Purchasing managers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

209k

Average Age

46.4

Estimated Job Growth

2.6%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$90,768

Average Male Salary

$99,694

Average Female Salary

$81,366

About

Purchasing managers are most often employed by the Construction industry. The average yearly wage for Purchasing managers was $90,768 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Purchasing managers by wage are Public relations and fundraising managers, Miscellaneous mathematical science occupations, including mathematicians & statisticians, and Computer programmers.

Purchasing managers are part of the Management occupations, along with General & operations managers, Chief executives & legislators, Advertising & promotions managers, Marketing managers, Sales managers, and 24 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Purchasing managers are Huntsville City (Far West & Southwest) PUMA, AL, Woodlawn, Rose Hill & Mount Vernon PUMA, VA, and St. Mary's & Calvert Counties PUMA, MD. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Purchasing managers are Woodlawn, Rose Hill & Mount Vernon PUMA, VA, Huntsville City (Far West & Southwest) PUMA, AL, and Tigard, Tualatin & Sherwood Cities PUMA, OR.

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Purchasing managers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Construction is the industry that employs the most Purchasing managers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Purchasing managers, by average wage, is Tobacco manufacturing. Purchasing managers are paid most in Danbury, Ridgefield, Bethel, Brookfield, New Fairfield, Redding & Sherman Towns PUMA, CT but are relatively concentrated in Woodlawn, Rose Hill & Mount Vernon PUMA, VA.

Yearly Wage

$90,768

AVERAGE SALARY

± $3,524

In 2020, Purchasing managers earned an average of $90,768, $34,814 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Computer programmers make somewhat more than Purchasing managers while Public relations and fundraising managers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Purchasing managers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.315

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Purchasing managers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.315, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Purchasing managers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Purchasing managers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Purchasing managers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Purchasing managers.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Purchasing managers, by number of employees, are Construction, National security & international affairs, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Aircraft & parts manufacturing, Executive offices & legislative bodies, Architectural, engineering & related services, Computer Systems Design, Motor vehicles & motor vehicle equipment manufacturing, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, and Insurance carriers.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Purchasing managers, by average wage, are Tobacco manufacturing, Natural gas distribution, and Fabric mills, except knitting mills.

Industries by Share

209k

2020 Workforce

± 11,214

2.56%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 7.45%

The number of people employed as Purchasing managers has been growing at a rate of 2.56%, from 203,700 people in 2019 to 208,909 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Purchasing managers employed by various industries. Construction employs the largest share of Purchasing managers at 5.53%, followed by National security & international affairs with 5.35% and General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 4.48%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Purchasing managers in the US. The average age of male Purchasing managers in the workforce is 46.6 and of female Purchasing managers is 46.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Purchasing managers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

107k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 8,034

102k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 7,829

51.3% of Purchasing managers are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Purchasing managers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Purchasing managers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)

74.1% of Purchasing managers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 8.27% of Purchasing managers, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Purchasing managers.

Age by Sex

46.6

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.93

46.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.885

The median age of Purchasing managers is 46.4, and Male employees are generally 0.49 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Purchasing managers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Purchasing managers is Business but a relatively high number of Purchasing managers hold a major in Business.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Purchasing managers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Purchasing managers need many skills, but most especially Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Purchasing managers need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources, Management of Material Resources, and Operations Analysis.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Purchasing Managers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Purchasing Managers are expected to see a growth of 2.6% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

2.6%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Purchasing Managers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.