Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for Purchasing Managers is $139,506 per year ($67.07/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $107,432 and $175,469 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $219,128 per year. There are approximately 81,240 purchasing managers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services. Includes wholesale or retail trade merchandising managers and procurement managers.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.1%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
6K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
84K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
4% from new growth96% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
5 years or more
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
2K
$119,220
Wage range across top 5 industries: $119,220 to $162,920 (37% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$41.10
$85,488
P25
$51.65
$107,432
P50MEDIAN
$67.07
$139,506
P75
$84.36
$175,469
P90
$105.35
$219,128
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average purchasing managers salary?
The national median salary for Purchasing Managers is $139,506 per year ($67.07/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $107,432 and $175,469 annually.
How much do top-earning purchasing managers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Purchasing Managers is $219,128 per year ($105.35/hr). The 75th percentile is $175,469 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for purchasing managers?
Entry-level Purchasing Managers (10th percentile) earn approximately $85,488 per year ($41.10/hr). The 25th percentile is $107,432 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.