Operations Manager Salary

Created by Henry Steele

By Henry Steele - January 8, 2018
Reading Time: 12 minutes
Reading Time: 12 minutes

The following article discusses the career path of Operations Manager. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Operations Managers.

Job Duties

Operations managers are responsible for the overall products of services and/or goods in their organization. They often manage multiple departments, such as warehousing, production, purchasing, and manufacturing. They have to ensure that the products developed by the company meet or even exceed the expectations of customers. Additionally, they are responsible for the smooth and efficient running of the organization as a whole, overseeing the budget as well. They often have to set profit and sales goals, and make sure that all operations are conducted in a safe manner. All relevant environmental and safety rules and regulations must also be adhered to.

They also review individual employees’ performance, which they do so regularly. Furthermore, they have a presence at various different staff meetings, as well as regularly meeting with representatives of the labor union. They also work with government officials and members of the community. An operations manager has to be make sure they can always demonstrate the relevance of their products or services to the marketplace. Furthermore, they must focus on ensuring all operations are fully compliant with the relevant environmental requirements, safety requirements, and labor issues.

Other job duties of an operations manager are:

  • To be responsible for the daily operations of a department or entire company
  • To make decisions in terms of who to hire and promote, how much to compensate them, disciplinary actions, terminations, and more, always following company procedures
  • To manage and monitor overall operational costs

Where We Work

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2.3 million general and operations managers in 2016, of which the director of security forms part. The largest employers of these professionals were:

  • Retail trade: 12%
  • Professional, scientific, and technical services: 11%
  • Manufacturing: 10%
  • Wholesale trade: 8%
  • Construction: 7%

How to Become

An operations manager is expected to have a bachelor’s degree in marketing, finance, business, management, or similar field. Those who hold a master’s degree, and particularly the master of business administration (MBA) are in the greatest demand. Additionally, an operations manager must have significant work experience. They often have to coach and mentor other members of staff, in which they must have experience.

Education Requirements

An operations manager is generally expected to have a bachelor’s degree so that they can take on the managerial responsibilities relating to this type of position. Majors in business administration or business management are therefore common. More and more commonly, an operations manager is expected to hold an MBA, preferably with a concentration in operations management or related field. They must also have significant work experience to demonstrate their leadership skills.

Traits & Qualities

The most effective operations managers have the following traits to some degree or other:

  • Keen eye for detail
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
  • Physical stamina
  • Logical mind
  • Problem solving capabilities
  • Decision making capabilities
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • Inspirational leadership skills

Minimum Education

Bachelor’s Degree

National Salary

The national average salary estimate for Operations Manager was $64,810. This number is estimated from over 6,384,524 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $33.76 and monthly of $5,401.

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$14,000

$153,000

Salary Distribution

Salary by State

The following section lists Operations Manager salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, Alaska had the largest quoted salary of $74,408 while Idaho had the smallest quoted salary of $49,748.

AlaskaKentuckyNew York
AlabamaLouisianaOhio
ArkansasMassachusettsOklahoma
ArizonaMarylandOregon
CaliforniaMainePennsylvania
ColoradoMichiganRhode Island
ConnecticutMinnesotaSouth Carolina
DCMissouriSouth Dakota
DelawareMississippiTennessee
FloridaMontanaTexas
GeorgiaNorth CarolinaUtah
HawaiiNorth DakotaVirginia
IowaNebraskaVermont
IdahoNew HampshireWashington
IllinoisNew JerseyWisconsin
IndianaNew MexicoWest Virginia
KansasNevadaWyoming
Alaska$74,408Rank: 1st
The average salary ranks 1st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Anytime Fitness – Soldotna.

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$14,000

$200,000

Salary Distribution
Alabama$60,364Rank: 40th
The average salary ranks 40th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Arthur Wright and Associates, National Career Group, Roland and Associates, and NCG.

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$14,000

$142,000

Salary Distribution
Arkansas$72,776Rank: 4th
The average salary ranks 4th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Fowler Placement Services, Inc., Client Staffing Solutions, Ploeger Recruiting Services, and Phillips Staffing Solutions.

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$16,000

$168,000

Salary Distribution
Arizona$59,196Rank: 43rd
The average salary ranks 43rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Home Depot, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, GOETTL AIR CONDITIONING, and State of Arizona.

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$14,000

$139,000

Salary Distribution
California$70,407Rank: 5th
The average salary ranks 5th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Union Pacific, SolarCity, CEVA Logistics, and JPMorgan Chase.

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$16,000

$162,000

Salary Distribution
Colorado$61,809Rank: 33rd
The average salary ranks 33rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Avery Asphalt, Inc., Corrigo Consulting LLC, SBF Search, LLC, and State of Colorado.

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$14,000

$150,000

Salary Distribution
Connecticut$66,098Rank: 17th
The average salary ranks 17th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Jericho Group Consultants, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, Marriott International, Inc., and Flagship Converters.

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$17,000

$145,000

Salary Distribution
DC$67,530Rank: 14th
The average salary ranks 14th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Bowman Williams, District of Columbia Public Schools, Beacon Hill Staffing, and Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

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$17,000

$151,000

Salary Distribution
Delaware$62,042Rank: 32nd
The average salary ranks 32nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like G4S, JOB Construction co, Mad Science of Delaware Valley, and Swanco MFG.

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$14,000

$166,000

Salary Distribution
Florida$55,423Rank: 47th
The average salary ranks 47th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Verizon, Microsoft, CSX, and JPMorgan Chase.

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$14,000

$127,000

Salary Distribution
Georgia$60,653Rank: 39th
The average salary ranks 39th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), IBM, Accounting Career Network, and Golden State Foods.

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$14,000

$146,000

Salary Distribution
Hawaii$57,986Rank: 45th
The average salary ranks 45th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like State of Hawaii, NyLawn – Synthetic Turf & Playgrounds, Express Employment Professionals, and U.S. Army.

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$16,000

$125,000

Salary Distribution
Iowa$67,897Rank: 12th
The average salary ranks 12th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Solid Waste Agency, fulltimeGiGS, Cameron Craig Group, and Palmer Group.

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$20,000

$143,000

Salary Distribution
Idaho$49,748Rank: 51st
The average salary ranks 51st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Fleet Street Couriers, Club Demonstration Services, Century Landscape, and University of Idaho.

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$14,000

$119,000

Salary Distribution
Illinois$69,012Rank: 9th
The average salary ranks 9th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, Deloitte, Huxley Associates, and Parker and Lynch.

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$15,000

$162,000

Salary Distribution
Indiana$68,001Rank: 11th
The average salary ranks 11th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like PointOne Recruiting Solutions, Career Development Partners, fulltimeGiGS, and Catapult Staffing.

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$18,000

$148,000

Salary Distribution
Kansas$65,670Rank: 20th
The average salary ranks 20th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Arthur Wright and Associates, Sprint, PrincetonOne, and U.S. Army.

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$17,000

$146,000

Salary Distribution
Kentucky$69,089Rank: 8th
The average salary ranks 8th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Cameron Craig Group, MJ Recruiters, LLC, Bio-Partners, and AutoPro Technical Recruiting.

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$15,000

$160,000

Salary Distribution
Louisiana$65,863Rank: 18th
The average salary ranks 18th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, FPC of SW IndianA, The River Group Inc., and Advanced Search Group.

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$14,000

$159,000

Salary Distribution
Massachusetts$73,890Rank: 3rd
The average salary ranks 3rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting, Liberty Mutual, Selby Jennings, and PerkinElmer.

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$17,000

$169,000

Salary Distribution
Maryland$62,480Rank: 29th
The average salary ranks 29th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Bradley-Morris, Inc., Wealth Strategies Group, Safari Solutions, and Inovalon.

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$14,000

$149,000

Salary Distribution
Maine$55,094Rank: 48th
The average salary ranks 48th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like L.L. Bean, Inc., Direct Personnel, LLC, and Records Management Center.

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$14,000

$123,000

Salary Distribution
Michigan$68,042Rank: 10th
The average salary ranks 10th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like NCG LLC, Philips Recruiting Services, Cameron Craig Group, and National Career Group.

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$16,000

$154,000

Salary Distribution
Minnesota$62,867Rank: 28th
The average salary ranks 28th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Konik PrimeStaff, Target, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, and Wylander Solutions.

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$14,000

$152,000

Salary Distribution
Missouri$65,293Rank: 21st
The average salary ranks 21st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Arthur Wright and Associates, Keller & Associates, Waste Recruiters, and TEAM Industrial Solutions.

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$15,000

$150,000

Salary Distribution
Mississippi$55,950Rank: 46th
The average salary ranks 46th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Lewis Group, Williams-Sonoma, Inc., Direct Auction Services, and Best Buy.

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$14,000

$127,000

Salary Distribution
Montana$64,213Rank: 24th
The average salary ranks 24th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, JK Consultants, gpac, and State of Montana.

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$18,000

$137,000

Salary Distribution
North Carolina$62,341Rank: 30th
The average salary ranks 30th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Hire Professionals, Plastic Executive Recruiters, Cisco, and Health Management Associates Inc..

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$14,000

$153,000

Salary Distribution
North Dakota$74,268Rank: 2nd
The average salary ranks 2nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Executive Recruiting Services, Inc. and gpac.

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$17,000

$171,000

Salary Distribution
Nebraska$69,286Rank: 7th
The average salary ranks 7th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting, Union Pacific, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Hemphill Staffing Solutions.

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$14,000

$168,000

Salary Distribution
New Hampshire$63,167Rank: 27th
The average salary ranks 27th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Technical Employment Services, NE Disabled Sports, MVDesigns, and Leddy Group.

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$15,000

$145,000

Salary Distribution
New Jersey$66,888Rank: 16th
The average salary ranks 16th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Sports Authority, CyberCoders, TerkoTech, and Engineering Resource Group.

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$16,000

$153,000

Salary Distribution
New Mexico$52,974Rank: 50th
The average salary ranks 50th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like UNM Medical Group, Inc., Careers First, Central New Mexico Community College, and Sabio Systems.

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$14,000

$131,000

Salary Distribution
Nevada$59,747Rank: 41st
The average salary ranks 41st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Alliance Search Solutions, Used Car Auto Dealership, Agile-1, and Landscape, LLC..

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$14,000

$136,000

Salary Distribution
New York$70,084Rank: 6th
The average salary ranks 6th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like AIG, Clinical Management Consultants, Mason Frank, and IBM.

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$15,000

$166,000

Salary Distribution
Ohio$65,766Rank: 19th
The average salary ranks 19th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Bertram & Associates, True North Consultants, ONESource Technical, and Systematic business consulting.

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$15,000

$151,000

Salary Distribution
Oklahoma$60,812Rank: 37th
The average salary ranks 37th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Anheuser-Busch, Seres Smith Consulting, Baxter Electric, Heating, & Air Conditioning, and All My Sons Moving & Storage.

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$14,000

$140,000

Salary Distribution
Oregon$67,343Rank: 15th
The average salary ranks 15th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Intel, Austin Allen Company, MCR Agency LLC, and U.S. Army.

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$16,000

$153,000

Salary Distribution
Pennsylvania$67,648Rank: 13th
The average salary ranks 13th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Comcast, gpac, Merck, and Magnum Search Group.

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$14,000

$160,000

Salary Distribution
Rhode Island$64,987Rank: 22nd
The average salary ranks 22nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Medix, Innovex, and The University of Rhode Island.

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$14,000

$163,000

Salary Distribution
South Carolina$61,407Rank: 35th
The average salary ranks 35th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Amazon.com, The Judge Group, U.S. Army, and AppleOne.

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$14,000

$144,000

Salary Distribution
South Dakota$60,698Rank: 38th
The average salary ranks 38th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Finance & Accounting, SKYLINE RECRUITING SOLUTIONS, Executive Recruiting Services, Inc., and Motor Club of America.

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$14,000

$143,000

Salary Distribution
Tennessee$61,117Rank: 36th
The average salary ranks 36th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Judge Group, Crown Associates Recruiting, Corporate Flight Management, and SnapDragon Associates, LLC.

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$14,000

$141,000

Salary Distribution
Texas$61,618Rank: 34th
The average salary ranks 34th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Republic Services, Union Pacific, National Oilwell Varco, and Conifer Health Solutions.

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$14,000

$151,000

Salary Distribution
Utah$62,251Rank: 31st
The average salary ranks 31st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, Find Talent Now, University of Utah, and Qualitek Services, Inc..

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$15,000

$140,000

Salary Distribution
Virginia$64,630Rank: 23rd
The average salary ranks 23rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Capital One, Triple Canopy, Request Technology, and Deloitte.

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$14,000

$156,000

Salary Distribution
Vermont$59,250Rank: 42nd
The average salary ranks 42nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like First Light Technologies, Inc. and Local Muscle Movers.

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$15,000

$131,000

Salary Distribution
Washington$63,710Rank: 26th
The average salary ranks 26th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like The Judge Group, Boeing, RecordPoint Software, and CyberCoders.

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$14,000

$150,000

Salary Distribution
Wisconsin$63,863Rank: 25th
The average salary ranks 25th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Lakeview Health Systems, Method Search Consultants, Markent Personnel, and JL Recruiting Solutions.

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$14,000

$147,000

Salary Distribution
West Virginia$59,030Rank: 44th
The average salary ranks 44th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Manpower, Crothall Healthcare, HOTEL/RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT COMPANY, and American Conservation Film Festival.

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$14,000

$140,000

Salary Distribution
Wyoming$53,884Rank: 49th
The average salary ranks 49th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Action Cargo, University of Wyoming, and Maverik.

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$14,000

$135,000

Salary Distribution

Top 20 National Employers

According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Operations Manager. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.

Employer NameLocationAverage Salary

Learn More

Related Careers

Career NameAverage Salary

Henry Steele
Managing Editor
Henry is Managing Editor of BusinessStudent.com. He is a seasoned business professional who regularly consults with local business's throughout Southern California. Henry pursued his undergrad in Business and Economics at the University of San Diego and gained valuable life changing experience through a unique internship upon graduation.

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