Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes
Median $82,890
Occupation · SOC 13-1020
Buyers and Purchasing Agents: pay and where the jobs are
What buyers and purchasing agents earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$77,710 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $83,770
- Median hourly wage
- $37.36
- Mean hourly wage
- $40.27
- Employment
- 491,430
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 13-1020.
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See where your pay falls among buyers and purchasing agents nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do buyers and purchasing agents make?
The median annual wage for buyers and purchasing agents was $77,710 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $48,380 and the highest-paid 10% more than $128,870. As an hourly rate, the median is $37.36. About 491,430 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($124,090), New Jersey ($93,250) and Maryland ($90,900). District of Columbia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for buyers and purchasing agents looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $48,380 | $23.26 | $4,032 | $3,421 |
| 25th percentile | $60,800 | $29.23 | $5,067 | $4,253 |
| Median | $77,710 | $37.36 | $6,476 | $5,292 |
| 75th percentile | $100,820 | $48.47 | $8,402 | $6,646 |
| 90th percentile | $128,870 | $61.96 | $10,739 | $8,279 |
Buyers and Purchasing Agents: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$80,529 take-home in national prices
2
$70,085 take-home in national prices
3
$68,883 take-home in national prices
Where a median buyers and purchasing agent paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 1,880 | $124,090 | $69,910 | $182,310 | $88,502 | $80,529 |
| New Jersey | 12,180 | $93,250 | $62,400 | $140,730 | $70,099 | $64,426 |
| Maryland | 8,900 | $90,900 | $56,310 | $148,700 | $68,826 | $65,575 |
| Virginia | 22,120 | $89,210 | $51,350 | $149,150 | $67,274 | $66,539 |
| Rhode Island | Not published | $86,240 | $52,000 | $121,760 | $65,934 | $64,464 |
| Massachusetts | 12,820 | $85,970 | $49,500 | $145,890 | $64,836 | $61,307 |
| Washington | 15,400 | $85,130 | $58,260 | $137,980 | $67,538 | $63,112 |
| Colorado | 10,080 | $83,590 | $54,990 | $135,470 | $64,298 | $62,394 |
| Alaska | 890 | $83,460 | $60,860 | $132,730 | $67,273 | $65,723 |
| Connecticut | 5,530 | $83,030 | $51,790 | $132,410 | $63,010 | $60,814 |
| Delaware | 1,400 | $82,920 | $57,530 | $128,040 | $62,701 | $62,821 |
| California | 48,010 | $82,720 | $52,690 | $134,310 | $62,500 | $56,449 |
| Minnesota | 10,960 | $80,370 | $52,680 | $125,590 | $61,075 | $61,929 |
| New York | 31,240 | $79,460 | $51,820 | $132,080 | $60,662 | $56,209 |
| Illinois | 19,660 | $78,470 | $50,710 | $126,640 | $60,294 | $60,320 |
| Maine | 1,180 | $77,630 | $49,620 | $126,250 | $59,492 | $61,301 |
| New Hampshire | 2,580 | $77,270 | $52,840 | $125,500 | $63,189 | $60,663 |
| New Mexico | 2,250 | $76,740 | $47,670 | $127,820 | $60,376 | $65,475 |
| Ohio | 21,640 | $76,410 | $47,560 | $120,950 | $60,927 | $65,672 |
| North Dakota | 880 | $76,400 | $52,630 | $106,070 | $62,347 | $70,085 |
| Texas | 44,030 | $76,050 | $47,760 | $124,140 | $62,331 | $64,221 |
| Michigan | 16,680 | $75,900 | $47,260 | $126,330 | $59,251 | $61,580 |
| North Carolina | 14,290 | $75,880 | $48,440 | $127,860 | $59,693 | $63,283 |
| Arkansas | 4,510 | $75,870 | $42,710 | $135,830 | $59,885 | $68,883 |
| West Virginia | 1,130 | $75,670 | $46,000 | $112,400 | $59,487 | $66,468 |
| South Carolina | 6,150 | $75,550 | $45,700 | $123,340 | $59,286 | $63,239 |
| Arizona | 10,870 | $75,340 | $49,790 | $117,900 | $60,342 | $59,936 |
| Oregon | 7,090 | $75,050 | $44,440 | $124,900 | $56,119 | $54,294 |
| Nebraska | 2,850 | $74,950 | $47,840 | $124,180 | $59,027 | $65,510 |
| Utah | 4,090 | $74,540 | $46,850 | $121,120 | $58,186 | $58,854 |
| Georgia | 15,710 | $74,530 | $48,070 | $129,000 | $58,291 | $60,535 |
| Hawaii | 1,720 | $74,240 | $47,920 | $120,270 | $56,848 | $51,703 |
| Alabama | 8,960 | $74,030 | $45,190 | $127,620 | $57,821 | $65,097 |
| South Dakota | 1,180 | $73,990 | $56,330 | $105,110 | $60,882 | $68,726 |
| Pennsylvania | 17,430 | $73,550 | $44,470 | $121,520 | $58,263 | $59,713 |
| Nevada | 2,310 | $72,990 | $50,120 | $104,730 | $60,178 | $60,191 |
| Florida | 30,270 | $72,850 | $45,970 | $122,930 | $60,080 | $58,097 |
| Wyoming | 570 | $72,200 | $46,340 | $109,650 | $59,623 | $64,324 |
| Mississippi | 2,240 | $71,850 | $43,370 | $117,960 | $57,234 | $65,822 |
| Oklahoma | 4,750 | $71,850 | $45,510 | $118,140 | $56,689 | $64,534 |
| Wisconsin | 9,240 | $70,880 | $47,530 | $102,720 | $55,995 | $59,509 |
| Iowa | 4,570 | $70,360 | $46,850 | $106,910 | $56,306 | $64,158 |
| Kansas | 6,470 | $69,500 | $46,150 | $117,810 | $54,645 | $60,671 |
| Indiana | 10,720 | $69,350 | $45,810 | $108,740 | $55,601 | $59,576 |
| Idaho | 1,610 | $69,240 | $47,830 | $108,890 | $54,979 | $57,573 |
| Guam | 250 | $68,360 | $36,210 | $115,920 | — | — |
| Louisiana | 3,440 | $66,340 | $45,080 | $112,380 | $53,880 | $61,084 |
| Missouri | 8,070 | $65,650 | $45,280 | $111,070 | $52,782 | $58,119 |
| Tennessee | 11,420 | $65,430 | $40,360 | $106,190 | $54,753 | $59,598 |
| Vermont | 1,010 | $65,330 | $45,230 | $166,520 | $52,865 | $53,967 |
| Kentucky | 5,440 | $65,240 | $42,600 | $105,370 | $52,435 | $58,158 |
| Montana | 1,230 | $62,850 | $41,690 | $100,420 | $50,483 | $53,339 |
| Virgin Islands | 50 | $52,480 | $36,390 | $122,260 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 4,390 | $36,750 | $21,840 | $74,300 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 13-1020. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.