How much do records managers make in 2026?
Records managers are counted in the BLS administrative services managers series: OEWS May 2025 gives SOC 11-3012 a national median of $114,130 a year ($54.87 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $67,100 and the top 10% at $207,720. The series pools records and information management with facilities, procurement and general support services management, so it is a management band rather than a records-specific figure, and records managers sit across it depending on sector. Regulation is what sets the value of this role. In healthcare, financial services, legal, pharmaceutical, energy and government settings, records management is a compliance function: retention schedules that satisfy statute, legal hold and discovery obligations, privacy requirements, audit trails and defensible disposal. Getting it wrong produces sanctions, adverse inferences in litigation and regulatory findings, and organisations pay accordingly. In unregulated commercial settings the same title often means administering a document system, and pays much closer to the bottom of this band. The role has also shifted decisively from physical to digital, and records managers who understand information governance across email, collaboration platforms and cloud storage are far more valuable than those managing archives. Employment is projected to grow 4.6% through 2034 with roughly 23,200 openings a year. → Full records manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $114,130 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Records Managers earn a national median $114,130/yr ($54.87/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-3012); the P10 to P90 range is $67,100 to $207,720.
- Regulation sets the value: in healthcare, finance, legal, pharmaceutical, energy and government, records management is a compliance function with sanction exposure attached.
- In unregulated commercial settings the same title often means administering a document system and pays near the bottom of this band.
- The role has moved decisively to digital, and governance across email, collaboration platforms and cloud storage is worth far more than managing physical archives.
US Records Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do records 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 11-3012; 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 11-3012, 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 records manager earn at each career stage?
Records management pay follows regulatory consequence and the breadth of information you govern. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 11-3012.
By State
Which states pay records managers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national administrative services manager median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations, and the series pools records with facilities and procurement management. Sector regulation drives pay in this specialism far more than geography does.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($131,250), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay records 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. Financial, legal, pharmaceutical and government centres hold the best-paid records roles.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a records 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 records manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Records 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 records manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a records 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
Records Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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