Management Salaries

One of the main reasons people pursue managament careers is because they tend to pay very well. Of course, that's not the only reason; many people go into management because they believe its the best way of using their skills and aptitudes, and the field genuinely interests them. Whether a high salary is a primary or secondary motivation for choosing a management career, it's nonetheless one of the top benefits associated with these jobs. Of course, management salaries will vary widely depending upon education, experience, position and the specific industry. The following tabulation from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2010–2011 edition) provides a comparison of the most common managerial positions, including subcategories where available. (Note: annual wages shown are rounded to nearest thousand.)

Description/Title Mean Annual Wage Range

Administrative Service Manager $ 66,000 – $ 86,000

Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations, and Sales Managers
Advertising and Promotions Manager $ 92,000 – $130,000
Marketing Manager $ 106,000 – $153,000
Public Relations Manager $ 90,000 – $142,000
Sales Manager $ 62,000 – $162,000

Computer and Information Systems Manager $ 97,000 – $154,000

Construction Manager $ 89,000 – $143,000

Education Administrators

Education Administrators, All Others $ 73,000 – $110,000
Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary $ 66,000 – $98,000
Education Post Secondary $ 77,000 – $135,000
Education Administrators, Preschool and Child Care Center $ 42,000 – $ 68,000

Engineering and Natural Science Managers
Engineering Manager $ 124,000 – $195,000
Science Manager $ 75,000 – $164,000

Financial Manager $ 82,000 - $165,000

Food Service Manager $ 45,000 – $ 91,000

Human Resources, Training and Labor Relations Managers

Compensation and Benefits Manager $ 83,000 – $ 129,000
Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialist $ 52,000 – $ 76,000
Employment, Recruitment, and Placement Specialist $ 42,000 – $ 90,000
Human Resources Manager, All Others $ 80,000 – $ 146,000
Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Specialist $ 48,000 – $ 85,000
Training and Development Manager $ 74,000 – $ 127,000
Training and Development Specialists $ 49,000 – $ 95,000

Industrial Production Manager $ 87,000 – $ 125,000

Lodging Manager $ 47,000 – $80,000

Description/Title Mean Annual Wage Range

Management Analyst (Consultant) $56,000 – $131,000

Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

Executive Secretary and Administrative Assistant $ 39,000 – $64,000
Legal Secretary $ 39,000 – $56,000
Medical Secretary $ 28,000 – $38,000
Secretary, All Others $ 30,000 – $53,000

Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Manager $ 52,000 – $118,000
Purchasing Manager $ 90,000 – $155,000

Top Executives

Chief Executive $ 102,000 – $ 220,000
General Manager and Operations Manager $ 111,000 – $ 173,000

These figures were accurate at the time the website was last updated. However, in today's economic environment, conditions are constantly fluctuating, and it's possible that the salary figures for some of these management positions may have changed substantially since the time of this writing. It's always best to check for the newest information, and, while we strive to keep this website and these figures as current and accurate as we can, it's always possible that we may have missed something, or that some of these figures are not reflective of the current job market. If you'd like to double check the latest information for yourself, there are a wide variety of resources on the internet which you can take advantage of. One of the main ones is the website of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which is a branch of the federal Department of Labor. BLS compiles extensive data concerning virtually every job imaginable, and they often provide extensive salary information. Job hunting sites, such as Monster, also can be a rich source of information. In addition, there are websites which are devoted to nothing but providing salary figures for different jobs, and they usually have the latest figures. There are too many of these sites to list here, but a simple search engine request will show you several options.