Purchasing Managers
Also called: Materials Manager, Procurement Manager, Purchasing Director, Purchasing ManagerPlan, 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.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 15 of its 18 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 4.0% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 31% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $130,710 | $98,100 to $158,110 | 1,520 |
| Alaska | $114,650 | $91,360 to $139,560 | 140 |
| Arizona | $138,940 | $113,510 to $171,080 | 1,630 |
| Arkansas | $156,450 | $96,560 to $214,710 | 930 |
| California | $159,830 | $125,000 to $196,620 | 7,470 |
| Colorado | $171,250 | $141,190 to $209,740 | 1,320 |
| Connecticut | $138,680 | $119,510 to $175,680 | 1,420 |
| Delaware | not published | not published | 150 |
| District of Columbia | $175,720 | $161,470 to $189,950 | 1,110 |
| Florida | $133,410 | $98,810 to $168,720 | 3,960 |
| Georgia | $155,360 | $119,360 to $205,100 | 3,430 |
| Guam | $80,290 | $67,160 to $136,180 | 40 |
| Hawaii | $113,490 | $89,610 to $147,330 | 220 |
| Idaho | $136,970 | $108,690 to $193,240 | 270 |
| Illinois | $153,370 | $127,070 to $183,930 | 4,160 |
| Indiana | $126,880 | $100,670 to $161,920 | 1,190 |
| Iowa | $121,580 | $98,270 to $154,400 | 610 |
| Kansas | $159,850 | $125,900 to $200,650 | 920 |
| Kentucky | $124,350 | $96,470 to $144,720 | 920 |
| Louisiana | $109,630 | $89,660 to $145,270 | 470 |
| Maine | $135,970 | $111,180 to $161,350 | 170 |
| Maryland | $161,470 | $130,510 to $180,480 | 2,380 |
| Massachusetts | $170,750 | $135,340 to $215,850 | 2,160 |
| Michigan | $142,120 | $117,990 to $174,850 | 2,780 |
| Minnesota | $144,810 | $118,190 to $175,470 | 1,340 |
| Mississippi | $122,940 | $89,990 to $147,700 | 320 |
| Missouri | $132,100 | $98,600 to $163,650 | 960 |
| Montana | $123,480 | $107,130 to $172,210 | 160 |
| Nebraska | $124,010 | $99,800 to $155,340 | 440 |
| Nevada | $120,270 | $95,390 to $151,450 | 450 |
| New Hampshire | $162,900 | $126,540 to $183,000 | 540 |
| New Jersey | $174,520 | $140,610 to $218,770 | 3,430 |
| New Mexico | $134,790 | $108,280 to $160,680 | 240 |
| New York | $166,300 | $128,350 to $208,320 | 6,930 |
| North Carolina | $138,710 | $110,290 to $177,500 | 2,670 |
| North Dakota | $130,110 | $104,290 to $166,710 | 50 |
| Ohio | $134,580 | $109,280 to $169,060 | 3,490 |
| Oklahoma | $119,310 | $94,160 to $144,890 | 480 |
| Oregon | $137,190 | $110,450 to $171,620 | 980 |
| Pennsylvania | $141,790 | $106,020 to $170,190 | 2,530 |
| Puerto Rico | $89,600 | $66,190 to $126,090 | 280 |
| Rhode Island | $134,560 | $105,340 to $162,710 | 220 |
| South Carolina | $131,720 | $102,770 to $165,070 | 830 |
| South Dakota | $128,670 | $114,390 to $152,530 | 70 |
| Tennessee | $137,060 | $113,930 to $171,760 | 1,460 |
| Texas | $134,670 | $105,990 to $169,930 | 9,640 |
| Utah | $125,940 | $98,880 to $159,470 | 510 |
| Vermont | $135,720 | $116,230 to $164,400 | 90 |
| Virginia | $166,230 | $138,250 to $195,190 | 3,540 |
| Washington | $162,730 | $134,000 to $192,430 | 1,770 |
| West Virginia | $147,220 | $122,650 to $167,830 | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $124,990 | $101,080 to $156,270 | 1,610 |
| Wyoming | $123,380 | $96,540 to $149,430 | 40 |
Nationally: $148,080. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 15 of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Develop and implement purchasing and contract management instructions, policies, and procedures. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Locate vendors of materials, equipment or supplies, and interview them to determine product availability and terms of sales. | Not published |
| AI + software | Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in buying, selling, and distributing materials, equipment, machinery, and supplies. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop cost reduction strategies and savings plans. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Control purchasing department budgets. | Not published |
| AI + software | Analyze market and delivery systems to assess present and future material availability. | Not published |
See all 18 tasks
| AI + software | Prepare bid awards requiring board approval. | Not published |
| Not much | Interview and hire staff, and oversee staff training. | Not published |
| Not much | Resolve vendor or contractor grievances and claims against suppliers. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain records of goods ordered and received. | Not published |
| AI + software | Represent companies in negotiating contracts and formulating policies with suppliers. | Not published |
| AI + software | Review purchase order claims and contracts for conformance to company policy. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Review, evaluate, and approve specifications for issuing and awarding bids. | Not published |
| AI + software | Participate in the development of specifications for equipment, products, or substitute materials. | 0.02% |
| AI alone | Prepare and process requisitions and purchase orders for supplies and equipment. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Administer online purchasing systems. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare reports regarding market conditions and merchandise costs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Arrange for disposal of surplus materials. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 5 of the 18 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 18 tasks fall under 19 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #17 Implement procedures or processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets | |||
| Implement procedures or processes | |||
| Interview people to obtain information | |||
| Manage budgets or finances | |||
| Analyze data to improve operations | |||
| Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data | |||
| Develop technical specifications for products or operations | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits |
Show all 19 activities
| Schedule operational activities | |||
| Resolve personnel or operational problems | |||
| Examine financial activities, operations, or systems | |||
| Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Negotiate contracts or agreements | |||
| Perform recruiting or hiring activities | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Authorize business activities or transactions |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report45%
- A plan or strategy9%
- Data or a spreadsheet9%
- An explanation or answer4%
- A chart or visualization4%
How they worked with Claude
61% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for purchasing managers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 66,085 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 17%
- 2 Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products 9%
- 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 7%
- 4 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 3%
- 5 Sales Managers High +4.5% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 91,752 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 16%
- 2 Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products 10%
- 3 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 6%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 4%
- 5 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers Very high +6.1% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 5% high school
- 16% postsecondary certificate
- 5% some college
- 11% associate's
- 53% bachelor's
- 11% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 19 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 11% high school
- 15% some college
- 8% associate's
- 40% bachelor's
- 22% master's
- 2% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 2,707 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
4.7% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | 1.0% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/11-3061.00