Win· Before you ask
How much do general and operations managers make?
- Median
- $105,770/year
- Mean
- $134,940/year
Not one number. Five.
What general and operations managers in the U.S. earn, from low to high.
Best-paying cities.
The same job pays more in some places.
- 1San Jose, CA$164k
- 2Seattle, WA$146k
- 3Denver, CO$142k
- 4Austin, TX$118k
- 5Atlanta, GA$111k
- 6Chicago, IL$109k
- 7Miami, FL$106k
- 8Pittsburgh, PA$101k
- 9Phoenix, AZ$99k
- 10Kansas City, MO$90k
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General and Operations Managers wage guide
Use the published range, job count, place pattern, and survey limits as separate facts. The guide stays tied to SOC 11-1021 and the May 2025 BLS release.
What the national General and Operations Managers median says
The May 2025 BLS OEWS estimate puts the U.S. median for General and Operations Managers at $105,770 per year. Median means the middle. Half of the wage values used for this estimate fall below that point. Half fall above it. The median is not one worker's pay. It is not a job offer. It is one clear mark for the middle of a broad national pay range.
BLS also lists 3,503,020 wage and salary jobs for General and Operations Managers. That count covers jobs in the survey's scope. It does not count open job ads. It also leaves out people who work for themselves. The wage and job counts share the same May 2025 reference point, so they can be read together without mixing time periods.
The General and Operations Managers mean of $134,940 per year is 27.6% above the $105,770 median on the same published median. Mean means BLS adds the wage values and divides the total by the number of jobs behind the estimate. A gap between mean and median shows that the shape is not even. It does not explain the cause of the gap.
The fields that make SOC 11-1021 its own page
BLS names this record General and Operations Managers and gives it SOC 11-1021. The two-part code is the stable key for this page. A role with a close name keeps a different code, wage row, job count, and area pattern. WageScope never joins two SOC records because their words sound alike.
For SOC 11-1021, the U.S. row reports 3,503,020 wage and salary jobs. Its annual median is $105,770 per year. Its matching mean is $134,940 per year. These facts come from one national row and one May 2025 release.
SOC 11-1021 appears in 54 state or territory rows. It also has 392 metro rows and 137 nonmetro rows. A missing local row stays missing. We do not fill it with U.S. data or data for a similar job code.
- SOC 11-1021 10th percentile: $50,090 per year.
- SOC 11-1021 25th percentile: $72,320 per year.
- SOC 11-1021 median: $105,770 per year.
- SOC 11-1021 75th percentile: $167,280 per year.
- SOC 11-1021 90th percentile: $253,390 per year.
- SOC 11-1021 employment RSE: 0.3%. Mean-wage RSE: 0.3%.
- SOC 11-1021 has no national suppression mark in the fields shown on this page.
Read the General and Operations Managers wage ladder from low to high
The 10th percentile is $50,090 per year. The 25th percentile is $72,320 per year. The median is $105,770 per year. The 75th percentile is $167,280 per year. The 90th percentile is $253,390 per year. Each point marks a place in the same national wage spread.
A percentile is a rank point. It is not a career step. For example, the 10th percentile means 10% of wage values are at or below that mark. It does not mean a new worker starts there. The 90th percentile means 90% are at or below that mark. It does not mean a worker can reach it after a set number of years.
The middle half runs from $72,320 to $167,280 per year. That span is $94,960. The full 10th-to-90th span is $203,300. These spans show why one median cannot stand in for every General and Operations Managers job.
What the gaps around the General and Operations Managers median show
The median is 111.2% above the 10th percentile. The 90th percentile is 139.6% above the median. The two sides do not have to match. A wider upper side can pull the mean up. A wider lower side can pull it down. The data shows the shape, but not the reason for that shape.
The 25th-to-median step is $33,450 per year. The median-to-75th step is $61,510 per year. These two steps give a closer look at the middle half. They are often more useful than a single top-to-bottom gap because they keep the center in view.
Use this ladder as a fact check when you read a job post. A posted range can sit below, near, or above these BLS marks. That does not make the post wrong. A job may differ by place, hours, level, field, employer, or work rules. Keep the posted range tied to that listing. Keep the BLS range tied to the whole occupation.
Metro areas with the highest published General and Operations Managers medians
WageScope found 392 metro rows with the same published annual median for General and Operations Managers. It sorts only those rows. It does not fill a blank row. It does not turn a blank into zero. The first six rows below have the highest published medians in this release. The list is a wage rank, not a rank of places to live or work.
The first row is Trenton-Princeton, NJ, at $181,450 per year. The middle metro row by published pay is Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL, at $97,600 per year. That middle metro mark gives one more check on how far the top rows sit from a common place in the set.
These are nominal wages. Nominal means the dollar amount shown in the source. This list does not adjust for local price levels. It also does not tell us how many openings an area has now. Use a local page to see price-level context when an exact BEA row exists. Use the separate job block to inspect current employer-title matches.
- 1. Trenton-Princeton, NJ has a General and Operations Managers median of $181,450 per year, or $75,680 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. BLS lists 3,100 jobs there, against 3,503,020 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.57.
- 2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA has a General and Operations Managers median of $163,860 per year, or $58,090 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. BLS lists 17,230 jobs there, against 3,503,020 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.67.
- 3. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has a General and Operations Managers median of $157,000 per year, or $51,230 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. BLS lists 177,850 jobs there, against 3,503,020 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.83.
- 4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has a General and Operations Managers median of $156,460 per year, or $50,690 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. BLS lists 112,530 jobs there, against 3,503,020 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 1.59.
- 5. Boulder, CO has a General and Operations Managers median of $152,100 per year, or $46,330 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. BLS lists 2,750 jobs there, against 3,503,020 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.63.
- 6. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA has a General and Operations Managers median of $149,990 per year, or $44,220 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. BLS lists 43,520 jobs there, against 3,503,020 across the U.S. The local location quotient is 0.81.
Metro areas with the largest General and Operations Managers job estimates
A large wage can appear in a small job market. A large job market can have a lower wage. That is why WageScope keeps pay and job count in separate views. The six rows below have the largest published employment estimates for General and Operations Managers among metro rows in this release. Employment means the number of wage and salary jobs in scope. It does not mean open roles.
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has the largest listed metro estimate in this set, at 177,850 jobs. Its median is $157,000 per year. Compare that with Trenton-Princeton, NJ, which leads the published median list. The leaders may match, or they may not. Each list answers a different question.
Job count can help you see the scale of a local labor market. It cannot show churn, new hiring, job quality, remote work, or the chance that one person will get hired. Current listings add a second view, but they are a dated sample of posts. WageScope never turns the listing count into a demand score.
- 1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ has 177,850 estimated General and Operations Managers jobs. That is 5.1% of the U.S. estimate of 3,503,020 jobs. Its median is $157,000 per year, or $51,230 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. Its location quotient is 0.83.
- 2. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX has 125,090 estimated General and Operations Managers jobs. That is 3.6% of the U.S. estimate of 3,503,020 jobs. Its median is $111,010 per year, or $5,240 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. Its location quotient is 1.37.
- 3. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has 122,930 estimated General and Operations Managers jobs. That is 3.5% of the U.S. estimate of 3,503,020 jobs. Its median is $109,390 per year, or $3,620 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. Its location quotient is 1.21.
- 4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has 112,530 estimated General and Operations Managers jobs. That is 3.2% of the U.S. estimate of 3,503,020 jobs. Its median is $156,460 per year, or $50,690 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. Its location quotient is 1.59.
- 5. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA has 104,610 estimated General and Operations Managers jobs. That is 3.0% of the U.S. estimate of 3,503,020 jobs. Its median is $125,830 per year, or $20,060 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. Its location quotient is 0.74.
- 6. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX has 97,320 estimated General and Operations Managers jobs. That is 2.8% of the U.S. estimate of 3,503,020 jobs. Its median is $119,600 per year, or $13,830 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. Its location quotient is 1.31.
Where General and Operations Managers has a larger share of local jobs
Location quotient is a share check. A value of 1 means the role has the same share of local jobs as it has across the nation. A value above 1 means the local share is larger. A value below 1 means the local share is smaller. It is not a count. It is not a wage. It does not say that a place is growing.
Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ has the highest published location quotient in this bounded metro set, at 1.77. The same row lists 2,890 jobs and a median of $78,400 per year. Reading all three values keeps a high share from being mistaken for a large market or high pay.
A small area can have a high location quotient because the role makes up a large part of a small local job base. A large area can have many workers and a lower quotient. Use the quotient to ask where the role is common in the mix. Use employment to ask how many jobs BLS estimated. Use the wage fields to ask what the published pay range looks like.
- 1. Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ has a General and Operations Managers location quotient of 1.77. BLS lists 2,890 jobs and a median of $78,400 per year, or $27,370 below the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,503,020.
- 2. Midland, TX has a General and Operations Managers location quotient of 1.75. BLS lists 4,830 jobs and a median of $132,420 per year, or $26,650 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,503,020.
- 3. Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ has a General and Operations Managers location quotient of 1.7. BLS lists 2,170 jobs and a median of $74,050 per year, or $31,720 below the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,503,020.
- 4. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has a General and Operations Managers location quotient of 1.59. BLS lists 112,530 jobs and a median of $156,460 per year, or $50,690 above the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,503,020.
- 5. St. Louis, MO-IL has a General and Operations Managers location quotient of 1.54. BLS lists 46,410 jobs and a median of $93,140 per year, or $12,630 below the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,503,020.
- 6. Barnstable Town, MA has a General and Operations Managers location quotient of 1.52. BLS lists 3,210 jobs and a median of $100,590 per year, or $5,180 below the U.S. General and Operations Managers median. The U.S. job estimate is 3,503,020.
How General and Operations Managers sits in Management
General and Operations Managers is SOC 11-1021. BLS places it in the Management major group. Among 37 detailed roles in that group with a published annual median, General and Operations Managers ranks 23 of 37 by median. This is a pay rank inside one source family. It is not a rank of skill, value, status, or career fit.
The closest same-family medians help set a fair peer frame. They do not claim that the work is the same. Official SOC titles can cover different tasks and settings. WageScope uses the family only because BLS publishes that link. It does not infer a career move, a skill match, or a hiring path from the wage gap.
Use these peer rows to spot whether the $105,770 median sits near many family roles or far from them. Then open a role's own page before using its number. Each role has a different code, job count, wage spread, and place pattern. One family label does not erase those facts.
- 1. Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary, SOC 11-9032, has a U.S. median of $105,870 per year. Its gap from General and Operations Managers is $100 per year.
- 2. Facilities Managers, SOC 11-3013, has a U.S. median of $106,660 per year. Its gap from General and Operations Managers is $890 per year.
- 3. Education Administrators, Postsecondary, SOC 11-9033, has a U.S. median of $104,590 per year. Its gap from General and Operations Managers is $1,180 per year.
- 4. Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers, SOC 11-3071, has a U.S. median of $107,230 per year. Its gap from General and Operations Managers is $1,460 per year.
- 5. Administrative Services Managers, SOC 11-3012, has a U.S. median of $114,130 per year. Its gap from General and Operations Managers is $8,360 per year.
- 6. Postmasters and Mail Superintendents, SOC 11-9131, has a U.S. median of $96,660 per year. Its gap from General and Operations Managers is $9,110 per year.
How much care to use with the General and Operations Managers estimate
The relative standard error for the job count is 0.3%. For the mean wage it is 0.3%. This measure, called RSE, shows survey precision. A smaller RSE often means less uncertainty from the sample. It does not tell you whether one person's pay is right or wrong.
The employment RSE applies to the 3,503,020 job estimate. The mean-wage RSE applies to the published mean of $134,940 per year. These fields do not give a matching RSE for the median or each percentile. WageScope shows the fields BLS published and does not move one RSE to another measure.
Survey values can change when BLS changes its methods, sample, models, or source year. That is why we show May 2025 on this page. Before we use a new release, we check its files, rows, and pages. A changed number is only a correction if the source calls it one.
A simple way to compare General and Operations Managers across places
First, compare the same wage metric. Use annual with annual or hourly with hourly. Next, check the source date. Keep May 2025 BLS rows together. Then read employment and location quotient beside pay. This stops a high median from standing in for market size or local share. Last, add BEA price-level context only when the exact place has an approved row.
A state, metro, and nonmetro area are not the same kind of map. Do not rank them in one list without saying so. WageScope groups like with like. It also keeps a national row as a broad bench mark. A local page can show the local row, its state row when that link is exact, and the U.S. row without blending them.
If a value is blank, keep it blank. If BLS marks a top code, read it as a lower bound. Do not fill a blank from a nearby place. Do not turn a wage gap into a claim about taxes, hours, benefits, work rules, or a household budget. Those facts are not in the OEWS row.
Move from General and Operations Managers wage data to one real listing
The job block on this page uses a strict employer-title match for General and Operations Managers. It may show fewer rows than the full MeritLog job search. That is on purpose. A false negative is safer here than a job card for a different role. Each card keeps its employer, place, source, and seen date. The cards do not change the BLS wage data.
Open one listing and read its own pay, work place, level, and needs. Compare its posted range with the BLS spread only as context. A posted range is set by an employer for one role. The BLS range is a survey view across many jobs. Neither source proves that a person is fit for the work.
When you tailor a résumé, use work facts you can back up. Do not turn $105,770 into a skill or result. Do not copy a BLS job count into your work history. MeritLog can help shape confirmed experience for a chosen listing. The wage page stays public and read only. It does not save a job or create a résumé on page load.
What this General and Operations Managers page does not claim
This page does not say what one General and Operations Managers worker earns. It does not promise that a job pays the median. It does not state a starting wage. It does not explain why the mean and median differ. It does not add benefits, tips, stock, bonus pay, taxes, or work hours unless BLS includes them in the published wage measure.
The page does not count people who work for themselves. It does not turn 3,503,020 into current openings. It does not read private MeritLog jobs or Career Memory. MeritLog does not use the page to build a private career profile. While public analytics are on, GA4, Ahrefs, and Meta may get this page's URL. Use Your Privacy Choices or Global Privacy Control to turn that off. The page does not send its text to a model.
The best use is narrow and clear. Read the May 2025 BLS wage range. Check how the role changes by place. Add the separate 2024 BEA price level when an exact row exists. Inspect a dated employer-title match. Then make a résumé choice from facts you have confirmed. Keep each source tied to the question it can answer.