How much do sustainability managers make in 2026?
Sustainability managers are placed in the BLS managers, all other series — SOC 11-9199 — where OEWS May 2025 reports a national median of $141,900 a year ($68.22 an hour), a bottom 10% near $74,300 and a top 10% at $238,270 across 622,190 workers. This is a residual management code, and the caveat matters more here than on most pages: it collects management roles for which BLS has no specific occupation, including senior corporate functions and executive-level positions, so its 75th and 90th percentiles are pooled executive wages rather than a sustainability manager benchmark. Reading $238,270 as an achievable sustainability manager salary would be wrong for the great majority of people in the role. A realistic picture is that sustainability managers at large corporates cluster around and somewhat below the published median, that managers at mid-sized companies, universities, municipalities and non-profits sit closer to the lower quartile, and that the small number who reach genuine head-of-function or chief sustainability officer scope at large listed companies account for the upper end. It is also worth noting that these are wage figures only — bonus and equity, which are a large part of senior corporate compensation, are not included. Employment across the pooled series is projected to grow 4.5% through 2034 with roughly 106,700 openings a year. → Full sustainability manager career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $141,900 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Sustainability Managers earn a national median $141,900/yr ($68.22/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-9199); the P10 to P90 range is $74,300 to $238,270.
- The upper percentiles of this residual management code are pooled executive wages, not a sustainability manager benchmark — $238,270 describes the code, not the job.
- Realistically, large-corporate sustainability managers cluster around and below the $141,900 median while university, municipal and non-profit roles sit nearer the lower quartile.
- These are wage figures only: bonus and equity, which form a substantial part of senior corporate compensation, sit outside the published series entirely.
US Sustainability Manager Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do sustainability 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 11-9199; 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 11-9199, 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 sustainability manager earn at each career stage?
Sustainability management pay follows organisational scale and whether the function is regulated or voluntary. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 11-9199.
By State
Which states pay sustainability managers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the residual managers, all other median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. They inherit the executive pooling of the underlying code, so they should be read as directional rather than as a target salary for this role in a given state.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($163,190), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay sustainability 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. Because these roles are concentrated in corporate headquarters metros, the geographic spread reflects where head offices sit rather than where operations do.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a sustainability 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 sustainability manager pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Sustainability 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 sustainability manager wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a sustainability 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
Sustainability Manager Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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