If you’ve been wondering whether you’re being paid what you’re worth, you’re not alone. According to the 2025 Product Management Salary Report, the median global product manager salary sits at $123,000, with most PMs feeling mostly satisfied with their compensation…
But not all of them are convinced they’re earning what they should. And when you zoom in, the differences in pay get even more interesting.
- Remote product managers (PM) out-earn office-based PMs by $36,250.
- Conference attendees earn $13,500 more than non-attendees.
- And product managers with 10+ years of experience before entering product? They’re clocking in at $152,000.
So what does this mean for you? It means there’s a lot you can do to increase your earning power.
Whether you’re aiming for your next promotion, negotiating a raise, or planning a strategic job move in 2026, this guide breaks down 10 data-backed ways to increase your salary (and how to put them into action).
1. Specialize in high-value skills
If you take one thing from this article, make it this: product management compensation scales with impact – not task lists. The higher the stakes of the problems you solve, the higher your earning ceiling.
And the market is telling us exactly where those stakes are.
Follow the money across industries
According to the report, PMs earn the most in:
- Data infrastructure & telecom: $155,000
- Industrials: $130,000
- Financial services: $129,000
So, if you’re hungry for higher compensation and willing to evolve your craft, you might want to break into industries where technical complexity, compliance, and scale matter.
Skills that move the salary needle
Based on industry compensation patterns and hiring trends, the following skill areas tend to command higher salaries:
- Data architecture literacy
- AI-driven product development
- Monetization strategy
- Technical ecosystem product management (APIs, integrations, platforms)
- Product-led growth (PLG) strategy
- Financial modeling
You don’t need a computer science degree to succeed here – but you do need the vocabulary, frameworks, and confidence to lead cross-functional conversations.
And the good news? Skills compound. You don’t have to know everything at once. But the moment you position yourself as a “PM who understands X,” your negotiation power increases dramatically.
Gaby Paul
2. Target companies in the compensation “sweet spot”
One of the most surprising insights from the report is this:
PMs at mid-sized companies ($50M–$99M in revenue) earn the most, with a median salary of $180,000.
That means the highest-paying PM roles aren’t necessarily at early-stage startups or massive enterprises. Instead, the best compensation often sits right in the messy middle.
Why mid-sized companies pay more
These companies are usually:
- Past survival mode
- Growing rapidly
- Mature enough to resource product properly
- Hungry for product leaders who can help them scale
- Still small enough for PMs to directly influence revenue
In these orgs, product managers aren’t just “prioritization machines.” You’re delivering clarity, reducing risk, unlocking revenue, and shaping market direction – and compensation reflects that.
Action step: Use revenue as a job-search filter
You’ll get better results scanning job boards if you filter or target companies in this range. Even if salary bands aren’t public, compensation tends to be more competitive and more flexible at this stage of growth.
3. Lean into remote work
The data couldn’t be clearer:
- Remote PMs earn a median salary of $136,250.
- Hybrid PMs earn $115,500.
- Office-based PMs earn $100,000.
That’s a $36,250 difference between remote and in-office roles.
Why remote product managers earn more
Remote roles often:
- Expand the talent pool (and salary bands) across regions
- Demand higher autonomy and stronger communication skills
- Sit within global or distributed teams with bigger budgets
- Represent roles where output outweighs physical presence
If you’re already thriving in a remote environment – or want to – this is one of the simplest ways to increase your earning potential without waiting for a promotion.
Reframe your value for remote-first employers
Highlight the skills that’ll help you stand out to recruiters filling remote positions:
- Async communication
- Cross-time-zone leadership
- Documentation rigor
- Remote stakeholder management
- Distributed decision-making
Speak the language of remote delivery, and you’ll stand out immediately.
Cindy Camacho
4. Attend more conferences and industry events
It might sound surprising, but the data is undeniable:
PMs who attend conferences make $13,500 more than those who don’t.
Only 17.6% of PMs believe conferences impact their salary – but the numbers tell a different story.
Why conferences correlate with higher compensation
Because conferences expand your:
- Network → which leads to opportunities
- Visibility → which positions you as a thought leader
- Knowledge → which deepens your expertise
- Confidence → which boosts your negotiation power
And let’s be honest: product management is a network-driven profession. The best opportunities often come from conversations, not job boards.
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5. Position yourself for senior roles by leading people (even informally)
You don’t need a formal “manager” title to demonstrate leadership. But compensation does climb when leadership is visible.
From the report:
- Product managers managing 1–3 direct reports have the highest median salary at $152,000
- PMs with no direct reports earn $106,000
- But interestingly, managing too many (7+) reduces the median back to $100,000
This suggests companies pay the most for PMs who lead small-but-mighty teams and influence strategy.
Build your leadership skills
You can show leadership through:
- Running a product portfolio
- Mentoring junior PMs
- Leading initiatives across cross-functional groups
- Owning quarterly planning
- Guiding experimentation strategy
If your manager can make the case that you’re already operating at the next level, compensation conversations become much simpler.
Gaby Paul
6. Build a long-term experience arc
One of the most striking findings in the report is how experience beats education when it comes to compensation.
- PMs with 10+ years in product earn a median of $140,000
- PMs with 10+ years before product earn $152,000
- PMs with Bachelor’s degrees make $27,500 more than those with Master’s degrees
This reinforces what experienced PMs already know: product management is a craft learned through doing — not through diplomas.
So what does that mean for your salary strategy?
It means your goal isn’t to collect degrees. It’s to:
- Stack experience across industries
- Own increasingly critical product areas
- Build a narrative of compounding expertise
- Demonstrate pattern recognition
- Show you’ve solved hard problems
Hiring teams don’t pay you for your credentials. They pay you for your judgment – and the best way to refine your taste is through experience.
7. Choose your geography (or time zone) strategically
Geography still matters, even in a remote world. The report highlights major disparities:
- North America: $160,000
- Europe: $100,000
- Rest of world: $87,500
If your goal is to maximize salary, you may want to consider:
- Working for a US-based company
- Negotiating US-aligned salary bands as a remote hire
- Switching into a global role where compensation is standardized
For many product managers outside North America, this one shift can increase salary by 50–80%. Although it’s worth noting that this data doesn’t account for the cost of living in each region.
8. Get intentional about company growth stage
Compensation follows a curve across a company’s growth journey.
Our data shows, PMs earn the most in:
- Early pre-product-market-fit startups: $155,500
- Late-stage scale-ups: $132,500
PMs earn the least in:
- Early post-PMF companies: $120,000
- Well-established enterprises: $110,000
This might be because early and late stages both reward PMs who bring clarity to chaos.
How to use this to your advantage
Ask yourself:
- Do you want ambiguity (higher pay, higher risk)?
- Do you want structured environments (lower pay, lower stress)?
Neither answer is wrong. But if you want to increase your salary and are up for the challenge, aim for:
- Companies that just raised a round
- Orgs moving from traction to scale
- Teams rebuilding product strategy
- Orgs launching new product lines
Your job is easier when you pick the right environment.
9. Optimize your hours for impact
One of the most unexpected findings:
Product managers working 46–49 hours per week earn the highest median salary: $145,000. Working 50+ hours actually reduces earning potential.
This supports a larger trend we’re seeing: Companies reward impact, not martyrdom.
Working 60-hour weeks doesn’t signal leadership – it signals a lack of leverage and puts you at risk of burnout.
Increase your leverage, not your hours
Ask:
- What decisions am I uniquely positioned to make?
- What can I automate or delegate?
- What meetings can I kill?
- Where can I drive clarity instead of chasing alignment?
High-earning PMs do less busywork, not more.
10. Make negotiation a habit, not a one-time event
Over the past three years:
- 32.7% of product managers received three pay rises
- Only 11.5% received none
What does that tell us? That salary growth is often available – but not always offered.
Top-earning product managers negotiate:
- During performance reviews
- After major wins
- When their role expands
- When they’re underleveled
- Before accepting a new offer
Shireen Brathwaite
A negotiation framework
Use this framework to prepare for your next salary negotiation:
- Document your impact monthly.
- Quantify outcomes (revenue, cost savings, retention, efficiency).
- Link your achievements to business priorities.
- Ask: “What would it take to be promoted or re-leveled in the next six months?”
- Follow up consistently.
- Enter review cycles prepared with data.
Benchmark your salary
Stop wondering if your earnings are in line with your workload. Find out exactly how much your peers are paid, so you can negotiate effectively.
This report aims to create visibility around salary and compensation within product roles worldwide.
Get your copy. 👇
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