Management

Purchasing Managers

SOC 11-3061

Lead a team that purchases goods and services for an organization.

The job

Median pay

$148k

$116k to $182k typical range

Outlook, 2025 to 2035

Growing fast

+4.0% projected

Openings a year

6.4k

BLS projection

Typical education

Bachelor's

Our model

AI displacement risk

High

How much of this job AI may do instead of the person

Works with AI

3/100

AI alongside the person rather than instead of them

AI exposure

71st pct

More exposed than 71% of occupations · modeled estimate · 35th pct in Microsoft's data

Future-proof

56/100

At a glance

The $148,080 median for Purchasing Managers runs more than double the typical occupation we cover, and 20% above the median across Management. The 2025 to 2035 outlook is +4.0%, within a point of typical growth across the occupations we cover. BLS projects about 6,400 openings a year. Typical entry-level education is a bachelor's degree. For Purchasing Managers, modeled exposure lands at the 71st percentile, displacement risk high, works-with-AI 3/100, leaning toward displacement. Annual openings for Sales Managers are about 7 times the number here.

Take the next step

Weigh it against Supply Chain DirectorsPay, outlook, entry and AI exposure side by side See where it pays mostWashington DC leads at $176k; all states are listed below Find careers like itOpen the map at Purchasing Managers and explore its neighbours See open jobsPurchasing Managers roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Purchasing Managers, who lean most on active listening Real pay & reviewsSelf-reported pay and reviews on Glassdoor

Similar pay in Management

Key skills

Active Listening
Speaking
Reading Comprehension
Writing
Monitoring
Critical Thinking

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 50 states and DC. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Texas	9,640	0.7	1.3×	$135k
California	7,470	0.4	0.8×	$160k
New York	6,930	0.7	1.3×	$166k
Illinois	4,160	0.7	1.3×	$153k
Florida	3,960	0.4	0.7×	$133k
Virginia	3,540	0.9	1.6×	$166k
Ohio	3,490	0.6	1.2×	$135k
Georgia	3,430	0.7	1.3×	$155k
New Jersey	3,430	0.8	1.5×	$175k
Michigan	2,780	0.6	1.2×	$142k

All 50 states and DC

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
North Carolina	2,670	0.5	1.0×	$139k
Pennsylvania	2,530	0.4	0.8×	$142k
Maryland	2,380	0.9	1.6×	$161k
Massachusetts	2,160	0.6	1.1×	$171k
Washington	1,770	0.5	0.9×	$163k
Arizona	1,630	0.5	0.9×	$139k
Wisconsin	1,610	0.5	1.0×	$125k
Alabama	1,520	0.7	1.3×	$131k
Tennessee	1,460	0.4	0.8×	$137k
Connecticut	1,420	0.8	1.5×	$139k
Minnesota	1,340	0.5	0.8×	$145k
Colorado	1,320	0.5	0.8×	$171k
Indiana	1,190	0.4	0.7×	$127k
Washington DC	1,110	1.6	2.9×	$176k
Oregon	980	0.5	0.9×	$137k
Missouri	960	0.3	0.6×	$132k
Arkansas	930	0.7	1.3×	$156k
Kansas	920	0.6	1.2×	$160k
Kentucky	920	0.5	0.8×	$124k
South Carolina	830	0.4	0.7×	$132k
Iowa	610	0.4	0.7×	$122k
New Hampshire	540	0.8	1.5×	$163k
Utah	510	0.3	0.5×	$126k
Oklahoma	480	0.3	0.5×	$119k
Louisiana	470	0.2	0.5×	$110k
Nevada	450	0.3	0.5×	$120k
Nebraska	440	0.4	0.8×	$124k
Mississippi	320	0.3	0.5×	$123k
Idaho	270	0.3	0.6×	$137k
New Mexico	240	0.3	0.5×	$135k
Hawaii	220	0.4	0.7×	$113k
Rhode Island	220	0.4	0.8×	$135k
West Virginia	180	0.3	0.5×	$147k
Maine	170	0.3	0.5×	$136k
Montana	160	0.3	0.6×	$123k
Delaware	150	0.3	0.6×	$173k (estimated)
Alaska	140	0.4	0.8×	$115k
Vermont	90	0.3	0.6×	$136k
South Dakota	70	0.2	0.3×	$129k
North Dakota	50	0.1	0.2×	$130k
Wyoming	40	0.1	0.3×	$123k

Top metro areas

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ7,370 jobs · $172k median
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV4,180 jobs · $172k median
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX3,400 jobs · $138k median
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN3,250 jobs · $155k median
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA2,800 jobs · $156k median
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX2,630 jobs · $139k median
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA2,590 jobs · $166k median
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH1,940 jobs · $175k median

Where this ranks

Explore Purchasing Managers interactively →

Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.