General and Operations Managers Salary: $166,358 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 3,584,420 general and operations managers nationally earn a mean of $166,358. Employment in the series shown rose about 7% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.0% annual growth.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,925 |
| 25th percentile | $83,877 |
| Median (50th) | $127,562 |
| 75th percentile | $198,880 |
What education do you need?
For General and Operations Managers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
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 Workforce in 2023
The General and Operations Managers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for General and Operations Managers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$166,358 Average Wage
In 2023, General and Operations Managers earned an average of $166,358.
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.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 264,630 employees, $148,256 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for General and Operations Managers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 72,590 employees, $172,155 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 29,780 employees, $172,041 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 24,920 employees, N/A avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 22,610 employees, $131,789 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 20,360 employees, $196,655 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 19,650 employees, $169,474 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 17,070 employees, $200,082 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 16,930 employees, $143,227 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 5,920 employees, $129,355 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 5,590 employees, $131,983 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 workforce of General and Operations Managers in 2023 was 3,584,420 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
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
The average yearly wage for General and Operations Managers was $166,358 in 2023.
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.