How much does a category manager make?

The average category manager salary in the United States is $102,035. Category manager salaries typically range between $74,000 and $138,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for category managers is $49.06 per hour. Category manager salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Category managers earn the highest average salary in Nevada.

Category manager salary

Q: What state pays Category Managers the most?

Nevada pays Category Managers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $119,207 per year, or $57.31 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a category manager?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a category manager if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Rhode Island you should be paid close to $118,615 per year.

Q: How much do category managers make?

Category managers make a median salary of around $120,000 in a year. The lowest-paid 10% earned around $75,000, while the highest-paid 10% earned over $197,000 in a year. The salary of a category manager can vary greatly depending on several factors. These factors include education and experience, industry and company, and location.

Q: How much does a global category manager make?

A global category manager makes a median salary of around $126,000 in a year. The lowest-paid 10% earned around $80,000, while the highest-paid 10% earned over $200,000 in a year. The salary of a global category manager can vary greatly depending on several factors. These factors include education and experience, industry and company, and location.

Q: What degree do you need to be a category manager?

You need at least an associate's degree in business to be a category manager. While the minimum requirement for a category manager is an associate's degree, most employers seek out category managers with a bachelor's degree.

Average category manager salary

$102,035

$49.06 hourly rate

Entry-level category manager salary

$74,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Category Manager Salaries

The role of a Category Manager is crucial in managing product lines and maximizing sales in various industries. As of October 2025, the average salary stands at $102,035 annually. Salaries can vary depending on factors such as industry, geographic location, and years of experience.

Salary by Experience Level

Entry-level Category Managers can expect to earn around $70,000, while those with significant experience may command salaries exceeding $120,000. For instance, a Category Manager with over 10 years of experience typically earns between $110,000 and $140,000.

Top-Paying States

Category Managers in states like California, New York, and Texas often see higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. For example, Category Managers in California earn an average of $115,000 per year. Understanding these salary dynamics helps job seekers make informed decisions about their career paths.

Job Opportunities

As companies continue to focus on product management, the demand for qualified Category Managers is expected to grow. Explore job listings on Zippia to find opportunities that match your skills and salary expectations.

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Where can a Category Manager earn more?

Compare salary by location

157k

137k

117k

97k

77k

57k

Columbus, OH$128,152

Richmond, KY$86,980

Compare salary by company

168k

148k

128k

108k

88k

McKinsey & Company Inc$141,781

Citrix$117,921

Category manager salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level category manager	$75,700	$36.42
Mid-level category manager	$80,900	$38.90
Senior-level category manager	$184,000	$88.48

Category manager salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a category manager typically falls between $91,625 and $121,345.

zippia

$102,035yearly

indeed[1]

$100,520yearly

comparably[2]

$109,324yearly

Salary.com[3]

$121,345yearly

payscale[4]

$91,625yearly

SalaryExpert[5]

$95,132yearly

Average category manager salary by state

The highest-paying states for category managers are Nevada, Rhode Island, and California. The lowest average category manager salary states are Colorado, Tennessee, and Kansas.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for category managers

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Washington	$113,957	$54.79
2	Rhode Island	$118,615	$57.03
3	California	$115,032	$55.30
4	Oregon	$107,858	$51.85
5	New Jersey	$110,802	$53.27
6	Nevada	$119,207	$57.31
7	Massachusetts	$104,870	$50.42
8	New York	$105,630	$50.78
9	New Hampshire	$109,724	$52.75
10	Michigan	$106,808	$51.35
11	Connecticut	$100,606	$48.37
12	Idaho	$97,331	$46.79
13	Pennsylvania	$93,491	$44.95
14	Louisiana	$105,349	$50.65
15	Ohio	$93,717	$45.06
16	Arizona	$92,968	$44.70
17	Texas	$91,504	$43.99
18	Maryland	$100,181	$48.16
19	Delaware	$93,573	$44.99
20	Wisconsin	$91,917	$44.19
21	District of Columbia	$93,210	$44.81
22	Indiana	$92,002	$44.23
23	Illinois	$90,687	$43.60
24	Oklahoma	$94,965	$45.66
25	Virginia	$93,718	$45.06
26	North Carolina	$90,358	$43.44
27	Maine	$92,054	$44.26
28	Georgia	$88,925	$42.75
29	Montana	$90,520	$43.52
30	Minnesota	$88,970	$42.77
31	West Virginia	$90,434	$43.48
32	Iowa	$89,188	$42.88
33	Utah	$83,592	$40.19
34	Arkansas	$83,803	$40.29
35	Vermont	$86,409	$41.54
36	Kentucky	$85,936	$41.32
37	New Mexico	$86,918	$41.79
38	Alaska	$85,769	$41.24
39	North Dakota	$83,429	$40.11
40	Florida	$81,504	$39.18
41	Colorado	$78,191	$37.59
42	South Dakota	$81,103	$38.99
43	Nebraska	$80,742	$38.82
44	Mississippi	$82,014	$39.43
45	Tennessee	$76,748	$36.90
46	Wyoming	$79,904	$38.42
47	Kansas	$76,743	$36.90
48	South Carolina	$78,983	$37.97
49	Hawaii	$64,454	$30.99
50	Missouri	$75,647	$36.37
51	Alabama	$76,149	$36.61

Top category manager jobs near you

Highest paying cities for category managers

The highest-paying cities for category managers are San Francisco, CA, Woonsocket, RI, and Seattle, WA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	San Francisco, CA	$128,152	$61.61
2	Woonsocket, RI	$118,613	$57.03
3	Seattle, WA	$114,522	$55.06
4	Portland, OR	$106,971	$51.43
5	New York, NY	$105,797	$50.86
6	Boston, MA	$104,884	$50.42
7	Baltimore, MD	$100,407	$48.27
8	Philadelphia, PA	$93,925	$45.16
9	Richmond, VA	$93,635	$45.02
10	Columbus, OH	$93,460	$44.93
11	Washington, DC	$93,308	$44.86
12	Phoenix, AZ	$93,287	$44.85
13	Fort Worth, TX	$92,709	$44.57
14	Milwaukee, WI	$92,348	$44.40
15	Indianapolis, IN	$91,633	$44.05
16	Chicago, IL	$91,367	$43.93
17	Raleigh, NC	$91,312	$43.90
18	Saint Paul, MN	$89,099	$42.84
19	Atlanta, GA	$88,997	$42.79
20	Richmond, KY	$86,980	$41.82

Category manager salary details

A category manager's salary ranges from $74,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $138,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average category manager salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a category manager's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$138,000	$11,500	$66
75th Percentile	$119,000	$9,917	$57
Average	$102,035	$8,503	$49
25th Percentile	$86,000	$7,167	$41
10th Percentile	$74,000	$6,167	$36

Highest paying category manager jobs

The highest paying types of category managers are senior product manager, product manager, and manager, strategy.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Business Development Manager	$100,769	$8,397	$48.45	215,309
Manager, Strategy	$109,831	$9,153	$52.80	148,326
Merchandising Manager	$86,346	$7,195	$41.51	268,577
Regional Marketing Manager	$85,217	$7,101	$40.97	115,987
Pricing Manager	$109,525	$9,127	$52.66	119,997
Product Manager	$111,729	$9,311	$53.72	125,678

Top companies hiring category managers now:

Which companies pay category managers the most?

Category manager salaries at McKinsey & Company Inc and DoorDash are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average category manager salary at companies like BP America Inc and Chewy are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	McKinsey & Company Inc	$141,781	$68.16
2	DoorDash	$138,133	$66.41
3	BP America Inc	$135,055	$64.93
4	Chewy	$129,091	$62.06
5	CrowdStrike	$128,201	$61.64
6	Amazon	$127,485	$61.29
7	Microsoft	$126,641	$60.89
8	The Walt Disney Company	$126,467	$60.80
9	Chevron	$125,786	$60.47
10	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$124,763	$59.98
11	Novartis	$124,041	$59.64
12	AbbVie	$122,770	$59.02
13	American Tower	$122,324	$58.81
14	Adobe	$120,466	$57.92
15	NetApp	$120,462	$57.91
16	Michaels Stores	$119,536	$57.47
17	Gap Inc.	$119,436	$57.42
18	CDW	$118,901	$57.16
19	Koch Industries	$118,408	$56.93
20	Citrix	$117,921	$56.69

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$103,000$102,000$101,000$100,000$99,000$98,000

MaleFemale

Category manager salary trends

The average category manager salary has risen by $18,775 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average category manager earned $83,260 annually, but today, they earn $102,035 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for category managers over the last decade.

Compare category manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average category manager salary over time

Compare category manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Category manager salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$102,000	$49.06	+3.7%
2024	$98,200	$47.22	+1.9%
2023	$96,400	$46.34	+1.5%
2022	$94,900	$45.63	+0.8%
2021	$94,100	$45.26	+1.9%

Recently added category manager salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Wheels	Category Manager	Schaumburg, IL	06/30/2025	$59,300
Wheels	Category Manager	Alpharetta, GA	06/30/2025	$59,300
Target	Category Manager Target Plus (Hybrid Mpls)	Minneapolis, MN	06/30/2025	$71,000
Prologis	Category Manager-Operations	Denver, CO	06/30/2025	$108,000
Mdlz	Category Manager	Rogers, AR	06/30/2025	$117,400
Mdlz	Customer Category Manager-West Regionals	Salt Lake City, UT	06/30/2025	$87,600
Mdlz	Customer Category Manager-CVS Confections & Halls	Rhode Island	06/30/2025	$87,600
Vizient	Category Manager-Pharmacy	Irving, TX	06/30/2025	$117,600
Oracle	Lead Category Manager	Rocklin, CA	06/29/2025	$87,000
Ace Hardware	Category Manager	Lenexa, KS	06/29/2025	$60,000