Management · SOC 11-1021

General and Operations Managers Salary (2024) — Pay by Metro Area

General and Operations Managers earn a national median of $102,950 per year. Because pay tracks local labour markets, the same job ranges from $83,410 in the cheapest metro covered to $152,090 in the most expensive — a 82% gap for identical work. This page ranks 24 metro areas with released data.

US national median
$102,950
3,584,420 workers nationwide
Highest-paying metro
New York, NY
$149,260 median
Lowest-paying metro
Charlotte, NC
$108,600 median
Metro spread
$68,680
between best and worst metro

General and Operations Managers pay by metro area

Ranked by median annual wage among the metro areas with published estimates for this occupation. Local cost of living is not applied — a lower median in a cheaper metro can still leave more in your pocket.

Median hourly and annual wage for General and Operations Managers by metro area, 2024. Hourly shown as annual ÷ 2,080.
Metro area Hourly Annual Employment
New York, NY — NY $71.76 $149,260 187,400
Dallas, TX — TX $52.25 $108,690 132,030
Chicago, IL — IL $50.63 $105,310 121,110
Washington, DC — DC $72.80 $151,420 108,510
Houston, TX — TX $51.97 $108,090 105,830
Los Angeles, CA — CA $61.35 $127,610 102,370
Boston, MA — MA $62.43 $129,850 76,980
Miami, FL — FL $50.03 $104,060 74,070
Phoenix, AZ — AZ $45.25 $94,130 73,000
Atlanta, GA — GA $50.85 $105,760 68,560
Philadelphia, PA — PA $53.60 $111,490 68,020
Minneapolis, MN — MN $49.02 $101,970 47,000
St. Louis, MO — MO $40.10 $83,410 45,370
Austin, TX — TX $52.38 $108,940 44,460
Baltimore, MD — MD $49.88 $103,740 42,480
San Francisco, CA — CA $73.12 $152,090 42,330
Detroit, MI — MI $50.50 $105,030 37,250
Tampa, FL — FL $51.90 $107,960 36,850
Orlando, FL — FL $46.31 $96,320 31,720
Seattle, WA — WA $67.92 $141,280 30,890
Portland, OR — OR $53.05 $110,350 25,260
Denver, CO — CO $66.32 $137,950 24,070
Riverside, CA — CA $50.50 $105,040 22,610
Charlotte, NC — NC $52.21 $108,600 20,380
What the spread means

The gap between New York, NY ($149,260) and Charlotte, NC ($108,600) is 37% . For general and operations managers this mainly reflects industry mix and regional price levels rather than a difference in the work itself. The middle metro sits at $108,600, which is the better single number for a "typical" market than either extreme.

Frequently asked questions

How much do general and operations managers make in the United States?

The national median for this occupation is $102,950 per year, across all areas including non-metropolitan ones. Metro-level medians for this occupation range from $83,410 to $152,090, with a middle value of $108,600.

Which metro area pays general and operations managers the most?

New York, NY pays the most among the metros covered, at a median of $149,260, with about 187,400 people employed in the occupation.

Which metro area pays general and operations managers the least?

Charlotte, NC sits at the bottom of the range, with a median of $108,600.

Do general and operations managers earn more in large cities?

Usually, but not always. Large metros tend to show higher nominal pay because they concentrate high-wage industries and a higher cost of living. The spread above is nominal — it is not adjusted for local prices, so a lower median in a cheaper metro can still buy more.

About these figures

Method and limits

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024. The US figure on this page is an employment-weighted benchmark computed across the metro areas covered by this site, not the official national OEWS median, which BLS publishes separately. OEWS excludes self-employed workers and reports wages only, not benefits or total compensation.

See the methodology for how the benchmark and the metro ranking are derived.

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