SOC 11-1021.00Bright outlook

    General and Operations Managers

    Plan, direct, or coordinate the operations of public or private sector organizations, overseeing multiple departments or locations.

    Median pay
    $105,770
    Growth
    +5.0%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    285,000
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $50,090
    Median
    $105,770
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $253,390
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    3,503,020 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    General and operations managers plan and direct the daily activities of organizations, overseeing multiple departments or locations. This career offers a median annual pay of $105,770, with opportunities across public and private sectors.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What general and operations managers do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

    Plan, direct, or coordinate the operations of public or private sector organizations, overseeing multiple departments or locations. Duties and responsibilities include formulating policies, managing daily operations, and planning the use of materials and human resources, but are too diverse and general in nature to be classified in any one functional area of management or administration, such as personnel, purchasing, or administrative services. Usually manage through subordinate supervisors. Excludes First-Line Supervisors.

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    What the work is like

    General and operations managers handle a wide range of responsibilities to keep organizations running smoothly. Their daily work centers on making decisions, solving complex problems, and organizing, planning, and prioritizing tasks. They formulate company policies, manage daily operations, and plan how to use materials and human resources. Because their duties are so diverse, they usually manage through subordinate supervisors rather than overseeing front-line workers directly.

    To succeed in this role, individuals need strong skills in active listening, speaking, critical thinking, and the management of personnel resources. They must be socially perceptive and monitor performance to make necessary adjustments. Essential knowledge areas include administration and management, personnel and human resources, customer service, and economics and accounting. This career strongly appeals to people with enterprising interests who enjoy leadership, taking initiative, and influencing others. Managers must demonstrate dependability, integrity, and high stress tolerance while guiding and motivating their teams.

    How to get there

    Entering this management field typically requires a bachelor's degree along with several years of related work experience. Students preparing for this career often major in business administration, management and operations, general business, finance, or public administration. Other relevant majors include entrepreneurial and small business operations, management sciences, and international business.

    While not always mandatory, professionals can earn various certifications to boost their credentials. Examples include the Business of Retail certification, the Certified Business Professional designation, or specialized credentials like the Aquatics Facility Operator and Building Operators Certification. Some states also list specific licensing requirements for this work, depending on the industry and local regulations.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for general and operations managers is $105,770. Earnings can vary significantly based on experience, industry, and location; the lowest 10% of earners make less than $50,090, while the highest 10% earn more than $253,390. This career field is large, employing 3,503,020 people. Employment is projected to grow by 5% from 2025 to 2035, which is faster than the average for all occupations. This growth, combined with retirement and turnover, is expected to result in 285,000 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    20 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    23 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    5 / 100
    Social (S)
    40 / 100
    Enterprising (E) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    72 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code ECS. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Working with Computers
    87
    Getting Information
    86
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    84
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    83
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    82
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    81
    Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates
    80
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    80
    Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
    78
    Processing Information
    77
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Monitoring
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Speaking
    • Coordination
    • Critical Thinking
    • Management of Personnel Resources
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Active Learning
    • Complex Problem Solving

    Knowledge

    • Administration and Management
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • English Language
    • Production and Processing
    • Mathematics
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Administrative
    • Economics and Accounting
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Engineering and Technology

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Information Ordering

    Work styles

    • Leadership Orientation
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Self-Confidence
    • Initiative
    • Perseverance
    • Self-Control
    • Adaptability
    • Stress Tolerance

    Also called

    Area Manager · Boards and Commissions Director · Business Coordinator · Business Manager · Center Manager · Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) · Corporate Manager · Department Manager · Department Store General Manager (Dept Store GM) · Department Store Manager (Dept Store Manager)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to general and operations managers

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • General and Operations Managers$105,770 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Washington University in St Louis WUSTL logo
      Washington University in St Louis WUSTL

      Saint Louis, MO · Finance and Financial Management Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $108,590
      4 yrs after
      $185,551
      Median debt
      $20,750
    2. 2Carnegie Mellon University logo
      Carnegie Mellon University

      Pittsburgh, PA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $97,419
      4 yrs after
      $160,783
      Median debt
      $19,000
    3. 3University of Notre Dame-South Bend IN logo
      University of Notre Dame-South Bend IN

      Notre Dame, IN · Finance and Financial Management Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $141,543
      4 yrs after
      $160,313
      Median debt
      $19,500
    4. 4Georgetown University-DC logo
      Georgetown University-DC

      Washington, DC · International Business · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $159,452
      Median debt
      $13,500
    5. 5
      New York University NYU

      New York, NY · Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $111,101
      4 yrs after
      $158,559
      Median debt
      $13,250
    6. 6University of Pennsylvania UPENN logo
      University of Pennsylvania UPENN

      Philadelphia, PA · Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $125,147
      4 yrs after
      $153,279
      Median debt
      $11,250
    7. 7Boston College logo
      Boston College

      Chestnut Hill, MA · Finance and Financial Management Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $92,127
      4 yrs after
      $147,746
      Median debt
      $18,650
    8. 8Wake Forest University logo
      Wake Forest University

      Winston-Salem, NC · Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $146,608
      Median debt
      Not reported

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What general and operations managers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work. Showing 12 of 27.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work. Showing 12 of 15.

    • Business Administration and Management, General
    • Business/Commerce, General
    • Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies
    • Finance, General
    • Financial Risk Management
    • International Business/Trade/Commerce
    • Management Science
    • Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management
    • Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, General
    • Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, Other
    • Public Administration
    • Retail Management

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    23 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about general and operations managers

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some common alternative job titles for this career?

    People in this role are often called area managers, business coordinators, department managers, or corporate managers. Other titles include chief administrative officer, center manager, and department store general manager.

    What are the main educational requirements for general and operations managers?

    Most people entering this career need a bachelor's degree. Additionally, candidates typically must have several years of experience in a related work environment before stepping into these broad management roles.

    How many job openings are expected in the coming years?

    The field is projected to have 285,000 job openings each year. This demand is supported by a 5% projected employment growth rate from 2025 to 2035.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.