Purchasing Managers Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for purchasing managerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $156,360 ≈ $75/hr
National median salary $148,080
Total employment 84,320 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +3.1% About as fast as average
Annual openings 6,400 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 83,500 → 86,100 (+2,600)
Typical entry education Bachelor's degree

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. New Jersey$186,350
  2. Colorado$183,310
  3. Massachusetts$179,070
  4. New York$177,260
  5. District of Columbia$175,130

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Alaska$116,560
  2. Louisiana$122,110
  3. Mississippi$122,820
  4. Hawaii$124,000
  5. Oklahoma$124,030
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 New Jersey $186,350 $174,520 $90 +19.2% 3,430
2 Colorado $183,310 $171,250 $88 +17.2% 1,320
3 Massachusetts $179,070 $170,750 $86 +14.5% 2,160
4 New York $177,260 $166,300 $85 +13.4% 6,930
5 District of Columbia $175,130 $175,720 $84 +12% 1,110
6 Virginia $170,830 $166,230 $82 +9.3% 3,540
7 Washington $167,790 $162,730 $81 +7.3% 1,770
8 California $165,780 $159,830 $80 +6% 7,470
9 New Hampshire $165,550 $162,900 $80 +5.9% 540
10 Kansas $163,580 $159,850 $79 +4.6% 920
11 Georgia $163,270 $155,360 $79 +4.4% 3,430
12 Illinois $161,930 $153,370 $78 +3.6% 4,160
13 Arkansas $159,840 $156,450 $77 +2.2% 930
14 Maryland $157,990 $161,470 $76 +1% 2,380
15 Connecticut $154,900 $138,680 $74 -0.9% 1,420

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 284 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $198,980 $205,970 700
2 Trenton-Princeton, NJ $180,340 $195,400 330
3 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $180,000 $189,060 980
4 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR $176,300 $199,040 410
5 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $174,640 $184,230 1,940
6 Peoria, IL $174,430 $182,290 210
7 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $172,150 $176,990 4,180
8 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $171,810 $189,490 7,370
9 Rochester, MN $171,340 $160,240 80
10 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $171,280 $182,410 70

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing purchasing managerss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Oil and Gas Extraction $208,290 $205,630 160
2 Oil and Gas Extraction $208,290 $205,630 160
3 Elementary and Secondary Schools, Privately Owned $200,000 $166,530
4 Technical and Trade Schools $194,940 $179,190 30
5 Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, & Other Media Networks & Content Providers $191,350 $205,130 170
6 Broadcasting and Content Providers $188,070 $203,410 170
7 Software Publishers $185,310 $194,830 170
8 Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories $183,600 $183,380 40
9 Legal Services $182,980 $195,000 30
10 Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities $181,950 $204,830 160
11 Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services $181,890 $204,550 260
12 Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services $181,590 $185,870 200

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
37,269
$10-20k
3,510
$20-30k
6,904
$30-40k
9,721
$40-50k
13,021
$50-60k
23,545
$60-70k
22,795
$70-80k
24,034
$80-90k
20,700
$90-100k
20,484
$100-110k
20,343
$110-120k
13,609
$120-130k
15,910
$130-140k
9,942
$140-150k
7,610
$150-160k
9,103
$160-170k
5,389
$170-180k
3,839
$180-190k
2,825
$190-200k
1,880
$200k+
14,185

Pay by age band

16-24
$39,516
25-34
$85,699
35-44
$96,811
45-54
$104,897
55-64
$87,191
65+
$53,481

Education level

Bachelors Degree
$95,164
Masters Degree
$112,401
Regular high school diploma
$58,747
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$65,391
Associates Degree
$70,187
Some college, but less than 1 year
$65,306
Professional degree
$122,566
GED or alternative credential
$47,489
Doctorate degree
$124,472
12th grade - no diploma
$31,094
No schooling completed
$27,686
Grade 10
$54,089
Grade 11
$442,180
Grade 9
$50,976
Grade 7
$147,830
Grade 5
$147,830
Grade 8

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
240,120 · $102,471
Part-time
6,687 · $41,484

Race / ethnicity

White
$89,887
Black
$83,629
Two or More Races
$82,419
Asian
$96,210
Other
$75,301
American Indian
$65,597
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$60,428

Top fields of study

Business Management And Administration
$96,180
General Business
$95,768
Marketing And Marketing Research
$81,642
Accounting
$119,422
Operations Logistics And E Commerce
$116,161
Finance
$123,146
Psychology
$83,821
Economics
$134,403

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Active Listening
4.0
Speaking
4.0
Management of Personnel Resources
4.0
Reading Comprehension
3.9
Writing
3.9
Monitoring
3.9
Social Perceptiveness
3.9
Negotiation
3.9
Time Management
3.9
Critical Thinking
3.8
Coordination
3.8
Judgment and Decision Making
3.8

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do purchasing managers make in the U.S.?

The median purchasing managers salary in the United States is $148,080 per year (mean $156,360), and about 80% earn between $92,490 and $223,280.

How much do purchasing managers make per hour?

Roughly $75 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $156,360 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays purchasing managers the most?

New Jersey has the highest average pay for purchasing managers at $186,350 per year (median $174,520).

What is the job outlook for purchasing managers?

Employment is projected to change +3.1% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 6,400 openings per year.

What People Search

Common U.S. search queries related to this occupation.

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