Purchasing Managers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$148,080
United States, 2025
Employment
84,320
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 11-3061.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.
- Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.
- Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.
- Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.
- Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.
- Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids.
- Administer online purchasing systems.
- Prepare and process requisitions and purchase orders for supplies and equipment.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$92,490
25th percentile
$115,550
75th percentile
$182,270
90th percentile
$223,280
Most important skills
- Speaking4.0
- Management of Personnel Resources4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Writing3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Negotiation3.9
- Time Management3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8
- Coordination3.8
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 23 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
23
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Writing | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Negotiation | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Time Management | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Persuasion | 3.6 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Coordination | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.5 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Service Orientation | 3.5 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Instructing | 3.4 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Management of Material Resources | 3.3 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Management of Financial Resources | 3.3 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.1 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.5 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.0 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Mathematics | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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National median not published
Compare with Purchasing ManagersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $198,980 | 700 | 2025 |
| Trenton, NJ | $180,340 | 330 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $180,000 | 980 | 2025 |
| Fayetteville, AR | $176,300 | 410 | 2025 |
| DC | $175,720 | 1,110 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $174,640 | 1,940 | 2025 |
| NJ | $174,520 | 3,430 | 2025 |
| Peoria, IL | $174,430 | 210 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $172,150 | 4,180 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $171,810 | 7,370 | 2025 |
| Rochester, MN | $171,340 | 80 | 2025 |
| Fort Collins, CO | $171,280 | 70 | 2025 |
| CO | $171,250 | 1,320 | 2025 |
| MA | $170,750 | 2,160 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $170,440 | 1,320 | 2025 |
| Kennewick, WA | $169,520 | 60 | 2025 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | $168,670 | 130 | 2025 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $167,860 | 370 | 2025 |
| Norwich, CT | $167,220 | 70 | 2025 |
| NY | $166,300 | 6,930 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Purchasing Managers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.