Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
13-1020 Buyers and Purchasing Agents
This occupation includes the 2018 SOC occupations 13-1021 Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products; 13-1022 Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products; and 13-1023 Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products.
National estimates for Buyers and Purchasing Agents
Industry profile for Buyers and Purchasing Agents
Geographic profile for Buyers and Purchasing Agents
National estimates for Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 439,020 |
0.6 % |
$ 34.88 |
$ 72,540 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 18.48 |
$ 23.63 |
$ 30.51 |
$ 42.22 |
$ 53.46 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 38,430 |
$ 49,150 |
$ 63,470 |
$ 87,820 |
$ 111,200 |
Industry profile for Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Buyers and Purchasing Agents are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Buyers and Purchasing Agents, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises |
45,280 |
1.78 |
$ 39.63 |
$ 82,420 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
37,310 |
1.77 |
$ 44.47 |
$ 92,510 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) |
18,870 |
1.38 |
$ 32.18 |
$ 66,930 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
13,050 |
0.24 |
$ 33.43 |
$ 69,530 |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing |
11,990 |
2.55 |
$ 42.26 |
$ 87,900 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
Top paying industries for Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
Geographic profile for Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Buyers and Purchasing Agents are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Buyers and Purchasing Agents, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
46,780 |
2.83 |
0.91 |
$ 36.51 |
$ 75,950 |
| Texas |
37,330 |
3.05 |
0.98 |
$ 35.06 |
$ 72,920 |
| Florida |
28,460 |
3.31 |
1.06 |
$ 30.91 |
$ 64,300 |
| New York |
25,610 |
2.95 |
0.95 |
$ 38.06 |
$ 79,160 |
| Virginia |
21,860 |
5.83 |
1.87 |
$ 37.80 |
$ 78,630 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Virginia |
21,860 |
5.83 |
1.87 |
$ 37.80 |
$ 78,630 |
| Washington |
15,230 |
4.75 |
1.52 |
$ 37.52 |
$ 78,040 |
| Alabama |
7,550 |
3.92 |
1.26 |
$ 33.33 |
$ 69,330 |
| Kansas |
5,200 |
3.88 |
1.25 |
$ 31.78 |
$ 66,110 |
| Colorado |
10,110 |
3.86 |
1.24 |
$ 35.87 |
$ 74,600 |
Top paying states for Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
2,550 |
3.85 |
1.23 |
$ 50.50 |
$ 105,030 |
| New Jersey |
11,200 |
2.91 |
0.93 |
$ 43.77 |
$ 91,050 |
| Massachusetts |
10,650 |
3.14 |
1.01 |
$ 40.09 |
$ 83,390 |
| Maryland |
8,810 |
3.46 |
1.11 |
$ 40.04 |
$ 83,280 |
| Arkansas |
3,910 |
3.28 |
1.05 |
$ 39.59 |
$ 82,340 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
25,760 |
2.97 |
0.95 |
$ 41.66 |
$ 86,660 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
18,540 |
3.24 |
1.04 |
$ 35.23 |
$ 73,270 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
16,250 |
5.54 |
1.78 |
$ 43.21 |
$ 89,880 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
12,470 |
3.47 |
1.12 |
$ 35.91 |
$ 74,690 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
11,040 |
2.61 |
0.84 |
$ 36.73 |
$ 76,390 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
10,670 |
5.57 |
1.79 |
$ 39.44 |
$ 82,040 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
9,400 |
3.24 |
1.04 |
$ 37.00 |
$ 76,950 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
8,930 |
3.46 |
1.11 |
$ 41.04 |
$ 85,360 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
8,720 |
3.56 |
1.14 |
$ 30.28 |
$ 62,980 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
8,580 |
3.23 |
1.04 |
$ 38.37 |
$ 79,810 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California-Lexington Park, MD |
710 |
15.37 |
4.93 |
$ 46.97 |
$ 97,700 |
| Huntsville, AL |
2,480 |
10.77 |
3.46 |
$ 41.70 |
$ 86,740 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO |
2,010 |
8.22 |
2.64 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Warner Robins, GA |
530 |
7.19 |
2.31 |
$ 39.45 |
$ 82,050 |
| Dayton, OH |
2,390 |
6.74 |
2.16 |
$ 39.58 |
$ 82,330 |
| Elkhart-Goshen, IN |
890 |
6.68 |
2.14 |
$ 29.43 |
$ 61,220 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
10,670 |
5.57 |
1.79 |
$ 39.44 |
$ 82,040 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
16,250 |
5.54 |
1.78 |
$ 43.21 |
$ 89,880 |
| Columbus, IN |
270 |
5.52 |
1.77 |
$ 39.83 |
$ 82,840 |
| Spartanburg, SC |
860 |
5.49 |
1.76 |
$ 33.95 |
$ 70,620 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California-Lexington Park, MD |
710 |
15.37 |
4.93 |
$ 46.97 |
$ 97,700 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
4,000 |
3.74 |
1.20 |
$ 45.97 |
$ 95,620 |
| Decatur, IL |
90 |
2.03 |
0.65 |
$ 45.22 |
$ 94,070 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
16,250 |
5.54 |
1.78 |
$ 43.21 |
$ 89,880 |
| Trenton, NJ |
670 |
2.93 |
0.94 |
$ 42.76 |
$ 88,950 |
| Huntsville, AL |
2,480 |
10.77 |
3.46 |
$ 41.70 |
$ 86,740 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
25,760 |
2.97 |
0.95 |
$ 41.66 |
$ 86,660 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
8,930 |
3.46 |
1.11 |
$ 41.04 |
$ 85,360 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
6,240 |
2.78 |
0.89 |
$ 40.98 |
$ 85,250 |
| Morgantown, WV |
140 |
2.29 |
0.74 |
$ 40.05 |
$ 83,300 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Buyers and Purchasing Agents:
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
