Purchasing Managers: 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.
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What Do Purchasing Managers Do?
Typical responsibilities of purchasing managers cover:
- 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.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Effective purchasing managers draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Types of Purchasing Managers Jobs
Common job titles for this role include:
- Category Purchasing Manager
- Commissary Superintendent
- Commodity Manager
- Contract Manager
- Contracting Manager
- Division Merchandise Manager (DMM)
- General Merchandise Manager
- Materials Director
Employment and Demand
The U.S. employs around 248,461 purchasing managers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -3.4% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Purchasing Managers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $74,176 |
| Hourly median | $35.66 |
| 10th percentile | $51,040 |
| 25th percentile | $62,608 |
| 75th percentile | $85,743 |
| 90th percentile | $97,311 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | $173,130 |
| District of Columbia | $171,910 |
| Massachusetts | $168,890 |
| Washington | $165,170 |
| New York | $164,950 |
| Colorado | $163,610 |
| Virginia | $161,300 |
| Minnesota | $157,450 |
| Maryland | $153,320 |
| New Hampshire | $153,000 |
| California | $152,190 |
| West Virginia | $140,370 |
| Arizona | $139,370 |
| Illinois | $139,330 |
| Rhode Island | $138,300 |
| Michigan | $137,630 |
| Kansas | $135,760 |
| Georgia | $133,850 |
| Tennessee | $132,930 |
| Missouri | $132,370 |
| Texas | $132,270 |
| New Mexico | $131,710 |
| Connecticut | $131,230 |
| Maine | $130,880 |
| Oregon | $130,700 |
| North Carolina | $130,170 |
| Pennsylvania | $130,140 |
| Ohio | $129,200 |
| Montana | $129,000 |
| Alabama | $127,680 |
| South Carolina | $126,260 |
| North Dakota | $125,720 |
| Florida | $125,690 |
| Utah | $123,360 |
| Wisconsin | $122,780 |
| Nebraska | $121,290 |
| Indiana | $120,840 |
| Alaska | $120,060 |
| Idaho | $117,530 |
| Vermont | $116,130 |
| Arkansas | $116,060 |
| South Dakota | $115,730 |
| Kentucky | $113,910 |
| Oklahoma | $113,360 |
| Mississippi | $112,560 |
| Iowa | $111,250 |
| Louisiana | $105,980 |
| Hawaii | $103,710 |
| Nevada | $101,620 |
| Puerto Rico | $78,440 |
| Guam | $67,380 |
Where Purchasing Managers Earn the Most
Pay for purchasing managers vary by region. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $157,478 | 19.5% | 1.38 |
| New England | $150,837 | 6.5% | 1.40 |
| Far Western US | $148,366 | 14.7% | 0.86 |
| Rocky Mountains | $145,496 | 2.9% | 0.74 |
| Plains States | $135,888 | 5.6% | 0.83 |
| Great Lakes | $133,880 | 12.4% | 1.15 |
| Southeast | $133,457 | 24.7% | 1.06 |
| Southwest | $132,690 | 13.5% | 1.07 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $194,510 | 650 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $173,080 | 6,160 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | NJ | $172,830 | 290 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $170,900 | 2,080 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | AR | $169,720 | 320 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $168,630 | 900 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $168,460 | 1,190 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $167,370 | 70 |
Top Industries Employing Purchasing Managers
The largest employers of purchasing managers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 19,830 | $132,720 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 15,910 | $162,920 |
| Wholesale Trade | 9,510 | $127,310 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 7,020 | $163,560 |
| Construction | 2,630 | $123,850 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 2,550 | $114,890 |
| Retail Trade | 2,340 | $129,200 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 2,140 | $139,520 |
Below are examples of industries where purchasing managers work:
Tools and Technology
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint (hot technology)
- Process mapping and design software: Microsoft Visio (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Oracle Database (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: Oracle PeopleSoft (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software (hot technology)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for purchasing managers is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Contact With Others
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
Getting Started in This Career
Typical purchasing managers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Industrial Production Managers (Supplemental)
- Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (Primary-Long)
- Supply Chain Managers (Primary-Long)
- Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products (Supplemental)
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products (Primary-Short)
- Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products (Primary-Short)
- Logisticians (Primary-Short)
- Logistics Engineers (Supplemental)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Future purchasing managers commonly pursue programs in:
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
References
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 11-3061.00 (Purchasing Managers).
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