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Entry Level Job Market Report
Product Manager
Overall Rating
High
Competition
Very High
Avg Entry Salary
$104k (USD)
Job Satisfaction
3.8/5
Growth Potential
High
About
Product Managers collaborate with stakeholders, analyze user needs, and coordinate product development to ensure features deliver real value for customers and the business.
Overall Rating
High
Despite sustained demand in tech, entry-level product design opportunities have declined in recent years, with heightened competition for fewer roles. New hires must show strong portfolios, AI fluency, and proactive collaboration skills to stand out in a transitional, tech-driven landscape.
Competition
Very High
Entry-level product management remains one of the most sought-after early-career roles due to high pay, rapid advancement, and visibility across organizations.
Experience Inflation: Most APM roles now require relevant internships, project portfolios, or analytical backgrounds; “no experience” openings are rarer than ever. Many postings expect exposure to agile development, user research, or data analytics.
AI & Automation: Routine backlog grooming, data analysis, and reporting are increasingly automated, so product managers must demonstrate strategic thinking and the ability to synthesize insights from AI-driven tools
Talent Overflow: PM bootcamps, high collegiate awareness, and enticing salaries have created a surplus of early-career job seekers. For every entry product manager position, there are an estimated 30–40 qualified applicants
Evolving Role & High Bar: Modern product management now integrates user research, engineering, go-to-market, and revenue strategy. Candidates must be highly adaptable, technically literate, and ready to manage cross-functional ambiguity
Experience Inflation: Most APM roles now require relevant internships, project portfolios, or analytical backgrounds; “no experience” openings are rarer than ever. Many postings expect exposure to agile development, user research, or data analytics.
AI & Automation: Routine backlog grooming, data analysis, and reporting are increasingly automated, so product managers must demonstrate strategic thinking and the ability to synthesize insights from AI-driven tools
Talent Overflow: PM bootcamps, high collegiate awareness, and enticing salaries have created a surplus of early-career job seekers. For every entry product manager position, there are an estimated 30–40 qualified applicants
Evolving Role & High Bar: Modern product management now integrates user research, engineering, go-to-market, and revenue strategy. Candidates must be highly adaptable, technically literate, and ready to manage cross-functional ambiguity
-20%
Decrease in product manager jobs between 2020-2025
FRED: Federal Reserve Economic Data
+10%
Change in the overall number of job listings 2020-2025
All jobs: +10%
Banking and finance: -7%
Sales: -8%
Marketing: -19%
Software development: -34%
Salary
$104K (USD)
Typical entry-level product manager salaries range from $76,000–$133,000, with the top 10% earning around $138k. Entry-level salaries are highest in San Francisco, New York, and Seattle, WA (avg: 115k).
Best US Cities for Product Designers (2025): San Francisco & Bay Area, New York, Seattle, Boston, Austin, Chicago. California and New York have the most job openings. Texas and Washington have the most rapid growth in openings.
Top Employers:
Tech: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Salesforce, Meta, IBM, Oracle
Startups & Mid-Sized Tech: Atlassian, Stripe, Twilio, HubSpot
Others: IBM, Capital One, Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Deloitte
Best US Cities for Product Designers (2025): San Francisco & Bay Area, New York, Seattle, Boston, Austin, Chicago. California and New York have the most job openings. Texas and Washington have the most rapid growth in openings.
Top Employers:
Tech: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Salesforce, Meta, IBM, Oracle
Startups & Mid-Sized Tech: Atlassian, Stripe, Twilio, HubSpot
Others: IBM, Capital One, Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Deloitte
Job Satisfaction
3.8/5
Average happiness: 3.8 out of 5 stars. Entry-level product managers report high satisfaction from creative impact and company visibility, but stress from ambiguous expectations, cross-team demands, and steep learning curves is common.
Career Potential: Entry-level product designers can eventually pivot into senior PM, product marketing, strategy, or operations.
What are potential career paths for product managers?
Career Potential: Entry-level product designers can eventually pivot into senior PM, product marketing, strategy, or operations.
What are potential career paths for product managers?
Growth Potential
High
AI isn’t replacing product managers, but is transforming the role:
- Routine work (analytics, reporting, backlog management) is increasingly automated; PMs focus on strategy, insight, and outcome delivery.
- Human skills in relationship management, synthesis, and customer empathy are irreplaceable, even as AI boosts efficiency.
- Product managers who master cross-functional collaboration and AI-driven tools will future-proof their careers.
Product management remains a high-visibility, high-mobility field. But entry-level jobs require more - tangible project work, technical fluency, and emotional intelligence. PMs who adapt to AI-augmented practice and specialize in growth or technical areas are best positioned for both resilience and advancement.
- Routine work (analytics, reporting, backlog management) is increasingly automated; PMs focus on strategy, insight, and outcome delivery.
- Human skills in relationship management, synthesis, and customer empathy are irreplaceable, even as AI boosts efficiency.
- Product managers who master cross-functional collaboration and AI-driven tools will future-proof their careers.
Product management remains a high-visibility, high-mobility field. But entry-level jobs require more - tangible project work, technical fluency, and emotional intelligence. PMs who adapt to AI-augmented practice and specialize in growth or technical areas are best positioned for both resilience and advancement.
