Management · 24 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for General and Operations Manager (2024)

The median General and Operations Manager salary is $162,480 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Denver, CO offers the best purchasing power at $122,296 adjusted.

$118,649

National Median

$162,480

Highest City

$94,130

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$162,480	$76,470 – $336,682	195.8	$82,983	17,070
2	San Francisco, CA	$152,090	$73,790 – $304,718	179.6	$84,683	42,330
3	Washington, DC	$151,420	$63,380 – $249,791	152.8	$99,097	108,510
4	New York, NY	$149,260	$65,100 – $316,171	187.2	$79,733	187,400
5	Seattle, WA	$141,280	$74,640 – $290,113	149.4	$94,565	30,890
6	Denver, CO	$137,950	$69,580 – $287,128	112.8	$122,296	24,070
7	Boston, MA	$129,850	$61,230 – $310,515	152.1	$85,371	76,980
8	Los Angeles, CA	$127,610	$63,600 – $310,322	166	$76,873	102,370
9	Philadelphia, PA	$111,490	$54,080 – $243,832	118.4	$94,164	68,020
10	Portland, OR	$110,350	$55,190 – $247,522	130.1	$84,819	25,260
11	Austin, TX	$108,940	$47,080 – $256,600	103	$105,767	44,460
12	Dallas, TX	$108,690	$46,480 – $254,441	104.1	$104,409	132,030
13	Charlotte, NC	$108,600	$51,990 – $252,281	96.7	$112,306	20,380
14	Nashville, TN	$108,380	$54,120 – $245,920	100.3	$108,056	23,930
15	Houston, TX	$108,090	$44,220 – $256,486	96.5	$112,010	105,830
16	Tampa, FL	$107,960	$48,510 – $245,339	99.6	$108,394	36,850
17	Raleigh, NC	$107,570	$54,430 – $252,976	99.8	$107,786	10,930
18	Atlanta, GA	$105,760	$47,010 – $249,188	99.2	$106,613	68,560
19	Chicago, IL	$105,310	$49,380 – $262,446	107.3	$98,145	121,110
20	Detroit, MI	$105,030	$54,450 – $246,112	95.1	$110,442	37,250
21	Miami, FL	$104,060	$47,200 – $241,508	123.1	$84,533	74,070
22	Minneapolis, MN	$101,970	$49,310 – $218,020	106.2	$96,017	47,000
23	Salt Lake City, UT	$99,310	$46,450 – $221,480	101.4	$97,939	22,270
24	Phoenix, AZ	$94,130	$47,860 – $214,680	100.7	$93,476	73,000

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your General and Operations Manager paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Denver, CO	$122,296	$137,950	112.8
2	Charlotte, NC	$112,306	$108,600	96.7
3	Houston, TX	$112,010	$108,090	96.5
4	Detroit, MI	$110,442	$105,030	95.1
5	Tampa, FL	$108,394	$107,960	99.6
6	Nashville, TN	$108,056	$108,380	100.3
7	Raleigh, NC	$107,786	$107,570	99.8
8	Atlanta, GA	$106,613	$105,760	99.2
9	Austin, TX	$105,767	$108,940	103
10	Dallas, TX	$104,409	$108,690	104.1
11	Washington, DC	$99,097	$151,420	152.8
12	Chicago, IL	$98,145	$105,310	107.3
13	Salt Lake City, UT	$97,939	$99,310	101.4
14	Minneapolis, MN	$96,017	$101,970	106.2
15	Seattle, WA	$94,565	$141,280	149.4
16	Philadelphia, PA	$94,164	$111,490	118.4
17	Phoenix, AZ	$93,476	$94,130	100.7
18	Boston, MA	$85,371	$129,850	152.1
19	Portland, OR	$84,819	$110,350	130.1
20	San Francisco, CA	$84,683	$152,090	179.6
21	Miami, FL	$84,533	$104,060	123.1
22	San Jose, CA	$82,983	$162,480	195.8
23	New York, NY	$79,733	$149,260	187.2
24	Los Angeles, CA	$76,873	$127,610	166

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median General and Operations Manager salary at $162,480. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Denver, CO offers the most purchasing power at $122,296 adjusted.

The national median General and Operations Manager salary is $118,649 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $94,130 to $162,480 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.