# Purchasing Managers

> Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services. Includes wholesale or retail trade merchandising managers and procurement managers.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/purchasing-managers
- SOC code: 11-3061.00
- Career family: Management
- Median annual pay: $148,080 (10th percentile $92,490, 90th percentile $223,280)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +4.0%
- Openings a year: 6,400
- Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ECS)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 25 |
| Investigative (I) | 13 |
| Artistic (A) | 3 |
| Social (S) | 28 |
| Enterprising (E) | 100 |
| Conventional (C) | 83 |

## What you'd do

- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 91/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 88/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 86/100)
- Getting Information (importance 86/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 84/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 83/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 83/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 82/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 79/100)
- Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates (importance 78/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Management of Personnel Resources, Speaking, Monitoring, Negotiation, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Time Management, Writing, Coordination

## Knowledge

Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Law and Government, Economics and Accounting, Computers and Electronics, Mathematics, Administrative, Personnel and Human Resources, Education and Training

## Also called

Category Purchasing Manager, Commissary Superintendent, Commodity Manager, Contract Manager, Contracting Manager, Division Merchandise Manager (DMM), General Merchandise Manager, Materials Director, Materials Manager, Merchandise Director

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Business Administration, Management and Operations](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5202) (CIP 5202, 2,372 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/carnegie-mellon-university-406) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $97,419 | $160,783 | $19,000 |
| [University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor-main-campus-2956) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $96,806 | $144,654 | $19,500 |
| [University of California-Berkeley CAL](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-berkeley-cal-2881) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $94,811 | $144,599 | $10,656 |
| [University of Pennsylvania UPENN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-pennsylvania-upenn-3009) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $108,743 | $136,806 | $19,250 |
| [Emory University-Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/emory-university-main-campus-916) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $87,830 | $136,731 | $15,000 |
| [University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill-main-campus-2990) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $88,182 | $135,874 | $9,250 |
| [Boston College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/boston-college-285) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $75,464 | $123,144 | $18,625 |
| [Bismarck State College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/bismarck-state-college-254) | Business Administration, Management and Operations | $113,408 | $122,948 | $14,482 |

## Related careers

- [Procurement Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/procurement-clerks): $50,580 median pay
- [Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/purchasing-agents-except-wholesale-retail-and-farm-products): $77,710 median pay
- [Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/wholesale-and-retail-buyers-except-farm-products): $77,710 median pay
- [Logistics Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/logistics-analysts): $82,320 median pay
- [Logisticians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/logisticians): $82,320 median pay
- [Supply Chain Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/supply-chain-managers): $107,230 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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.