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1 / 36#36. Education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare
- Median annual wage: $61,490
- Median hourly wage: $29.56
- Total employment: 1,480 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying management jobs for people in Washington, D.C.
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 Washington, D.C.. 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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2 / 36#35. Legislators
- Median annual wage: $64,420
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 200 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
3 / 36#34. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $75,080
- Median hourly wage: $36.10
- Total employment: 630 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
4 / 36#33. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
- Median annual wage: $77,540
- Median hourly wage: $37.28
- Total employment: Not available
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5 / 36#32. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $77,620
- Median hourly wage: $37.32
- Total employment: 3,490 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 36#31. Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling
- Median annual wage: $92,630
- Median hourly wage: $44.53
- Total employment: 430 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ken Wolter // Shutterstock
7 / 36#30. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Median annual wage: $92,790
- Median hourly wage: $44.61
- Total employment: 130 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
8 / 36#29. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $93,030
- Median hourly wage: $44.73
- Total employment: 6,510 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
9 / 36#28. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $97,200
- Median hourly wage: $46.73
- Total employment: 3,090 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
10 / 36#27. Funeral home managers
- Median annual wage: $104,740
- Median hourly wage: $50.36
- Total employment: 110 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 36#26. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $109,870
- Median hourly wage: $52.82
- Total employment: 3,710 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
12 / 36#25. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $126,460
- Median hourly wage: $60.80
- Total employment: 2,650 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
13 / 36#24. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $126,620
- Median hourly wage: $60.88
- Total employment: 4,100 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
14 / 36#23. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $128,190
- Median hourly wage: $61.63
- Total employment: 6,060 people (1.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
15 / 36#22. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $129,030
- Median hourly wage: $62.03
- Total employment: 3,340 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 36#21. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $132,510
- Median hourly wage: $63.71
- Total employment: 2,420 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
17 / 36#20. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $133,630
- Median hourly wage: $64.24
- Total employment: 340 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
18 / 36#19. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $133,720
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 6,950 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
19 / 36#18. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $136,150
- Median hourly wage: $65.46
- Total employment: 1,640 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
20 / 36#17. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $136,490
- Median hourly wage: $65.62
- Total employment: 11,640 people (3.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 36#16. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $139,780
- Median hourly wage: $67.20
- Total employment: 1,180 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
22 / 36#15. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $145,260
- Median hourly wage: $69.84
- Total employment: 1,060 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
23 / 36#14. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $151,420
- Median hourly wage: $72.80
- Total employment: 108,510 people (34.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
possohh // Shutterstock
24 / 36#13. Emergency management directors
- Median annual wage: $153,910
- Median hourly wage: $73.99
- Total employment: 300 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
25 / 36#12. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $164,650
- Median hourly wage: $79.16
- Total employment: 6,250 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
26 / 36#11. Managers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $167,270
- Median hourly wage: $80.42
- Total employment: 42,870 people (13.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
27 / 36#10. Purchasing managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $167,270
- Median hourly wage: $80.42
- Total employment: 4,320 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
28 / 36#9. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $168,770
- Median hourly wage: $81.14
- Total employment: 7,360 people (2.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
29 / 36#8. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $171,300
- Median hourly wage: $82.36
- Total employment: 490 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
30 / 36#7. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $172,970
- Median hourly wage: $83.16
- Total employment: 6,570 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 36#6. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $176,240
- Median hourly wage: $84.73
- Total employment: 9,480 people (3.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
32 / 36#5. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $177,690
- Median hourly wage: $85.43
- Total employment: 25,520 people (8.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
33 / 36#4. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $180,360
- Median hourly wage: $86.71
- Total employment: 5,520 people (1.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
34 / 36#3. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $185,760
- Median hourly wage: $89.31
- Total employment: 11,140 people (3.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
35 / 36#2. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $191,880
- Median hourly wage: $92.25
- Total employment: 20,770 people (6.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 36#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 4,590 people (1.47 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.
