How much does a purchasing agent make?

The average purchasing agent salary in the United States is $51,950. Purchasing agent salaries typically range between $37,000 and $72,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for purchasing agents is $24.98 per hour. Purchasing agent salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Purchasing agents earn the highest average salary in Maryland.

Purchasing agent salary

Q: What state pays Purchasing Agents the most?

Maryland pays Purchasing Agents the most in the United States, with an average salary of $61,170 per year, or $29.41 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a purchasing agent?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a purchasing agent if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in North Dakota you should be paid close to $60,402 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Purchasing Agent?

A good starting salary for a purchasing agent is $36,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a purchasing agent in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for purchasing agents is $52,446, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a purchasing agent can vary by state.

Q: How much do purchasers make a year?

Purchasers make $50,918 per year or $24.48 per hour. However, the range can start as low as $38,000 a year to as high as $87,000 a year. Factors that impact how much a purchaser can earn include location and type of buyer position.

Q: How much do you make in purchasing?

You make between $60,000 to $207,000 a year in purchasing. There are many different careers available in purchasing, which is why we see such a large variation in pay. For example, a purchaser averages $50,000 per year, ranging from $38,300 to $107,000 a year. Compared to a purchasing assistant who averages $45,200 a year, ranging from $33,300 to $67,000 a year. Other factors that impact how much you can make in purchasing include the industry and location.

Q: What degree do you need to be a purchasing agent?

There is not a degree you need to be a purchasing agent, though most purchasing agents have bachelor's degrees. Nearly 70% of purchasing agents have their bachelor's degrees. The most common areas of study are:

Average purchasing agent salary

$51,950

$24.98 hourly rate

Entry-level purchasing agent salary

$37,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Purchasing Agent Salaries

As of October 2025, the average salary for a Purchasing Agent in the United States is $51,950 annually, translating to approximately $25 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, purchasing agents in high-demand sectors like technology and manufacturing often see increased compensation.

Highest Paying States

Purchasing agents in states like California, Texas, and New York typically command higher salaries due to the cost of living and job market dynamics.

Career Advancement Opportunities

To enhance earning potential, purchasing agents can pursue advanced certifications or specializations in areas like logistics or supply chain management. Networking within industry circles can also lead to higher paying positions and job opportunities.

In conclusion, understanding the salary range and factors affecting compensation can help aspiring purchasing agents make informed career decisions.

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Purchasing agent salary by:

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Where can a Purchasing Agent earn more?

Compare salary by location

77k

57k

37k

17k

Columbus, OH$61,999

Greenville, NC$47,311

Compare salary by company

115k

95k

75k

55k

35k

Abiomed$102,257

Fanatics$64,620

Purchasing agent salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Indeed, Glassdoor, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a purchasing agent typically falls between $49,398 and $80,317.

zippia

$51,950yearly

glassdoor[1]

$65,402yearly

indeed[2]

$59,228yearly

comparably[3]

$75,754yearly

payscale[4]

$49,398yearly

SalaryExpert[5]

$80,317yearly

Average purchasing agent salary by state

The average purchasing agent salary in Maryland, North Dakota, and Vermont are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average purchasing agent salary states are West Virginia, New Mexico, and Hawaii.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for purchasing agents

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Vermont	$58,938	$28.34
2	Oregon	$58,380	$28.07
3	Mississippi	$54,856	$26.37
4	Idaho	$56,152	$27.00
5	Nevada	$55,870	$26.86
6	North Dakota	$60,402	$29.04
7	Michigan	$53,777	$25.85
8	New Hampshire	$56,542	$27.18
9	Tennessee	$54,364	$26.14
10	Washington	$58,466	$28.11
11	Wyoming	$51,639	$24.83
12	Alabama	$53,811	$25.87
13	Connecticut	$58,511	$28.13
14	Nebraska	$52,525	$25.25
15	Massachusetts	$56,047	$26.95
16	Maryland	$61,170	$29.41
17	Wisconsin	$53,233	$25.59
18	Colorado	$54,689	$26.29
19	California	$57,684	$27.73
20	Rhode Island	$52,887	$25.43
21	Utah	$50,574	$24.31
22	New York	$56,591	$27.21
23	New Jersey	$56,997	$27.40
24	Delaware	$52,428	$25.21
25	Pennsylvania	$49,475	$23.79
26	Ohio	$48,232	$23.19
27	Illinois	$51,558	$24.79
28	Iowa	$51,235	$24.63
29	Arizona	$48,072	$23.11
30	Georgia	$50,437	$24.25
31	Arkansas	$46,563	$22.39
32	Oklahoma	$48,202	$23.17
33	Minnesota	$50,903	$24.47
34	Kansas	$48,690	$23.41
35	Virginia	$51,939	$24.97
36	Kentucky	$49,638	$23.86
37	Missouri	$45,881	$22.06
38	Montana	$47,905	$23.03
39	Alaska	$51,141	$24.59
40	South Dakota	$46,099	$22.16
41	District of Columbia	$51,511	$24.76
42	Texas	$47,889	$23.02
43	Hawaii	$43,830	$21.07
44	South Carolina	$45,619	$21.93
45	Louisiana	$41,394	$19.90
46	Indiana	$45,154	$21.71
47	North Carolina	$46,723	$22.46
48	West Virginia	$44,898	$21.59
49	Florida	$41,896	$20.14
50	Maine	$43,677	$21.00
51	New Mexico	$43,901	$21.11

Top purchasing agent jobs near you

Highest paying cities for purchasing agents

The highest-paying cities for purchasing agents are San Jose, CA, Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	San Jose, CA	$61,999	$29.81
2	Seattle, WA	$58,518	$28.13
3	Portland, OR	$58,286	$28.02
4	New York, NY	$56,717	$27.27
5	Boston, MA	$56,076	$26.96
6	Loveland, CO	$54,891	$26.39
7	Montgomery, AL	$53,549	$25.74
8	Chicago, IL	$51,723	$24.87
9	Washington, DC	$51,563	$24.79
10	Anchorage, AK	$51,082	$24.56
11	Saint Paul, MN	$50,952	$24.50
12	Salt Lake City, UT	$50,611	$24.33
13	Atlanta, GA	$50,582	$24.32
14	El Paso, TX	$49,454	$23.78
15	Harrisburg, PA	$49,260	$23.68
16	Lenexa, KS	$48,810	$23.47
17	Phoenix, AZ	$48,204	$23.18
18	Oklahoma City, OK	$48,167	$23.16
19	Columbus, OH	$47,927	$23.04
20	Greenville, NC	$47,311	$22.75

Purchasing Agents are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Purchasing agent salary details

A purchasing agent's salary ranges from $37,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $72,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average purchasing agent salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a purchasing agent's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$72,000	$6,000	$35
75th Percentile	$62,000	$5,167	$30
Average	$51,950	$4,329	$25
25th Percentile	$43,000	$3,583	$21
10th Percentile	$37,000	$3,083	$18

Highest paying purchasing agent jobs

The highest paying types of purchasing agents are director of purchasing, purchasing manager, and senior buyer.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Buyer	$54,049	$4,504	$25.99	23,589
Planner/Buyer	$54,261	$4,522	$26.09	33,452
Procurement Analyst	$64,448	$5,371	$30.98	75,154
Procurement Officer	$73,568	$6,131	$35.37	68,935
Material Analyst	$66,092	$5,508	$31.77	48,758
Supply Chain Coordinator	$50,728	$4,227	$24.39	33,654

Top companies hiring purchasing agents now:

Which companies pay purchasing agents the most?

Purchasing agent salaries at Abiomed and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average purchasing agent salary at companies like Apple and Meggitt PLC are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Abiomed	$102,257	$49.16
2	Google	$101,826	$48.95
3	Apple	$97,521	$46.89
4	Meggitt PLC	$78,924	$37.94
5	BlackRock	$78,867	$37.92
6	PBF Energy	$76,466	$36.76
7	Quaker Houghton	$76,064	$36.57
8	Jacobs Engineering Group	$71,915	$34.57
9	Corning Incorporated	$71,008	$34.14
10	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$70,879	$34.08
11	Shiseido	$70,868	$34.07
12	Baker Hughes	$70,035	$33.67
13	Anheuser-Busch	$68,601	$32.98
14	Crown Equipment	$68,255	$32.81
15	Schlumberger	$67,664	$32.53
16	Williams International	$66,761	$32.10
17	Salk Institute for Biological Studies	$66,450	$31.95
18	Boston Public Schools	$66,387	$31.92
19	Mack Trucks	$65,772	$31.62
20	Fanatics	$64,620	$31.07

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$55,000$54,400$53,800$53,200$52,600$52,000

MaleFemale

Purchasing Agent salary by industry

The average purchasing agent salary varies across industries:

The average purchasing agent salary in the technology industry is $55,517, the highest of any industry.
The average purchasing agent salary in the finance industry is $54,675.
Purchasing agents in the retail industry earn an average salary of $48,564, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for purchasing agents

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Technology	$55,517	$26.69
2	Construction	$54,675	$26.29
3	Hospitality	$54,280	$26.10
4	Health Care	$53,045	$25.50
5	Professional	$52,398	$25.19
6	Manufacturing	$51,745	$24.88
7	Retail	$48,564	$23.35

High paying purchasing agent jobs

Purchasing agent salary trends

The average purchasing agent salary has risen by $8,789 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average purchasing agent earned $43,161 annually, but today, they earn $51,950 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for purchasing agents over the last decade.

Compare purchasing agent salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average purchasing agent salary over time

Compare purchasing agent salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Purchasing agent salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$51,900	$24.98	+3.8%
2024	$50,000	$24.03	+2.3%
2023	$48,800	$23.46	+1.1%
2022	$48,300	$23.21	+1.7%
2021	$47,400	$22.81	+1.7%

Recently added purchasing agent salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Trimedx	Procurement Coordinator (2ND Shift)-Contractor	Indianapolis, IN	06/30/2025	$44,871
Mountainland Technical College	Purchasing Agent	Orem, UT	06/30/2025	$42,773
Sitio de Experiencia de Candidatos	Purchasing Agent	San Diego, CA	06/29/2025	$60,335
Richmond Wholesale Meat Co	Temporary Procurement Coordinator	Richmond, VA	06/28/2025	$45,914
Department of Veterans Affairs	Purchasing Agent	Milwaukee, WI	06/28/2025	$47,018
Department of Veterans Affairs	Purchasing Agent	Las Vegas, NV	06/28/2025	$41,197
Department of Veterans Affairs	Purchasing Agent	Kansas City, MO	06/28/2025	$40,990
Department of Veterans Affairs	Purchasing Agent	Syracuse, NY	06/28/2025	$40,332
Department of Veterans Affairs	Supervisory Purchasing Agent	Charleston, SC	06/28/2025	$49,960
Marriott	Purchasing Agent	San Diego, CA	06/27/2025	$60,335

Purchasing agent salary FAQs

What state pays Purchasing Agents the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a purchasing agent?

What is a good starting salary for a Purchasing Agent?

How much do purchasers make a year?

How much do you make in purchasing?

What degree do you need to be a purchasing agent?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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