Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
1 / 34#34. Education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare
- Median annual wage: $61,930
- Median hourly wage: $29.78
- Total employment: 140 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying management jobs for people in Albany
Managers are the glue holding companies and organizations together. At the executive level, managers are responsible for overall strategy and improving the bottom line. At lower levels, managers make decisions, build relationships, help customers, and lead teams to complete projects.
Effective managers need a wide array of skills. They must be versatile enough to adapt to new initiatives, market changes, and technology. Good communication is also essential to work with customers and team members, and leadership and project management skills drive better results for the organization.
People drawn to this role often enjoy setting goals and working with others to achieve them. Many get satisfaction from mentoring others and helping them grow to the best of their abilities.
As companies grow, more layers of management are often added to streamline productivity and oversee different teams. Depending on a manager's capabilities, teams can range from a few people to 15 or more. However, some companies believe that too much bureaucracy can slow output, leading to managerial cuts. In 2023, managers and executives accounted for half of all layoffs, according to Live Data Technologies. Amazon and United Parcel Service contributed to the trend, eliminating thousands of management jobs in 2024.
Organizational flattening may make headlines, but having a good manager can go a long way toward keeping workers motivated and projects on track. A 2021 Gallup report found that managerial quality is responsible for 70% of a team's engagement level, meaning that the right leader can make a profound impact on an organization.
As vital as managers are, compensation for these jobs varies by industry. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying management jobs in Albany. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
2 / 34#33. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $68,660
- Median hourly wage: $33.01
- Total employment: 170 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
3 / 34#32. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $76,020
- Median hourly wage: $36.55
- Total employment: 450 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
4 / 34#31. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $76,900
- Median hourly wage: $36.97
- Total employment: 400 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Motortion Films // Shutterstock
5 / 34#30. Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling
- Median annual wage: $78,500
- Median hourly wage: $37.74
- Total employment: 40 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
6 / 34#29. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $79,750
- Median hourly wage: $38.34
- Total employment: 1,140 people (2.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
possohh // Shutterstock
7 / 34#28. Emergency management directors
- Median annual wage: $80,240
- Median hourly wage: $38.58
- Total employment: 100 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ken Wolter // Shutterstock
8 / 34#27. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Median annual wage: $93,060
- Median hourly wage: $44.74
- Total employment: 60 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
9 / 34#26. Public relations managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $103,340
- Median hourly wage: $49.68
- Total employment: 350 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
10 / 34#25. Purchasing managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $103,340
- Median hourly wage: $49.68
- Total employment: 580 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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goodluz // Shutterstock
11 / 34#24. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $104,270
- Median hourly wage: $50.13
- Total employment: 420 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
12 / 34#23. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $104,940
- Median hourly wage: $50.45
- Total employment: 100 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
13 / 34#22. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $107,990
- Median hourly wage: $51.92
- Total employment: 9,400 people (21.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
14 / 34#21. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $113,770
- Median hourly wage: $54.70
- Total employment: 670 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
15 / 34#20. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $114,430
- Median hourly wage: $55.02
- Total employment: 1,020 people (2.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
16 / 34#19. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $116,170
- Median hourly wage: $55.85
- Total employment: 1,670 people (3.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
17 / 34#18. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $120,840
- Median hourly wage: $58.10
- Total employment: 920 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
18 / 34#17. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $122,930
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 790 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
19 / 34#16. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $123,750
- Median hourly wage: $59.50
- Total employment: 170 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
20 / 34#15. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $125,880
- Median hourly wage: $60.52
- Total employment: 510 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
21 / 34#14. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $127,990
- Median hourly wage: $61.54
- Total employment: 490 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
22 / 34#13. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $128,790
- Median hourly wage: $61.92
- Total employment: 60 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
23 / 34#12. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $130,690
- Median hourly wage: $62.83
- Total employment: 90 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
24 / 34#11. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $131,730
- Median hourly wage: $63.33
- Total employment: 420 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
25 / 34#10. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $138,480
- Median hourly wage: $66.58
- Total employment: 990 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
26 / 34#9. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $139,200
- Median hourly wage: $66.92
- Total employment: 480 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
create jobs 51 // Shutterstock
27 / 34#8. Legislators
- Median annual wage: $141,990
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 370 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
28 / 34#7. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $142,010
- Median hourly wage: $68.27
- Total employment: 170 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
29 / 34#6. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $146,910
- Median hourly wage: $70.63
- Total employment: 2,430 people (5.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
30 / 34#5. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $149,000
- Median hourly wage: $71.64
- Total employment: 290 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 34#4. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $149,650
- Median hourly wage: $71.95
- Total employment: 1,950 people (4.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
32 / 34#3. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $156,070
- Median hourly wage: $75.04
- Total employment: 930 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
33 / 34#2. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $172,840
- Median hourly wage: $83.10
- Total employment: 620 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
34 / 34#1. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $176,500
- Median hourly wage: $84.86
- Total employment: 630 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
