Purchasing Manager Career Guide

Purchasing Manager

M-21

M Other Estimating, projects and operations jobs · Senior level · O*NET 11-3061.00

Texas median whole occupation, 2025: $134,670
work over 40 h a week: 47%
load index from O*NET data: 1.4/5
Texas jobs 2024 to 2034: +12.6%

Pay

This level's pay

No headline for this level: records that name this level: only 5 H-1B filings (headline needs 30 or more). The records are listed below with their year and size; the occupation-wide figure further down is for all experience levels.

H-1B filings, n = 5, TX+AZ, 5 filings, 2026: $130,000 a year (median of 5 H-1B filings), SOC 11-3061 and job title contains every word of 'Purchasing Manager', TX+AZ, effective 2026-06-30 source

All pay records and context (2)

H-1B filings, n = 5, TX+AZ, 5 filings, 2026: $130,000 a year (median of 5 H-1B filings), SOC 11-3061 and job title contains every word of 'Purchasing Manager', TX+AZ, effective 2026-06-30 source
DOL prevailing-wage levels I-IV for the whole occupation (wage tiers set by DOL, not job titles or seniority): Level I $98,399 · Level II $127,500 · Level III $175,000 · Level IV $180,000 (15 filings, TX) Base wages offered on H-1B/E-3 Labor Condition Applications (TX and AZ, FY2026 Q1-Q3); covers only employers who filed. source

Whole occupation: all Purchasing Managers, Texas
BLS OEWS May 2025
Series OEUS480000000000011306113 (median), Texas, May 2025, read 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Base pay (straight-time, excludes overtime).
Based on an estimated 9,640 jobs in Texas (series OEUS480000000000011306101).

Half of all Purchasing Managers in Texas earn more than $134,670; the bottom 10% earned less than $86,340 and the top 10% more than $212,340 (May 2025, base pay, about 9,640 jobs). U.S. median $148,080.

Outlook 2024 to 2034, all Purchasing Managers, not level-specific
TWC, BLS
Texas Workforce Commission long-term projections (via Projections Central) 2024-2034, Texas, read 2026-10-03
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024-2034, United States, read 2026-10-03

Texas: +12.6% jobs · about 700 openings a year (7,760 jobs in 2024)
United States: +3.1% jobs · about 6,400 openings a year (83,500 jobs in 2024)

Openings include people retiring or changing jobs, not only growth.

Hours
ONET 31.0
Duration of Typical Work Week (4.C.3.d.8), ONET Work Context, data 08/2023, n = 19 respondents, O*NET OnLine

About 1 in 2 work more than 40 hours a week (47%).

Schedule: regular 89% · irregular 11% · seasonal 0%

Physical load 1.4 of 5, our index from ONET
Method
Engineer Tsai index (et_physical_v1): mean of a body index (1.39, 6 measures) and an exposure index (1.4, 7 measures), built from ONET Work Context means, 1 to 5: Spend Time Standing; Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles; Spend Time Walking or Running; Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling; Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance; Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body; Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions; Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures; Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions; Exposed to High Places; Exposed to Hazardous Conditions; Exposed to Hazardous Equipment; Wear Specialized Protective or Safety Equipment such as Breathing Apparatus, Safety Harness, Full Protection Suits, or Radiation Protection.
O*NET OnLine

Body

Standing1.84
Walking or running1.63
Bending or twisting1.33
Kneeling or crawling1.26
Keeping balance1.21
Climbing ladders1.06

Exposure

Outdoors, all weather1.74
Very hot or cold1.58
Hazardous equipment1.39
High places1.32
Protective gear1.32
Hazardous conditions1.26
Cramped space1.16

Body 1.39 · exposure 1.4. O*NET Work Context means, 1 = never, 5 = continually or every day.

Getting in

License: No license for this job title at the 8 Texas and federal licensing agencies read on 2026-10-03 (TDLR, TSBPE, TCEQ, TCFP, TEA, TBPELS, NRC and EPA).
Degree: 63% hold a bachelor's or higher; most common: Bachelor's Degree
Experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years of related experience is the most common answer (32% of workers).
O*NET
O*NET Related Work Experience, Purchasing Managers, O*NET OnLine
Preparation: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Why this level: Senior: SOC 11-3061 is in SOC 2018 major group 11 Management; O*NET Job Zone 4.

Moves to the side 6

M Purchasing Agent O*NET lists Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products as a related occupation (Primary-Short); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.95.
M Purchasing Clerk O*NET lists Procurement Clerks as a related occupation (Primary-Short); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.90.
M Logistician O*NET lists Logisticians as a related occupation (Primary-Short); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.89.
M Logistics Analyst O*NET lists Logistics Analysts as a related occupation (Primary-Short); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.87.

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What the work is 6 core tasks

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.

Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures.
Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales.
Prepare bid awards requiring board approval.
Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies.
Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy.
Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids.

Core tasks ranked by O*NET task Importance (IM, 1-5), top 6.

Top skills

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

Sources (4)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, Texas, series OEUS480000000000011306113, read 2026-10-03
Texas Workforce Commission long-term projections (via Projections Central) 2024-2034, Texas, read 2026-10-03
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024-2034, United States, read 2026-10-03
O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), 11-3061.00 Purchasing Managers, read 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Engineer Tsai has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 · O*NET license

Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Base pay; excludes overtime. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034 (United States) and Texas Workforce Commission long-term projections 2024-2034, read through Projections Central.

Purchasing Manager