How much do ranch managers make in 2026?
Ranch managers are reported inside SOC 11-9013, farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers, which BLS OEWS May 2025 puts at a national median of $89,900 a year, or $43.22 an hour, with a P10 to P90 range of $54,320 to $160,020 across only 6,500 employed workers. That employment count is small for a reason that has to be stated plainly: OEWS surveys employers about wage-and-salary workers, and the great majority of ranchers own and operate their own outfits, placing them outside the survey entirely. The roughly 85,500 average annual openings projected for this occupation cover that whole population, self-employed included, which is why the two numbers look inconsistent. The 6,500 counted here are salaried ranch managers employed by ranching corporations, investment and family landholdings and institutional owners. Within that group, pay follows scale and enterprise type: cow-calf operations, stocker and feedlot enterprises and integrated ranches with hunting, recreation or conservation income all differ, and managers of large multi-section operations with substantial cattle numbers sit well up this band. BLS projects the occupation 1.3% smaller by 2034. → Full ranch manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $89,900 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Ranch Managers earn a national median $89,900/yr ($43.22/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-9013); the P10 to P90 range is $54,320 to $160,020.
- OEWS counts only employed agricultural managers, 6,500 of them, because most ranchers are self-employed and therefore outside the wage survey.
- Housing, a vehicle, utilities and often beef are commonly part of a ranch management position and are not reflected in the wage figure at all.
- Scale and enterprise type drive pay: large multi-section operations and integrated ranches with recreation or conservation income sit well up this band.
US Ranch Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do ranch 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 11-9013; 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 11-9013, 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 ranch manager earn at each career stage?
Ranch management pay follows scale, cattle numbers and enterprise mix. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 11-9013, which covers employed managers only.
By State
Which states pay ranch managers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates, not BLS state observations: the national median for SOC 11-9013 scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index. Ranching concentrates in the western and plains states, where operation scale and water availability matter far more to compensation than general wage levels do.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($103,380), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay ranch managers the most?
Metro figures are modeled, national median times state wage index times published metro index, not BLS metropolitan observations. Ranches are remote by nature, and the nearest town rather than the nearest metro is the relevant reference point for cost of living.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a ranch 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 ranch manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Ranch 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 ranch manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a ranch 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
Ranch Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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