Is the PMP worth it? What 1,838 job postings say
1,838 open job postings from 802 employers name PMP. 25% require it; the rest list it as a nice-to-have. It's asked for most in project & program management jobs, where 21% of postings name it.
25% of the 1,838 postings that name it require it. It signals experience: 92% of the postings that state a level are senior or above.
- Employers name it
- 8021st of 40 we track
- Require it
- 25%of postings that name it
- Level
- Professionalour classification
- Exam fee
- $405–$655official price
Who should take it?
Built from what the 1,838 postings ask for, not from opinions.
Take it if you…
- aim at project & program management jobsNamed in 21% of project & program management postings
- target employers that screen for it25% of the postings that name it require it
- already have years in the field92% of these postings are senior or above
Skip it (for now) if you…
- want it to land your first jobOnly 5% of the postings that name it are junior or intern roles
- don't meet the requirements yetRequired: project management experience and 35 hours of project management education (the amount of experience depends on your degree)
Recognition: one of the most widely recognised certifications we track, 1st of 40 by the number of employers that name it (802). We can't yet measure whether PMP gets a particular person hired: that needs outcomes from people who earned it.
How much it counts in each kind of job
Share of each job family's postings that name PMP, and how many of those require it.
Job titles
PMP shows up most in Project Manager, Program Manager and Technical Program Manager postings. Ranked by the number of different employers, so one big hirer can't fill the list.
| Job (level and location removed) | Employers | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Project Manager | 179 | 241 |
| Program Manager | 99 | 129 |
| Technical Program Manager | 58 | 92 |
| Technical Project Manager | 40 | 45 |
| Delivery Manager | 10 | 10 |
| Construction Manager | 9 | 12 |
| Deputy Program Manager | 9 | 11 |
| Implementation Manager | 9 | 10 |
Required or a plus?
How the 1,838 postings that name PMP ask for it.
Who it's for: seniority
Level stated in the job title, 673 postings.
Who asks for it
Employers with the most postings
- Anduril Industries · 32
- Capco · 32
- Michels Corporation · 23
- Nscale · 23
- Crusoe · 19
- Luster National · 18
- SpaceX · 17
- Shield AI · 16
- Decima International · 15
- Nebius · 13
Where the jobs are
42% are fully remote (of 790 postings that say).
75% of the postings are in the United States: the job boards we read lean towards US tech companies, so other markets are under-represented.
What these jobs pay
Advertised US base pay in postings that name PMP and publish a salary range (868 postings).
Often asked for together
Other certifications named in the same postings as PMP.
Share of the postings that name PMP. Postings often list several certifications as alternatives (“CISSP, CISM or equivalent”).
Compared with similar certifications
PMP is named by more employers than any other certification in its group.
| Certification | Level | Exam fee | Employers | Required | Senior or above | Junior or intern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PMP | Professional | $405–$655 | 802 | 25% | 92% | 5% |
| PRINCE2 | Entry level | – | 127 | 35% | 98% | 1% |
| Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) | Entry level | $250–$2,495 with course | 118 | 40% | 92% | 5% |
| SAFe certification | – | – | 49 | 36% | – | – |
| Professional Scrum Master (PSM) | – | – | 44 | 37% | – | – |
Exam and requirements
From the official PMI pages, checked 14 November 2026. Formats change: confirm before you book.
What the exam covers
Share of the exam, from the official exam outline.
What it costs
- Exam
- $405 for PMI members, $655 for non-members
- Keeping it
- 60 professional development units (PDUs) every 3 years, plus a renewal fee
Official prices only. Courses, practice tests and retakes come on top; their prices vary too much between providers to average.
Sources: PMI: PMP certification, PMP exam content outline 2026.
How we count
- Source. 199,799 unique open postings from company job boards on Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, crawled November 2026.
- Named only. A posting counts when it names PMP, not the bare word “certified”. Certifications offered as a benefit (“we pay for your exam”) don't count.
- Required or a plus. Read from the section and the sentence the mention sits in.
- Checked by hand. In 150 random matches the extractor had never seen, 148 named the right certification and 147 had the right type.
- Minimum sample. Seniority, locations and pay are shown only with at least 30 postings behind them.
- Limits. A posting is what an employer asks for, not who they hire. The boards lean towards tech companies and the US.
FAQ
Is PMP worth it in 2026?
It depends on the job you're aiming at. 802 employers name it in 1,838 open postings, most often in project & program management (21% of that family's postings). 25% require it. For those jobs it can decide whether your application gets past the first screen.
Will PMP help me get an entry-level job?
Rarely on its own. Only 5% of the postings that name it and state a level are junior or intern roles; 92% are senior, lead or staff. Employers treat it as a mark of experience, not a way in.
How much do jobs that ask for PMP pay?
US postings that name it and publish a salary advertise a median base pay of $158K (middle half $130K–$187K, 868 postings). Compared with a job without a certification at the same company, same job family and level, they advertise the same. That's what the job pays, not what the certificate adds.
Which certifications are asked for together with PMP?
Most often PRINCE2 (named in 10% of the same postings), Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) (named in 7% of the same postings) and CISSP (named in 4% of the same postings).
What is on the PMP exam?
The official outline weights process (41%), people (33%) and business environment (26%) most.
How much does PMP cost?
$405 for PMI members, $655 for non-members, according to the official page as of 14 November 2026. Prices change, so check before you pay.
Not sure a certification is your gap?
See all 40 certifications side by side, or check the skills employers in your target role ask for.