for in new hires. Critical thinking is always a must, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills.
These are the core competencies of the discipline of philosophy. Top-notch communication abilities begin with a depth of ability to understand nuanced, complex details, and then turn around and clearly communicate these complex ideas in easily digestible bits of information. It is no coincidence that students who graduate with philosophy degrees repeatedly dominate graduate and law-school entrance exams like the GRE and LSAT; they are often the sharpest thinkers with the quickest minds
