Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
1 / 21#21. Chief executives (tie)
- Median annual wage: Not available
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying management jobs for people in Ithaca
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 Ithaca. 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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Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
2 / 21#20. Property, real estate, and community association managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: Not available
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 50 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
3 / 21#19. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $62,660
- Median hourly wage: $30.13
- Total employment: 30 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
4 / 21#18. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $80,260
- Median hourly wage: $38.59
- Total employment: 40 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
5 / 21#17. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $81,740
- Median hourly wage: $39.30
- Total employment: 130 people (2.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
6 / 21#16. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $98,510
- Median hourly wage: $47.36
- Total employment: 810 people (16.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
7 / 21#15. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $107,580
- Median hourly wage: $51.72
- Total employment: 50 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
8 / 21#14. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $108,410
- Median hourly wage: $52.12
- Total employment: 90 people (1.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
9 / 21#13. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $110,810
- Median hourly wage: $53.27
- Total employment: 60 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
10 / 21#12. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $111,430
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 80 people (1.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
11 / 21#11. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $115,160
- Median hourly wage: $55.36
- Total employment: Not available
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
12 / 21#10. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $121,480
- Median hourly wage: $58.40
- Total employment: 30 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
13 / 21#9. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $134,250
- Median hourly wage: $64.54
- Total employment: 300 people (6.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
14 / 21#8. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $134,910
- Median hourly wage: $64.86
- Total employment: 70 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
15 / 21#7. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $136,920
- Median hourly wage: $65.83
- Total employment: 50 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
16 / 21#6. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $143,290
- Median hourly wage: $68.89
- Total employment: 190 people (4.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
17 / 21#5. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $150,390
- Median hourly wage: $72.30
- Total employment: 70 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
18 / 21#4. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $150,940
- Median hourly wage: $72.57
- Total employment: 70 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
19 / 21#3. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $154,310
- Median hourly wage: $74.19
- Total employment: 30 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
20 / 21#2. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $160,100
- Median hourly wage: $76.97
- Total employment: 50 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
21 / 21#1. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $168,690
- Median hourly wage: $81.10
- Total employment: 170 people (3.5 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.
