How much do operations managers make in 2026?
Operations managers are counted in the BLS general and operations managers series, which is the closest match for the title: OEWS May 2025 puts SOC 11-1021 at a national median of $105,770 a year ($50.85 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $50,090 and the top 10% at $253,390. This is the largest management occupation in the country, with 3,503,020 workers, and it exists precisely because so many management jobs do not fit a specific occupational code. That makes the median an unusually blunt instrument for a title this common. The practical way to read it is by scope. An operations manager running a single site, shift or team — the most common version of the job — typically sits between the P10 and the median, in the fifty to one hundred thousand range depending on sector. An operations manager owning a function across multiple sites with managers reporting in sits around and above the median. The upper quartile belongs to directors and executives who share this occupational code rather than to unit-level managers. Sector then shifts the whole picture: technology, pharmaceutical and financial services pay above manufacturing and logistics, which pay above retail, hospitality and non-profit. Employment is projected to grow 4.4% through 2034 with roughly 308,700 openings a year. → Full operations manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $105,770 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Operations Managers earn a national median $105,770/yr ($50.85/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-1021); the P10 to P90 range is $50,090 to $253,390.
- This is the largest management occupation in the country, existing precisely because so many management jobs lack a specific code — which makes its median a blunt instrument.
- A single-site or single-team operations manager typically sits between the P10 and the median; the upper quartile belongs to directors and executives sharing the same code.
- Sector shifts the whole picture: technology, pharmaceutical and financial services above manufacturing and logistics, which sit above retail, hospitality and non-profit.
US Operations Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do operations 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 11-1021; 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 11-1021, 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 an operations manager earn at each career stage?
Operations management pay follows the span of what runs without you in the room. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 11-1021.
By State
Which states pay operations managers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national general and operations manager median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Because this code spans every industry and level of seniority, treat the state rows as a rough regional adjustment rather than as a benchmark for a specific operations management job.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($121,640), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
operations manager pay by state — all 2 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay operations managers the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Industry concentration matters more than metro size for this occupation.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an operations 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 operations manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Operations 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 operations manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an operations 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
Operations Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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