Purchaser Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

There are about 287,000 jobs for purchasers in the US. The unemployment ranking for this career was low, compared to other occupations. About 3% of employees were without employment in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Purchasers are most common in Huntsville (Alabama), Warner Robins (Georgia), and Pascagoula (Mississippi), and least common in Monroe (Louisiana), Laredo (Texas), and McAllen (Texas).

Workers are paid the most in Washington (District of Columbia), Huntsville (Alabama), and Albany (Georgia), and the least in St. George (Utah), Morristown (Tennessee), and Hattiesburg (Mississippi).

Training and Education

Most employees have long-term on-the-job training. Approximately 42% of purchasers have a bachelor's degree. About 36% of workers have been to college without getting a degree. About 22% of employees obtain jobs with only a high-school diploma or GED. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Among purchasers, 4% work less than full-time. Some 2% of workers work for themselves.

Purchasers Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of purchasers compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for purchasers.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Huntsville	$71,000	1,820
Birmingham	$52,000	940
Mobile	$50,000	440
Montgomery	$51,000	400
Tuscaloosa	$47,000	130
Anniston	$54,000	120
Decatur	$47,000	110
Dothan	$45,000	90
Florence	$42,000	70
Gadsden	$49,000	60
Auburn	$54,000	50

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$61,000	400
Fairbanks	$55,000	60

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Phoenix	$51,000	4,420
Tucson	$56,000	1,480
Kingman	$41,000	120
Prescott	$43,000	110
Flagstaff	$48,000	100
Yuma	$51,000	80

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Little Rock	$45,000	550
Fayetteville	$46,000	350
Fort Smith	$49,000	130
Pine Bluff	$53,000	60
Jonesboro	$39,000	60
Hot Springs	$41,000	50

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Santa Ana	$60,000	4,150
San Diego	$62,000	3,500
San Jose	$70,000	3,440
Oakland	$66,000	2,490
Riverside	$52,000	2,190
San Francisco	$67,000	1,690
Sacramento	$59,000	1,250
Oxnard	$61,000	920
Santa Barbara	$62,000	480
Bakersfield	$67,000	400
Fresno	$47,000	380
Stockton	$57,000	320
Santa Rosa	$56,000	310
Modesto	$50,000	220
Vallejo	$62,000	200
Salinas	$51,000	150
Santa Cruz	$61,000	120
San Luis Obispo	$59,000	120
Visalia	$58,000	110
Napa	$56,000	100
El Centro	$59,000	70
Redding	$50,000	60
Merced	$48,000	60
Chico	$43,000	60
Madera	$59,000	40
Hanford	$54,000	40
Yuba City	$58,000	30

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Denver	$63,000	3,150
Colorado Springs	$63,000	890
Boulder	$63,000	640
Fort Collins	$61,000	290
Greeley	$57,000	130
Grand Junction	$47,000	90
Pueblo	$51,000	60

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Hartford	$63,000	1,440
Bridgeport	$67,000	1,090
New Haven	$61,000	500
Norwich	$67,000	380
Danbury	$61,000	160
Waterbury	$56,000	80

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$64,000	740
Dover	$52,000	100

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$76,000	8,910

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Tampa	$54,000	2,480
Orlando	$52,000	2,180
Miami	$52,000	1,800
Jacksonville	$52,000	1,240
West Palm Beach	$56,000	1,230
Fort Lauderdale	$51,000	1,040
Palm Bay	$57,000	880
Sarasota	$46,000	460
Lakeland	$49,000	350
Fort Walton Beach	$65,000	310
Tallahassee	$44,000	310
Cape Coral	$50,000	250
Deltona	$47,000	240
Pensacola	$53,000	220
Port St Lucie	$50,000	180
Naples	$48,000	180
Gainesville	$45,000	180
Panama City	$57,000	160
Ocala	$50,000	160
Sebastian	$47,000	80
Punta Gorda	$43,000	50

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Atlanta	$57,000	4,080
Augusta	$61,000	400
Savannah	$51,000	370
Warner Robins	$71,000	360
Gainesville	$54,000	120
Macon	$46,000	120
Albany	$63,000	110
Columbus	$56,000	100
Athens	$51,000	100
Dalton	$46,000	90
Brunswick	$61,000	50
Rome	$49,000	50

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$62,000	790

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Boise	$49,000	540
Idaho Falls	$56,000	80
Coeur Dalene	$45,000	80
Pocatello	$46,000	30

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Chicago	$62,000	7,390
Peoria	$55,000	380
Rockford	$51,000	310
Champaign	$55,000	140
Springfield	$51,000	90
Kankakee	$51,000	40
Danville	$57,000	40

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Indianapolis	$54,000	1,970
Elkhart	$48,000	610
Fort Wayne	$54,000	560
Gary	$58,000	350
Evansville	$50,000	250
South Bend	$54,000	240
Lafayette	$56,000	150
Bloomington	$67,000	140
Columbus	$53,000	130
Terre Haute	$50,000	100
Muncie	$50,000	70
Kokomo	$69,000	70
Anderson	$51,000	50

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Davenport	$65,000	1,000
Des Moines	$45,000	520
Cedar Rapids	$47,000	290
Sioux City	$51,000	140
Waterloo	$44,000	120
Iowa City	$57,000	100
Ames	$49,000	100
Dubuque	$46,000	60

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Wichita	$57,000	1,310
Topeka	$60,000	200
Lawrence	$44,000	50

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Louisville	$54,000	970
Lexington	$55,000	640
Owensboro	$45,000	130
Elizabethtown	$61,000	90
Bowling Green	$47,000	90

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New Orleans	$49,000	900
Baton Rouge	$52,000	600
Lafayette	$48,000	320
Shreveport	$45,000	250
Houma	$44,000	230
Alexandria	$46,000	140
Lake Charles	$48,000	110
Monroe	$43,000	60

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Portland	$53,000	290
Bangor	$46,000	80
Lewiston	$45,000	70

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Baltimore	$63,000	2,770
Bethesda	$69,000	1,830
Hagerstown	$52,000	130
Cumberland	$57,000	60
Salisbury	$53,000	50

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Boston	$68,000	3,810
Springfield	$64,000	700
Framingham	$69,000	510
Worcester	$60,000	430
Lowell	$67,000	390
Brockton	$53,000	220
Lawrence	$61,000	120
Haverhill	$52,000	120
Pittsfield	$52,000	110
Taunton	$64,000	90
Barnstable Town	$58,000	90
Leominster	$66,000	70
New Bedford	$52,000	60

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Warren	$67,000	3,880
Detroit		2,400
Grand Rapids	$54,000	940
Lansing	$60,000	420
Ann Arbor	$58,000	390
Holland	$53,000	300
Kalamazoo	$50,000	300
Muskegon	$46,000	230
Niles	$54,000	230
Saginaw	$60,000	190
Battle Creek	$55,000	150
Flint	$57,000	150
Jackson	$57,000	100
Bay City	$52,000	60
Monroe	$57,000	50

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Minneapolis	$60,000	4,620
Rochester	$60,000	220
St Cloud	$51,000	170
Duluth	$53,000	150

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Jackson	$45,000	480
Pascagoula	$57,000	260
Gulfport	$54,000	250
Hattiesburg	$35,000	60

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers
St Louis	$59,000	3,310
Kansas City	$55,000	2,410
Springfield	$44,000	310
Jefferson City	$47,000	150
Joplin	$40,000	120
St Joseph	$47,000	100
Columbia	$45,000	90

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Missoula	$44,000	110
Billings	$50,000	80
Great Falls	$51,000	30

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$55,000	1,050
Lincoln	$50,000	300

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Las Vegas	$53,000	1,220
Reno	$50,000	260
Carson City	$51,000	50

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Nashua	$62,000	410
Manchester	$54,000	200
Rochester	$54,000	140
Portsmouth	$60,000	110

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Edison	$71,000	2,270
Newark	$68,000	1,790
Camden	$56,000	880
Trenton	$66,000	470
Atlantic City	$63,000	160
Vineland	$52,000	80
Ocean City	$53,000	30

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Albuquerque	$61,000	770
Santa Fe	$42,000	120
Las Cruces	$56,000	110
Farmington	$57,000	70

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New York	$64,000	8,020
Nassau	$64,000	2,060
Rochester	$54,000	1,300
Buffalo	$52,000	980
Albany	$54,000	820
Syracuse	$52,000	620
Poughkeepsie	$64,000	440
Binghamton	$57,000	360
Utica	$53,000	240
Elmira	$53,000	70
Kingston	$46,000	70
Ithaca	$50,000	60
Glens Falls	$52,000	60

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Charlotte	$53,000	1,720
Raleigh	$54,000	920
Greensboro	$57,000	910
Durham	$64,000	710
Winston Salem	$54,000	450
Hickory	$47,000	310
Asheville	$47,000	290
Fayetteville	$55,000	180
Wilmington	$50,000	130
Burlington	$48,000	110
Rocky Mount	$53,000	100
Greenville	$52,000	90
Goldsboro	$47,000	70
Jacksonville	$52,000	70

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Fargo	$53,000	180
Bismarck	$56,000	90
Grand Forks	$49,000	50

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Columbus	$60,000	2,900
Cincinnati	$57,000	2,300
Cleveland	$53,000	2,280
Dayton	$66,000	1,530
Akron	$52,000	740
Toledo	$54,000	460
Canton	$50,000	320
Youngstown	$49,000	280
Lima	$52,000	100
Mansfield	$45,000	80
Springfield	$56,000	60
Sandusky	$52,000	60

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Oklahoma City	$55,000	1,430
Tulsa	$49,000	1,210
Lawton	$54,000	50

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Portland	$55,000	2,670
Salem	$49,000	330
Eugene	$43,000	270
Bend	$49,000	100
Medford	$44,000	100
Corvallis	$45,000	50

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Philadelphia	$61,000	5,240
Pittsburgh	$54,000	2,420
Harrisburg	$61,000	800
Allentown	$53,000	520
Lancaster	$51,000	490
Erie	$45,000	470
York	$56,000	430
Scranton	$46,000	400
Reading	$52,000	280
State College	$46,000	150
Williamsport	$47,000	140
Johnstown	$47,000	120
Lebanon	$48,000	100
Altoona	$50,000	100

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$60,000	1,120

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Columbia	$49,000	730
Greenville	$54,000	600
Charleston	$56,000	540
Spartanburg	$52,000	260
Florence	$57,000	170
Myrtle Beach	$43,000	120
Anderson	$52,000	110
Sumter	$52,000	70

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$46,000	220
Rapid City	$49,000	70

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Nashville	$51,000	1,090
Memphis	$52,000	980
Knoxville	$52,000	600
Chattanooga	$47,000	330
Kingsport	$49,000	250
Clarksville	$53,000	130
Jackson	$37,000	110
Johnson City	$43,000	100
Cleveland	$38,000	70
Morristown	$39,000	50

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Houston	$57,000	6,940
Dallas	$58,000	4,970
Austin	$57,000	2,210
Fort Worth	$56,000	2,100
San Antonio	$60,000	1,860
El Paso	$46,000	430
Beaumont	$51,000	400
Killeen	$56,000	260
Corpus Christi	$53,000	230
Longview	$46,000	210
Waco	$47,000	180
Amarillo	$47,000	150
Wichita Falls	$45,000	130
Tyler	$49,000	130
Mcallen	$39,000	130
College Station	$47,000	130
Lubbock	$47,000	120
Odessa	$44,000	110
Brownsville	$40,000	100
San Angelo	$50,000	100
Abilene	$41,000	90
Midland	$56,000	90
Texarkana	$53,000	70
Laredo	$45,000	60
Victoria	$43,000	50
Sherman	$42,000	40

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Salt Lake City	$49,000	1,430
Ogden	$63,000	670
Provo	$49,000	330
Logan	$45,000	120
St George	$37,000	50

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$54,000	220

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Virginia Beach	$58,000	2,430
Richmond	$61,000	2,420
Lynchburg	$49,000	310
Roanoke	$46,000	300
Charlottesville	$47,000	230
Blacksburg	$53,000	190
Winchester	$71,000	180
Harrisonburg	$42,000	110
Danville	$52,000	30

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Seattle	$65,000	5,200
Tacoma	$52,000	530
Spokane	$46,000	450
Kennewick	$68,000	290
Olympia	$52,000	280
Bremerton	$63,000	210
Bellingham	$44,000	140
Mount Vernon	$67,000	100
Yakima	$53,000	70
Longview	$51,000	70
Wenatchee	$54,000	50

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Charleston	$47,000	170
Huntington	$46,000	170
Parkersburg	$55,000	130
Morgantown	$47,000	90
Weirton	$39,000	60
Wheeling	$48,000	50

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Milwaukee	$54,000	2,460
Madison	$52,000	760
Green Bay	$50,000	460
Oshkosh	$53,000	380
Appleton	$51,000	290
Eau Claire	$49,000	280
Racine	$57,000	250
Wausau	$44,000	190
Fond	$50,000	120
La Crosse	$47,000	110
Janesville	$51,000	100
Sheboygan	$51,000	90

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cheyenne	$51,000	90
Casper	$48,000	60

Our purchaser career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.