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Job outlook for zone managers in the United States
Are zone manager jobs in demand?
Zone manager job and salary trends over time
Zone manager jobs over time
Zone manager job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,126 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 2,470 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 2,527 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,409 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,329 | 0.00% |
Average zone manager salary over time
Zone manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $50,974 | $24.51 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $49,562 | $23.83 | --0.1% |
| 2023 | $49,636 | $23.86 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $49,380 | $23.74 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | $48,839 | $23.48 | +1.6% |
Zone manager jobs by state
Most common states for zone managers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 394 | 57% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 627 | 47% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 405 | 42% |
| 4 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 2,722 | 41% |
| 5 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 1,955 | 40% |
| 6 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 4,051 | 39% |
| 7 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 3,284 | 39% |
| 8 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 2,388 | 39% |
| 9 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 2,167 | 39% |
| 10 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 4,336 | 37% |
| 11 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 3,767 | 37% |
| 12 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,549 | 37% |
| 13 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 2,484 | 37% |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 2,169 | 37% |
| 15 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 1,152 | 37% |
| 16 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 2,180 | 36% |
| 17 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 375 | 36% |
| 18 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 1,028 | 35% |
| 19 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 4,363 | 34% |
| 20 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 451 | 34% |
Most common cities for zone managers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge | 8 | 7% | $69,869 |
| 2 | Carrollton | 1 | 4% | $39,169 |
| 3 | Fredericksburg | 1 | 4% | $65,893 |
| 4 | Taylor | 2 | 3% | $45,781 |
| 5 | Provo | 2 | 2% | $29,135 |
| 6 | Grand Forks | 1 | 2% | $42,364 |
| 7 | Austin | 8 | 1% | $45,913 |
| 8 | Washington | 4 | 1% | $69,219 |
| 9 | Cincinnati | 2 | 1% | $45,117 |
| 10 | Cleveland | 2 | 1% | $49,042 |
| 11 | Richmond | 2 | 1% | $64,273 |
| 12 | Salt Lake City | 2 | 1% | $29,156 |
| 13 | Tampa | 2 | 1% | $45,014 |
| 14 | Chattanooga | 1 | 1% | $37,529 |
| 15 | Houston | 3 | 0% | $45,420 |
| 16 | Charlotte | 2 | 0% | $40,862 |
| 17 | Colorado Springs | 2 | 0% | $67,570 |
| 18 | Baton Rouge | 1 | 0% | $39,433 |
| 19 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $67,636 |
Zone Manager job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of zone manager experts
Murray State University
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Indiana University Kokomo
Catawba College
Texas Tech University
University of San Francisco
Pennsylvania State University - Greater Allegheny
San Francisco State University
University of New Hampshire
Cypress College, School of Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management
Sacred Heart University
Missouri State University
Florida State University
Lynn University
University of Central Florida
Pepperdine University, Seaver College
Sam Houston State University
Farmingdale State College
The City College of New York
Dr. Ben Littlepage
ProfessorMurray State University
Educational Administration And Supervision
What will help Zone 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 Zone 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.
What Zone Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jaunelle Celaire: Never stop learning! This may consist of going back to school, earning new certifications in your field of study, attending conferences and seminars, and making sure that your time management is always at its finest level of excellence.
Mark Meng Ph.D.
Mark Z. Meng, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism ManagementIndiana University Kokomo
Business/Commerce
What general advice would you give to a Zone Manager?
Mark Meng Ph.D.: Analytical skill comes at the top. The hospitality world has becoming increasingly
dependent on data. Crisis and emergency management demonstrated their importance
in the past three years across all areas of the hospitality industry.
Dr. Elizabeth Homan Ph.D.
Professors, Department ChairCatawba College
Theatre Arts
What soft skills should all Zone Managers possess?
Dr. Elizabeth Homan Ph.D.: Networking, networking, networking. And being a nice, friendly, honest human being. Flexibility and a level head in the face of persistent change. Resilience and an ability to work with the conditions in which you find yourself. Working with what you have, not what you wish you had.
Charlie Adams Ph.D.
Associate Professor, RHIM Undergraduate AdvisorTexas Tech University
Restaurant, Hotel, & Institutional Management Program
What skills stand out on Zone Manager resumes?
Charlie Adams Ph.D.: Specific, measurable skills such as certification for specific activities like bartending or Serve Safe. Demonstrate capabilities through past work experience such as waiting tables, hosting, front desk, housekeeping, etc., that show effort and familiarity with the environment. Also, demonstration of marketing, sales, and/or finance are extremely beneficial. These assessable skills should be found on the resume called out in the job descriptions. Additionally, a person's work experience should reflect their career aspirations and goals. The best measure of future performance is past experience!
Thomas Maier Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Hospitality ManagementUniversity of San Francisco
School of Management
What hard/technical skills are most important for Zone Managers?
Thomas Maier Ph.D.: Financial acumen, technology systems, and data analysis.
Bernie Cerasaro
Assistant Teaching ProfessorPennsylvania State University - Greater Allegheny
Business Department
What skills stand out on Zone 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 Zone 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.
Bruce Heiman Ph.D.
Professor of International BusinessSan Francisco State University
Department of International Business
What hard/technical skills are most important for Zone Managers?
Bruce Heiman Ph.D.: -Analytical skills (ability to gather data, clean it, analyze it, write-up results and present on what the meaning of the analysis suggests for action (the last one is most important--"what does it really mean?"
-Some experience and skills with coding in any language (at the moment, Python or C++ are preferred, though Ruby on Rails is also good)
-Deep spreadsheet skills (pivot tables and macros, as examples).
-Relational database skills, including programming (e.g., MySQL)
-Data mining
-AI/Machine Learning experience
Daniel Innis Ph.D.
Professor of Marketing and Hospitality ManagementUniversity of New Hampshire
Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics
What hard/technical skills are most important for Zone Managers?
Daniel Innis Ph.D.: I think that an understanding of revenue management is key. I tell my students that in every transaction, every party should feel that they made a "profit." The business gets some money. The customer should get more value than the money that they gave up. If that is the case, then they come back. In addition, the ability to spot opportunities for additional revenue is key. We never charge for parking or internet at our properties as that annoys customers. We did, however, offer beer and wine room service (the front desk staff could handle that) at a great price, and we had a gift shop that was right next to the front desk, again staffed when necessary by the front desk. These two moves did not add expenses to our operation, but they did add revenue and profit. Spotting those easy opportunities to add value for guests is key, and it is great when it also adds to the bottom line.
Amanda Gargano
ProfessorCypress College, School of Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management
Hotel, Restaurant & Culinary Arts
What skills will help Zone Managers earn the most?
Amanda Gargano: A combination of soft skills, interpersonal skills, and technical skills is ideal. Oftentimes, hiring managers in hospitality are very willing to onboard a new employee with strong, soft skills, knowing that the technical skills can be taught through on-the-job training and mentoring. Continuing education, participating in networking opportunities, and industry-focused workshops and conferences are all good ways to continue to learn and add to your resume.
What technical skills for a Zone Manager stand out to employers?
Keith Hassell: Employers are increasingly looking for applied skillsets and additional certifications to set a candidate apart. Sacred Heart University has recently launched a remote work certification, which houses three modules - focusing on the remote worker, the remote team and the remote leader, providing the tools and resources to comfortably leverage and utilize virtual platforms at various organizations. Additional specialized training, certifications and more are great selling tools pending on the specific area of interest. Certifications are common in areas such as project management, sales, IT/network/software, Google application and more. The candidate needs to think, "What can I do that is beyond my coursework to show I am passionate about my field? How do I make myself stand out?" Certifications is an attainable way to do this.
In addition, soft skills continue to be equally important in today's job market. NACE (the National Association of Colleges and Employers) identified seven core competencies that employers seek from entry level candidates which include critical thinking/problem solving, oral/written communication, teamwork/collaboration, digital technology, leadership, professionalism/work ethic, career management and global/intercultural fluency.
What technical skills for a Zone Manager stand out to employers?
Dr. Liza Cobos: Employers are looking for transferable skills, skills like critical thinking and technical skills (i.e. excel) are in demand. Having the technical skills to analyze data and critical thinking skills to generate and provide solutions. The industry is always looking for ways to improve sales and pricing strategies to help the bottom line. Being able to demonstrate these skills will with career advancement.
Robert Brymer Ph.D.
Cecil B. Day Distinguished Professor EmeritusFlorida State University
Dedman College of Hospitality
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Zone Manager job market given the pandemic?
Robert Brymer Ph.D.: There are four job market trends I would recognize during this pandemic.
-Target hospitality establishments that are more successful during the pandemic. For example, beachside resorts; golf resorts; mountain resorts; campgrounds; natural parks; and other sites provide guests a 'getaway' to nature and away from the crowds, where they feel 'safer'.
-Seek out internships with market leaders, even if they are nonpaid. On-the-job face time will provide you an opportunity to 'prove yourself', reduce gap times in your resume, and increase your chances of employment when the job market does strengthen again. In short - build your network.
-Be creative in your search, and reach beyond traditional hospitality related boundaries. Hospitality skills are valuable in these sectors: healthcare providers and hospitals as they consider the 'Patient Experience'; highly rated continuous care retirement communities (CCRC's); upscale supermarket/grocery stores; banking/financial investments; real estate companies; and many other service industries.
-Be patient, persistent, and professional in finding a job. Jobs are more scarce, keep a positive attitude, and don't give up easily - but always be professional. In other words, if you don't hear back from someone after a few days, try again. Try at least three times to reach someone. Don't get angry, be polite but persistent, Reach-out to managers you have worked with before and ask for their help in making contacts. Leaders appreciate people who work hard to reach them, it demonstrates interest and tenacity. When you give up after one attempt to contact someone, oftentimes leaders view this as 'not that interested" as they want applicants who show a strong interest.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Zone Managers?
Amanda Main Ph.D.: I believe there will be an enduring impact of the pandemic on graduates, and I believe it will be composed of both disadvantages and advantages. Obviously, we have seen a decline in employment across almost all sectors, which has reduced opportunities for post-graduation employment. The safety restrictions are also making it difficult for many students to find internships while in the final years of study, and that is a real disadvantage because it is depriving them of invaluable real-world experience that will help them succeed in the workplace, and that employers are looking for.
Unfortunately, the pandemic is also going to have deleterious effects for many female graduates, as job sectors that have heavy female representation such as hospitality, retail, and education have been disproportionately impacted, and we may see the wage gap returning to be more of an issue than we have seen in recent years. On the other hand, graduates will be entering the job market with coping skills that are going to be incredibly valuable in the coming times.
Students have had to adapt, integrate new technologies, and learn new ways of doing things in response to this event, and college graduates have the advantage of being trained in this, as colleges and universities have been very intentional about not throwing their students into the deep end of the pool without support and guidance. This should make them an asset to the workforce as industries begin to rebuild and continue to look forward with an innovative mindset.
What soft skills should all Zone Managers possess?
Amanda Main Ph.D.: This is a great question because there has actually been an increasing call for colleges and universities to enhance their curriculums because organizations are finding recent graduates lacking in soft skills that are necessary for success. In addition to the skills I mentioned above, The National Association for Colleges and Employers released a list of critical competencies to ensure career readiness, which includes skills such as critical thinking and problem solving, oral and written communication, teamwork and collaboration, leadership, professionalism and work ethic, career management, and global/intercultural fluency.
This should be a bare minimum that graduates are striving for. I would also suggest having a strong focus on increasing emotional intelligence (EQ), which will really help at several career stages including promoting oneself in a job search, negotiating employment offers, advancing and maturing through the arc of one's career, and even exiting from the workforce at retirement.
There are a lot of ways to obtain these skills, and it is important to really give them attention and practice when opportunities arise in the classroom, such as writing papers and giving presentations, to learning from podcasts and reading books and attending open webinars by experts and influencers. These skills are very attainable, but I have found that few graduates take the opportunities to develop them, but by putting forth that extra effort, a graduate can really stand out.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Zone Manager job market given the pandemic?
Jessica Wickey-Byrd: In regards to the job market in the hospitality and tourism industry, the biggest trend we are seeing is the ability to pivot into other industries while ours is rebuilding. Hospitality students have excellent transferable skills that translate across multiple industries. They have guest service skills, marketing skills, financial skills, and human resource skills that are applicable in retail, real estate, financial services, healthcare, senior living, marketing and more. Hospitality students are trained with servant leadership, and have the soft skills to be leaders across all careers.
What's a good job out of college for Zone Managers?
Jessica Wickey-Byrd: A good job out of college is one that you enjoy going to every day. Choose a company that you share their mission and vision. Choose a company that has the same ethics as you. If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Zone 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 Zone 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.
Xu Zhang Ph.D.
ChairFarmingdale State College
Department of Economics
What skills stand out on Zone Manager resumes?
Xu Zhang Ph.D.: I believe the most important attributes employers seek on a resume remain the same-problem solving skills, team work skills, analytical/quantitative skills, verbal and written communication skills. However, given the pandemic or any other unexpected shock to work environment, how to quickly and efficiently adapt to new work modes can be a very valuable attribute standing out on resume.
What type of skills will young Zone 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.