How much do category managers make in 2026?
Category managers are counted in the BLS buyers and purchasing agents series: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 13-1020 national median at $77,710 a year ($37.36 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $48,380 and the top 10% at $128,870. Category management sits around and above that midpoint, and it is worth distinguishing from buying even though the roles overlap and share a code. A buyer's core task is selecting and procuring product; a category manager owns the category as a business — its assortment strategy, pricing architecture, promotional plan, space allocation, supplier partnerships and profitability, using shopper data to decide what the category should look like rather than only what to order. In grocery and consumer goods the discipline is highly formalised, with category reviews, planogram development and joint business planning with major suppliers. Pay follows category size and analytical depth. Managers of large categories with genuine profit accountability, who can work with shopper data and defend a range decision against a supplier's own analysis, sit in the upper part of the band. It is also worth noting that category management exists on both sides of the table: retailers employ category managers, and so do their suppliers, where the role supports the retailer's decisions with data and is paid comparably. Employment is projected to grow 5.8% through 2034 with roughly 52,200 openings a year. → Full category manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $77,710 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Category Managers earn a national median $77,710/yr ($37.36/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 13-1020); the P10 to P90 range is $48,380 to $128,870.
- Category management sits around and above the $77,710 median, owning a category as a business — assortment, pricing, promotion, space and profitability.
- The discipline is most formalised in grocery and consumer goods, with category reviews, planogram development and joint business planning with suppliers.
- The role exists on both sides: retailers employ category managers and so do suppliers, where the role supports retailer decisions with data at comparable pay.
US Category Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do category managers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 13-1020; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 13-1020, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a category manager earn at each career stage?
Category pay follows category scale, profit accountability and analytical depth. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 13-1020.
By State
Which states pay category managers the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Category management is a head office function on both retailer and supplier sides, concentrated in corporate markets rather than distributed by state.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($89,370), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay category managers the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Category roles cluster in retailer and consumer goods headquarters cities, several of which are mid-sized markets rather than the largest metros.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a category manager’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does category manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Category Managers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify category manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a category manager actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Category Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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