Operations manager salary in 2026
The median operations manager in the United States earns $105,770 a year, or $50.85 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey, published this year. The middle half of operations managers earn between $72,320 and $167,280.
Where you work matters more than anything else: New Jersey pays a median of $173,690, District of Columbia $168,000, and the highest paying metro area, Trenton-Princeton, NJ, $181,450. There are 3,503,020 operations managers in the country.
Liaison does the routine half of an operations manager’s job for 5% of what one costs. See how.
Operations manager salary by state
Median annual and hourly wage, the range the middle half earn, and how many operations managers work in each state. Click a state for its cities.
| State | Median annual | Median hourly | Middle half earns | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $173,690 | $83.51 | $111,580 to $284,250 | 53,000 |
| District of Columbia | $168,000 | $80.77 | $127,110 to $204,890 | 36,150 |
| South Dakota | $137,400 | $66.06 | $105,210 to $185,100 | 4,280 |
| Connecticut | $137,220 | $65.97 | $95,300 to $207,860 | 39,070 |
| Delaware | $137,220 | $65.97 | $97,920 to $200,010 | 5,000 |
| Washington | $133,750 | $64.30 | $101,030 to $188,290 | 50,630 |
| Colorado | $131,840 | $63.39 | $91,180 to $195,190 | 41,870 |
| New York | $130,860 | $62.91 | $85,770 to $209,110 | 206,740 |
| Massachusetts | $127,220 | $61.16 | $82,190 to $199,540 | 95,880 |
| New Hampshire | $124,680 | $59.94 | $79,830 to $175,660 | 22,110 |
| California | $124,390 | $59.81 | $81,620 to $186,230 | 300,840 |
| Virginia | $122,080 | $58.69 | $78,240 to $178,490 | 103,590 |
| Wisconsin | $118,730 | $57.08 | $79,360 to $171,130 | 36,910 |
| Maryland | $117,930 | $56.70 | $78,760 to $172,410 | 96,740 |
| Rhode Island | $117,380 | $56.43 | $85,700 to $171,220 | 9,150 |
| Alaska | $116,630 | $56.07 | $85,770 to $160,810 | 6,020 |
| Alabama | $111,790 | $53.75 | $76,840 to $169,510 | 30,170 |
| Hawaii | $108,180 | $52.01 | $75,050 to $157,490 | 13,380 |
| Indiana | $108,170 | $52.01 | $75,690 to $167,830 | 47,180 |
| Tennessee | $106,970 | $51.43 | $72,500 to $163,820 | 63,720 |
| Mississippi | $106,680 | $51.29 | $68,920 to $158,890 | 10,630 |
| South Carolina | $106,080 | $51.00 | $75,480 to $158,250 | 32,230 |
| Georgia | $103,730 | $49.87 | $68,000 to $165,100 | 111,060 |
| Illinois | $103,570 | $49.80 | $72,300 to $167,980 | 171,300 |
| Oregon | $103,490 | $49.76 | $74,670 to $160,590 | 36,190 |
| Texas | $103,230 | $49.63 | $64,470 to $168,510 | 431,310 |
| Pennsylvania | $103,130 | $49.58 | $72,580 to $158,800 | 172,010 |
| North Carolina | $101,950 | $49.01 | $66,800 to $162,170 | 63,740 |
| Louisiana | $101,790 | $48.94 | $68,750 to $156,040 | 43,220 |
| Florida | $101,580 | $48.84 | $68,400 to $158,340 | 236,290 |
| Wyoming | $99,700 | $47.93 | $64,090 to $144,250 | 7,470 |
| Michigan | $99,530 | $47.85 | $65,000 to $155,330 | 85,860 |
| Nevada | $99,390 | $47.79 | $64,220 to $157,340 | 38,920 |
| Minnesota | $99,340 | $47.76 | $64,650 to $150,530 | 72,860 |
| Maine | $98,860 | $47.53 | $71,090 to $135,210 | 14,770 |
| Vermont | $98,640 | $47.42 | $75,460 to $148,620 | 8,000 |
| New Mexico | $98,630 | $47.42 | $64,090 to $142,650 | 16,330 |
| North Dakota | $98,170 | $47.20 | $68,950 to $135,180 | 11,150 |
| Utah | $97,850 | $47.04 | $62,140 to $152,310 | 42,580 |
| Ohio | $97,700 | $46.97 | $62,880 to $153,310 | 153,160 |
| Arizona | $94,800 | $45.58 | $63,040 to $149,550 | 110,480 |
| Kansas | $92,840 | $44.63 | $65,350 to $139,410 | 24,660 |
| Montana | $91,380 | $43.93 | $64,990 to $128,650 | 11,840 |
| Oklahoma | $90,430 | $43.48 | $60,130 to $135,600 | 43,890 |
| Iowa | $87,690 | $42.16 | $60,200 to $129,990 | 30,760 |
| Nebraska | $85,090 | $40.91 | $61,870 to $131,370 | 24,030 |
| Virgin Islands | $82,850 | $39.83 | $62,400 to $114,990 | 1,040 |
| West Virginia | $82,500 | $39.66 | $59,550 to $125,180 | 15,300 |
| Idaho | $80,390 | $38.65 | $57,470 to $121,050 | 24,880 |
| Kentucky | $79,370 | $38.16 | $53,820 to $124,710 | 52,100 |
| Missouri | $79,300 | $38.12 | $54,850 to $123,340 | 109,020 |
| Arkansas | $74,050 | $35.60 | $48,760 to $117,510 | 34,570 |
| Puerto Rico | $73,570 | $35.37 | $48,940 to $109,420 | 7,190 |
| Guam | $67,690 | $32.54 | $47,320 to $97,470 | 1,580 |
Highest paying cities for operations managers
The ten metro areas with the highest median, out of the 392 where BLS publishes one.
| Metro area | Median annual | Median hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $181,450 | $87.23 | 3,100 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $163,860 | $78.78 | 17,230 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $157,000 | $75.48 | 177,850 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $156,460 | $75.22 | 112,530 |
| Boulder, CO | $152,100 | $73.13 | 2,750 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $149,990 | $72.11 | 43,520 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $148,080 | $71.19 | 13,370 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $146,030 | $70.21 | 29,370 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | $142,730 | $68.62 | 1,730 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $142,330 | $68.43 | 22,940 |
The lowest medians in the 50 states and DC: Hot Springs, AR ($62,810), Jonesboro, AR ($69,370), Fort Smith, AR-OK ($70,330), Bowling Green, KY ($71,170) and Owensboro, KY ($73,460).
What it pays where you are
Pick your state or metro area. The wage is the median there; the cost line is what an employer pays once benefits are added.
Operations manager, the United States, 40 hours a week
$142,794 a year
$11,900 a month. Wages $105,768 at the median of $50.85 an hour, plus $37,026 in benefits. The middle half of operations managers here earn $72,320 to $167,280 in wages.
The routine half of an operations manager’s job, for 5% of what one costs.
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What operations managers do
Operations managers run the day-to-day of a business: people, process, vendors, budgets and the problems that cross departments. BLS counts them under occupation 11-1021, which is the definition every figure on this page uses.
For an employer, the wage is the start: benefits at a small employer add 35%, so an operations manager at the median costs about $142,800 a year. The employer’s numbers, by state and metro, are on what an operations manager costs. The routine part of the job, the follow-ups, the reconciling, the scheduling, is the part Liaison does inside the tools a business already runs.
Questions
What is the average operations manager salary?
The median operations manager in the United States earned $105,770 a year, or $50.85 an hour, in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey. The middle half earned between $72,320 and $167,280. The median is the wage half of operations managers earn more than and half earn less than, which is a steadier guide than an average.
How much does an operations manager make an hour?
The median operations manager earns $50.85 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 survey. At 2,080 hours a year that is $105,770. The middle half earn between $34.77 and $80.42 an hour.
Which states pay operations managers the most?
New Jersey ($173,690), District of Columbia ($168,000), South Dakota ($137,400), Connecticut ($137,220) and Delaware ($137,220).
Which cities pay operations managers the most?
Trenton-Princeton, NJ ($181,450), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($163,860), New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ ($157,000), Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($156,460) and Boulder, CO ($152,100), out of the 392 metro areas where BLS publishes a median for operations managers.
How many operations managers are there?
BLS counted 3,503,020 operations managers employed in the United States in May 2025.
What does an operations manager cost an employer?
Wages are only part of it. At employers with fewer than 50 workers, benefits add 35% on top of wages (BLS, June 2026), so an operations manager at the median costs about $142,800 a year. The employer’s view, by state and metro, is at useliaison.com/back-office-costs/operations-manager.
Other roles
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Annual figures assume 2,080 hours a year. Updated 2026-10-02.
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