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Tennessee / Transportation / Project Director

Job-title file

Project Director

Lead staff and operations — set priorities, allocate resources, and oversee program delivery.

4 employees hold this title in Transportation. Median total compensation for the role is $129,456, above the department median of $66,690.

Employees
4
Total payroll
$530.4K
Role median
$129,456
Agency median
$66,690
Comparison
Above

Compared with the local labor market

Project Director pay vs. Tennessee

Across all employers in Tennessee, the median wage for Managers, All Other — about 17,510 people — is $99,430. Transportation pays a median base salary of $129,456 for this role, 30% above that figureabout the 71st percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Transportation sits in the local pay range

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$49,210
$66,580
$99,430
$135,510
$181,270
Transportation median · $129,456

The bar is the range of annual wages for Managers, All Other across every employer in Tennessee, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Transportation’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for Managers, All Other — about 622,190 people — is $141,900. Transportation’s median base salary is 9% below that national figure, about the 42nd percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$74,300
$102,880
$141,900
$186,300
$238,270
Transportation median · $129,456

Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Tennessee range relative to the national one.

Median total compensation for this role at Transportation is $129,456, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across Tennessee

Project Director is held in 2 Tennessee departments. In Transportation, the median of $129,456 ranks #2 of 2.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Median total compensation for the Project Director role in other Tennesseedepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

Project Director beyond Tennessee

This role is reported in 7 jurisdictions. In Tennessee, the median of $138,649 ranks #3 of 7. See Project Director across all of Tennessee

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

California
$145,287 · 142
Missouri
$117,987 · 19
Vermont
$94,276 · 8

Median total compensation for comparable Project Directorroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Carma Smith

Project Director/Transportation

2026 total comp
$142,538
Sub-department
Information Technology Office
Base pay
$139,200
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$3,338
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$142,538
Employment type
Full-Time
Pay basis
Monthly
Middle name
H

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate
$11,600
Employee ID
133645

Carma Smith holds the role of Project Director at Transportation within Information Technology Office. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $142,538.

Kirt Denney

Project Director/Transportation

2026 total comp
$130,008
Sub-department
Information Technology Office
Base pay
$130,008
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$130,008
Employment type
Full-Time
Pay basis
Monthly
Middle name
E

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate
$10,834
Employee ID
723647

Kirt Denney works as a Project Director for Transportation within Information Technology Office. Their status is full-time. Kirt earned $130,008 in 2026.

John Hicks

Project Director/Transportation

2026 total comp
$128,904
Sub-department
Information Technology Office
Base pay
$128,904
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$128,904
Employment type
Full-Time
Pay basis
Monthly
Middle name
H

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate
$10,742
Employee ID
148944

At Transportation, John Hicks serves as a Project Director within Information Technology Office. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $128,904.

George Poor

Project Director/Transportation

2026 total comp
$128,904
Sub-department
Information Technology Office
Base pay
$128,904
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$0
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$128,904
Employment type
Full-Time
Pay basis
Monthly
Middle name
A

Source-specific fields

Compensation Rate
$10,742
Employee ID
151272

At Transportation, George Poor serves as a Project Director within Information Technology Office. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $128,904.