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Job outlook for regional general managers in the United States
Regional general manager job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected regional general manager job growth rate is 6% from 2018-2028.
About 189,200 new jobs for regional general managers are projected over the next decade.
Regional general manager salaries have increased 4% for regional general managers in the last 5 years.
There are over 270,244 regional general managers currently employed in the United States.
There are 362,072 active regional general manager job openings in the US.
The average regional general manager salary is $78,641.
Are regional general manager jobs in demand?
Regional general manager job and salary trends over time
Regional general manager jobs over time
Regional general manager job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 270,244 | 0.08% |
| 2020 | 213,353 | 0.06% |
| 2019 | 218,248 | 0.07% |
| 2018 | 208,075 | 0.06% |
| 2017 | 201,155 | 0.06% |
Average regional general manager salary over time
Regional general manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $78,641 | $37.81 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $76,464 | $36.76 | --0.1% |
| 2023 | $76,578 | $36.82 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $76,183 | $36.63 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | $75,348 | $36.23 | +1.6% |
Regional general manager jobs by state
Most common states for regional general managers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 688 | 99% |
| 2 | Delaware | 961,939 | 467 | 49% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 3,280 | 48% |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 617 | 46% |
| 5 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 2,920 | 44% |
| 6 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 2,404 | 43% |
| 7 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 3,575 | 42% |
| 8 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 1,211 | 42% |
| 9 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 4,279 | 41% |
| 10 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 433 | 41% |
| 11 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 2,450 | 40% |
| 12 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 2,032 | 40% |
| 13 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 1,935 | 40% |
| 14 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 1,233 | 40% |
| 15 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 4,053 | 39% |
| 16 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 2,636 | 39% |
| 17 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 2,413 | 39% |
| 18 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 1,754 | 39% |
| 19 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 413 | 39% |
| 20 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 4,473 | 38% |
Most common cities for regional general managers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 1 | 3% | $102,212 |
| 2 | Dalton | 1 | 3% | $74,347 |
| 3 | Atlanta | 3 | 1% | $73,270 |
| 4 | Tallahassee | 2 | 1% | $53,420 |
| 5 | Cary | 1 | 1% | $73,941 |
| 6 | Chattanooga | 1 | 1% | $57,139 |
| 7 | Davie | 1 | 1% | $55,437 |
| 8 | Phoenix | 3 | 0% | $61,470 |
| 9 | San Diego | 3 | 0% | $92,166 |
| 10 | Boston | 2 | 0% | $110,899 |
| 11 | Los Angeles | 2 | 0% | $100,492 |
| 12 | San Francisco | 2 | 0% | $113,055 |
| 13 | Washington | 2 | 0% | $104,067 |
| 14 | Anchorage | 1 | 0% | $62,386 |
| 15 | Baton Rouge | 1 | 0% | $64,012 |
| 16 | Birmingham | 1 | 0% | $66,004 |
Regional General Manager job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of regional general manager experts
Murray State University
Texas Christian University
University of Maryland
Pennsylvania State University - Greater Allegheny
Northwestern Michigan College
Brandeis University
Pepperdine University, Seaver College
Sam Houston State University
The City College of New York
Belmont University
Sonoma State University
Dr. Ben Littlepage
ProfessorMurray State University
Educational Administration And Supervision
What will help Regional General Managers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Ben Littlepage: Salary is maximized when leaders are sought after. Leaders who pursue meaningful experiences and remain 'market ready' are viewed as an asset to any organization. Leaders must carefully consider where the field is moving and respond.
What Regional General Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Kim Roberts: Business professionals lead organizations by focused efforts that revolve around products/services, processes, and people. Business professionals work to ensure the firm's products and/or services meet customer expectations, with an eye toward an ever-changing market. They manage processes that produce or support the firm's products. This requires the ability to analyze data to make informed decisions, to drive continuous improvement, and to solve problems through critical thinking. Successful business professionals must also create climates that promote teamwork and foster collaboration.
Dr. Brandon Chicotsky
Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Marketing at the TCU Neeley School of BusinessTexas Christian University
Specialized Sales, Merchandising And Marketing Operations
What skills will help Regional General Managers earn the most?
Dr. Brandon Chicotsky: Research about the client and strategic questions (with active listening) to understand a client's needs and opportunities will help a sales professional determine if there is value alignment, which leads to more efficient and remunerative outcomes.
Roland Rust Ph.D.
Distinguished University Professor, David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing, Executive Director, Center for Excellence in Service, Ph.D., Business Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill MarketingUniversity of Maryland
Robert H. Smith School of Business
What skills stand out on Regional General Manager resumes?
Roland Rust Ph.D.: One might think that a stellar sales record would be most important, but that would be most relevant only if the individual has prior sales manager experience. If promoting a salesperson to sales manager, the thing that may be missing is administrative and managerial skills. In addition, we are in a technological revolution, driven by AI, which means that prior knowledge and experience with AI-related analysis would also definitely stand out (although probably hard to find).
What skills will help Regional General Managers earn the most?
Roland Rust Ph.D.: My co-author, Ming-Hui Huang, and I conducted a research study about the "Feeling Economy" published in the California Management Review in 2019. In that study, which tested our predictions about the impact of AI, we investigated US government data to determine which skills are paying more over time. Interestingly, and across various industries, we found that soft skills were increasing in pay the fastest. This makes sense because as AI takes over more thinking tasks, humans will need to focus more on feeling tasks. With sales and sales management being among the most people-oriented jobs that exist, those choosing this career direction are doing the right thing!
Bernie Cerasaro
Assistant Teaching ProfessorPennsylvania State University - Greater Allegheny
Business Department
What skills stand out on Regional General Manager resumes?
Bernie Cerasaro: Skills employers would be looking for would be functional skills and interpersonal skills. Functional skills should stand out on a resume and be aligned to the business job in question. For example, if focused on marketing positions, marketing skills such as data analytics, market research, consumer behavior, global marketing, and professional selling skills would be areas for which employers would be looking. If the job market is looking for someone in accounting, then functional skills that would stand out would be intermediate financial accounting skills and courses on taxation and auditing. For those seeking positions in project management or supply chain management, skills that would stand out would encompass subject matter such as project management, portfolio management, operations planning and control, purchasing and materials management, and knowledge of ERP type systems and other business processes.
Skill sets can be enhanced via various types of certification. For example, those interested in accounting might pursue a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) license, which requires 150 credits. As most universities require 120 credits for a bachelor's degree in business, a CPA would require just an additional 30 credits, which students can start accumulating while still at college. Project management certification is also an opportunity to enhance the aforementioned skills and would certainly stand out on an applicant's resume. The Project Management Institute (PMI) promotes PMP certification, which validates that you are highly skilled in soft skills to lead project teams and have the required technical aspects of managing projects. Some universities are working with the PMI to have PMI-approved courses. Approved courses are used toward the PMP training hours required to sit for the exam. For example, Penn State University has received approval for two such courses, Portfolio Management and Organizations and Project Planning and Resource Management.
Due to the high rate of interaction with the global marketplace and the complexity of international business, managers are looking more closely at applicants who have some familiarity with global markets and international culture, such as applicants who may have study abroad experience, traveled internationally, speak a foreign language or have lived or worked in another country.
What soft skills should all Regional General Managers possess?
Bernie Cerasaro: Soft skills or conceptual skills are critical in today's business world. Lack of such interpersonal skills is a major reason highly qualified professionals are not promoted (Lee, n.d.)
As a former recruiter for Xerox Corporation, I looked for problem-solving, decision-making, and time management skills. Problem-solving supports creativity allowing workers to evaluate and prioritize options to determine the best solution. Much time and money can be wasted in selecting the wrong option.
Proper decision-making allows companies to quickly react to internal problems, customer concerns, changing market trends, and the use of ever-advancing technology in the workplace. The increased use of empowerment in the workplace, which has been enhanced due to the pandemic, has allowed employees to make more decisions, which requires strong decision-making capability. In addition, the pandemic has caused many businesses to use alternate work structures such as working from home, leading to less direct supervision. Consequently, employers are looking for people who are self-motivated, self-directed, and who employ good time management skills.
Teamwork is one of the most commonly required skills in the work environment. The ability to work together is essential. Due to downsizing, there are fewer managers within companies. Since few individuals possess all the knowledge and skills needed, teamwork has become essential. Getting along and working together to achieve objectives and meet deliverables is critical to project completion. Managers are also looking to teams to provide a greater range of ideas and innovation. Teams can also motivate each other for the timely completion of tasks.
Conflict management enhances decision-making abilities and increases creativity which produces innovative solutions for ongoing problems. The ability to handle conflict productively helps solve problems resulting in demoralization, absenteeism, and turnover. Productive resolution of such problems leads to increased trust and increased employee involvement.
For those aspiring to management positions, leadership is key. Leaders need to promote the company's mission and vision among their subordinates. They need to influence employees to achieve goals by motivating them, resulting in a higher level of performance. This type of leadership is paramount in today's marketplace for company advancement, expansion, and survival.
Other important soft skills include verbal and written communication, persuasive skills, negotiation, and listening skills. Communication is vital to company performance. The ability of company personnel to communicate clearly, succinctly, and accurately will increase productivity. Good communication requires being observant of both verbal and nonverbal signals.
Persuasion and negotiation, two other soft skills, require good listening skills. In today's work environment, employees are no longer subject to a hierarchical structure, a structure of non-questioning of their manager's requests. This requires managers to be more persuasive. Negotiation is practiced by all of us on a day-to-day basis, and more so in business. Strong negotiation skills are essential internally (managers and employees) and externally (sales negotiations, contract negotiations, etc.).
We often forget the skill of listening, as most of us prefer to talk rather than listen. However, it is essential to understand what your company and customers want. This is not just "hearing" but actually practicing listening skills by asking questions, confirming content heard, and providing feedback. Listening requires effort; it requires concentration and attention to what is being said.
What skills will help Regional General Managers earn the most?
Bernie Cerasaro: Some of the same skills as indicated above are important as the person works their way up the ranks and increases their salary. Prominent skills include strong leadership, superior performance, handling conflict, and creating a trusting and productive work environment.
The choice of a functional area can also impact one's earnings depending upon the market's needs. Areas such as corporate accounting and finance, project management, supply chain management, and entrepreneurship can command higher earnings due to a higher demand for such individuals in the marketplace. However, the higher salaries for some of these positions might require a master's degree.
As a concluding note, even though we are amid a pandemic, which has resulted in certain industries/companies being unable to find sufficient employees, this does not imply that this will be the situation for all industries or that the graduate can relax as to developing a strong skill-oriented resume. Graduates still need to focus on functional, technical, and soft skills in order to design impactful resumes that clearly indicate their strongest skills and experience.
Kristy Berak McDonald
Experiential Learning Institute DirectorNorthwestern Michigan College
Business Academic Area Faculty
What hard/technical skills are most important for Regional General Managers?
Kristy Berak McDonald: All students should have strong computer skills, accounting basics, and marketing knowledge.
Hagit Weihs Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Accounting in the Brandeis International Business School and the Undergraduate Advising Head to the Business ProgramBrandeis University
International Business School
What skills stand out on Regional General Manager resumes?
Hagit Weihs Ph.D.: Students who gained experience in summer or part-time internships doing business analysis, financial analysis, data analytics, and business development tend to stand out. Students who served as either teaching assistants or research assistants also have an advantage. In addition, working on a school team and field projects on real companies provides students with both experience and networking opportunities that the market values.
What soft skills should all Regional General Managers possess?
Hagit Weihs Ph.D.: Good communication skills are crucial: being able to listen, learn and apply, as well as communicate questions, concerns, and suggestions in an effective, direct, and timely manner. Time management skills are highly valued. They translate into an efficient and reliable employee. Team spirit is a big advantage: the ability to take the initiative to lead an effort and contribute while working well in a team. And, of course, the willingness to learn independently is always appreciated. Finally, showing critical thinking is important.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Regional General Managers?
Steven Bauer: The coronavirus has accelerated the transformation to a digital world, and this effect will continue after the pandemic is behind us. Graduates will need to be able to navigate a hybrid business environment, with in-person and virtual meetings, interactions and platforms. There will also be increased opportunities to be entrepreneurial and innovative in the digital area. In addition, graduates will have to become more skilled at navigating a global environment since greater digitization will draw countries closer to each other.
Carliss Miller Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of ManagementSam Houston State University
Department of Management & Marketing
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Regional General Manager job market given the pandemic?
Carliss Miller Ph.D.: Flexible working arrangements were considered a perk or benefit, but given the pandemic more and more jobs will be designed with flexible work arrangements in mind. We will continue to see trends in the labor market with a push towards personal services (e.g. virtual assistants, professional organizers) and professional services. There will also continue to be a demand for knowledge work. More and more, employers are looking to hire applicants that can provide concrete evidence of being "Day 1" ready.
Employers will focus more on identifying prospects with certain "soft skills" which were a nice-to-have pre-pandemic, but are now critical for organizational survival. These skills include: critical thinking, agility, ability to adapt to change, resilience, virtual team effectiveness, crisis management, emotional intelligence, empathy, and inclusive leadership. Additionally, data analysis and interpretation is a highly sought after skill even for jobs that historically did not require analytical ability.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Regional General Managers?
Carliss Miller Ph.D.: Any certifications/licenses/courses that specifically relate to the job function, industry, desired skills of a job, or the individuals' desired career trajectory will have a major impact on attracting job prospects. For example, for someone seeking a sales position, courses that target professional selling, CRM, data management and analysis, sales forecasting, strategic management, business communications, social media marketing, leadership and project management would be beneficial.
What type of skills will young Regional General Managers need?
Prabal Kumar De Ph.D.: I think the necessary skills remain the same. One modification that would stay is greater virtual engagement. Therefore, newly essential skills such as acing a virtual interview, making a mark during a Zoom meeting, or managing or being a valuable part of a remote working group would be useful long after the immediate threats from the COVID-19 crisis be gone.
Nina Woodard
Senior Career Development SpecialistBelmont University
Office of Career & Professional Development
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Regional General Manager job market given the pandemic?
Nina Woodard: The pandemic hasn't impacted all areas of the entertainment industry in the same way. Anything related to live events and touring has been placed on an extended pause, which has been very difficult for graduates hoping to work in those fields. On an encouraging note, consumers will always find a way back to live experiences, so that segment of the industry will absolutely recover; the timing is just still a bit unknown. Other areas such as record or publishing companies have held steady. And, digital marketing and content creation companies are as busy, if not busier, than they've ever been as artists seek alternative ways to stay connected to their fans. Technology has intersected with entertainment in exciting, creative ways that will continue even as some of the more traditional avenues become available again. For many companies, ideas that started as pivots are now vibrant components of their long-term strategies.
The way we work may have also permanently changed. Companies have realized that remote working is a truly viable option for most businesses. While maintaining company culture, and the social nature of an entertainment-based organization, may still require some level of in-person interaction, it seems likely that many organizations may continue with remote/hybrid office models.
What Regional General Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Nina Woodard: For entertainment, digital marketing and content creation skills are critical. Even if a role isn't specifically connected to digital marketing, social media is almost always involved in most entry-level roles. We strongly encourage students and recent graduates to learn basic graphic design platforms, video editing and audio editing. Learning how to maximize impact on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram or TikTok is also a worthy investment of time. There's a wide range of self-paced training resources online, many available for free or at reduced costs for students.
Craig Nathanson Ph.D.
Adjunct LecturerSonoma State University
School of Business & Economics
What experience really stands out on Regional General Manager resumes?
Craig Nathanson Ph.D.: Most important on resumes to only show accomplishments you are proud of and reflect measurable success and completion of past work. These accomplishments should be a snapshot of what we have done and can do in the future. The most important two lines of a resume are in the objectives, to list what the person is seeking. These two lines give the reader a quick view of what the person wants.
Now is a great time to start the new year to build a portable work portfolio to represent an alignment of what a person is excited about and enjoys in their work.
What type of skills will young Regional General Managers need?
Craig Nathanson Ph.D.: I see the essential human skills gaining importance to build a new post-covid work life. These include creativity, leading and working in teams, writing, speaking, being self-aware, and lowering bias and networking; career branding as critical areas for graduates to focus on now.