General and Operations Managers Salary: $102,950 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 3,584,420 general and operations managers work nationally, and $102,950 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown rose about 7% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.0% annual growth.
General and Operations Managers: what the data shows
Common questions about general and operations managers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a general and operations managers?
General and Operations Managers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 11-1021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 3,584,420 workers.
What does a general and operations managers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a general and operations managers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $102,950 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $166,358 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,925 |
| 25th percentile | $83,877 |
| Median (50th) | $127,562 |
| 75th percentile | $198,880 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Monitoring, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Coordination, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Production and Processing. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is general and operations managers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 5.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 10.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 3,584,420.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do general and operations managerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 3,584,420 | 18.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 3,420,090 | 18.1% |
| Retail Trade | 452,460 | 2.4% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 439,080 | 2.3% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 439,080 | 2.3% |
| Construction | 275,980 | 1.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for General and Operations Managers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | 1,441,580 | — |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 497,800 | $103,790 |
| Marketing Managers | 384,980 | $161,030 |
| Accountants and Auditors | 1,448,290 | $81,680 |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 270,480 | $102,140 |
| Financial Analysts | 340,580 | $101,350 |
| Administrative Services Managers | — | — |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the General and Operations Managers workforce.
Employment Over Time
3,584,420 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for General and Operations Managers grew from 969,580 in 2009 to 1,140,220 in 2025 (17.6%).
Historical employment for General and Operations Managers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$102,950 Median pay (BLS national)
General and Operations Managers earn $102,950 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for General and Operations Managers.
Salary distribution for General and Operations Managers.
Employment Growth Projections
1.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,199,472 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 5.2%
1,261,803 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 10.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for General and Operations Managers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ General and Operations Managers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of General and Operations Managers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for General and Operations Managers.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for General and Operations Managers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for General and Operations Managers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 454,720 employees, $129,620 avg wage
- CA: 292,300 employees, $163,330 avg wage
- FL: 249,620 employees, $128,610 avg wage
- NY: 210,890 employees, $169,610 avg wage
- IL: 170,790 employees, $132,970 avg wage
- PA: 168,110 employees, $121,150 avg wage
- OH: 146,860 employees, $117,950 avg wage
- GA: 111,240 employees, $127,450 avg wage
- MA: 105,350 employees, $154,280 avg wage
- MO: 105,210 employees, $101,060 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for General and Operations Managers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 187,400 employees, $187,140 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 132,030 employees, $141,400 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 121,110 employees, $142,650 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 108,510 employees, $160,690 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 105,830 employees, $138,980 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 102,370 employees, $168,990 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 76,980 employees, $163,750 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 74,070 employees, $135,050 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 73,000 employees, $122,850 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 68,560 employees, $136,260 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for General and Operations Managers.
Diversity
Demographic information on General and Operations Managers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for General and Operations Managers is about 3,584,420 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for General and Operations Managers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for General and Operations Managers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for General and Operations Managers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by General and Operations Managers in 2023 were Business Administration, Management, Business.
Common majors for General and Operations Managers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by General and Operations Managers workers.
Education level distribution for General and Operations Managers.
Skills
General and Operations Managers need many skills, but most especially Monitoring, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Coordination.
Required skills for General and Operations Managers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for General and Operations Managers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for General and Operations Managers include Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Production and Processing, Mathematics.
Knowledge areas required for General and Operations Managers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for General and Operations Managers include Written Expression, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for General and Operations Managers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by General and Operations Managers.
Daily Activities
General and Operations Managers spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for General and Operations Managers.
About
General and Operations Managers
General and Operations Managers earn $102,950 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
11-1021 - General and Operations Managers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: General and Operations Managers reports an average salary of $166,358, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 3,584,420 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.