Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2017

13-1020 Buyers and Purchasing Agents

Purchase goods or services for further processing, resale, or to enable operation of an establishment. May analyze past buying trends, sales records, price, and quality of goods or services. May select, order, and authorize payment according to contractual agreements. May conduct meetings with sales personnel and introduce new products. Includes wholesale and retail buyers and purchasing agents for farm products, equipment, and raw materials.

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National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
413,540	0.6 %	$32.19	$66,960	0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$17.49	$22.63	$29.87	$39.34	$49.75
Annual Wage (2)	$36,370	$47,070	$62,120	$81,830	$103,480

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Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Management of Companies and Enterprises	39,630	1.70	$35.61	$74,060
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	35,220	1.74	$40.40	$84,020
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only)	18,460	1.39	$29.63	$61,630
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only)	12,160	1.29	$30.19	$62,800
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	11,720	2.45	$38.89	$80,890

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	11,720	2.45	$38.89	$80,890
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation)	35,220	1.74	$40.40	$84,020
Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers	1,270	1.74	$30.73	$63,910
Management of Companies and Enterprises	39,630	1.70	$35.61	$74,060
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	6,730	1.68	$35.60	$74,050

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities	730	0.08	$46.00	$95,670
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil	50	0.38	$41.55	$86,420
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank	50	0.25	$41.45	$86,220
Natural Gas Distribution	470	0.42	$41.30	$85,900
Scientific Research and Development Services	5,030	0.78	$40.53	$84,290

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Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	52,210	3.13	1.08	$33.63	$69,950
Texas	37,900	3.19	1.10	$32.21	$66,990
New York	22,020	2.39	0.82	$34.39	$71,530
Florida	19,760	2.35	0.81	$29.86	$62,110
Ohio	18,180	3.38	1.17	$31.91	$66,380

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Washington	15,770	4.95	1.71	$34.47	$71,700
Kansas	5,290	3.86	1.33	$29.33	$61,000
District of Columbia	2,710	3.83	1.32	$45.49	$94,620
Virginia	13,680	3.61	1.24	$36.89	$76,740
Alabama	6,750	3.51	1.21	$32.07	$66,700

Top paying States for this occupation:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia	2,710	3.83	1.32	$45.49	$94,620
New Jersey	11,180	2.79	0.96	$38.60	$80,300
Maryland	8,270	3.11	1.07	$37.02	$77,000
Virginia	13,680	3.61	1.24	$36.89	$76,740
Massachusetts	9,240	2.62	0.90	$34.65	$72,060

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Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division	16,560	2.47	0.85	$37.04	$77,040
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division	15,200	3.43	1.18	$33.00	$68,640
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	11,360	3.88	1.34	$33.57	$69,830
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division	11,130	6.75	2.33	$36.31	$75,520
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division	9,520	3.78	1.30	$43.00	$89,440
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division	8,310	3.34	1.15	$34.12	$70,960
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division	8,040	2.20	0.76	$31.46	$65,440
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	7,450	3.85	1.33	$33.25	$69,150
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	7,370	2.81	0.97	$33.74	$70,190
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division	6,290	3.89	1.34	$35.36	$73,550

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Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California-Lexington Park, MD	600	13.10	4.51	$42.13	$87,630
Huntsville, AL	2,260	10.17	3.51	$38.89	$80,880
Wausau, WI	500	7.21	2.48	$25.39	$52,820
Warner Robins, GA	480	6.86	2.37	$36.90	$76,750
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division	11,130	6.75	2.33	$36.31	$75,520
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO	1,580	6.60	2.28	(8)	(8)
Dayton, OH	2,240	6.03	2.08	$36.15	$75,190
Elkhart-Goshen, IN	750	5.87	2.02	$26.81	$55,750
Wichita, KS	1,550	5.24	1.81	$31.82	$66,190
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	890	4.93	1.70	$35.99	$74,850