Median pay for purchasing agents runs from $34,190 in San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas to $111,530 in Lexington Park — a 3.26× range across 526 metropolitan areas. The national median of $77,710 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of purchasing agents earn below $48,380 and ten per cent above $128,870 — a 2.66× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 66%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
Lexington Park (MD) leads and San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington Park MD | $111,530 | $53.62 | 3.28 | 730 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $104,880 | $50.43 | 1.44 | 14,240 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $101,500 | $48.80 | 0.94 | 3,380 |
| Warner Robins GA | $100,120 | $48.13 | 2.43 | 580 |
| Peoria IL | $96,880 | $46.58 | 1.38 | 720 |
| Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $96,510 | $46.40 | 1.5 | 270 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $95,970 | $46.14 | 1.51 | 9,960 |
| Huntsville AL | $94,990 | $45.67 | 3.26 | 2,740 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $94,790 | $45.57 | 1.26 | 520 |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek OH | $94,520 | $45.44 | 2.42 | 2,850 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $94,280 | $45.33 | 0.97 | 1,240 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $93,600 | $45.00 | 0.84 | 6,300 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $93,060 | $44.74 | 0.99 | 750 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $93,010 | $44.72 | 1.18 | 10,090 |
| Ogden UT | $89,630 | $43.09 | 1.2 | 1,030 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin FL | $89,170 | $42.87 | 1.7 | 670 |
| Rochester MN | $88,320 | $42.46 | 0.74 | 290 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $87,920 | $42.27 | 1.21 | 6,160 |
| Sierra Vista-Douglas AZ | $87,850 | $42.23 | 1.19 | 130 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna WV | $87,410 | $42.02 | 0.55 | 60 |
| Anchorage AK | $86,380 | $41.53 | 0.92 | 510 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL | $84,730 | $40.73 | 2.32 | 1,320 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | $84,590 | $40.67 | 1.02 | 4,360 |
| Providence-Warwick RI-MA | $84,590 | $40.67 | 1.07 | 2,410 |
| Colorado Springs CO | $84,370 | $40.56 | 1.2 | 1,200 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $34,190 | $16.44 | 1.61 | 3,520 |
| Guayama PR | $37,670 | $18.11 | 0.99 | 40 |
| Arecibo PR | $38,970 | $18.73 | 0.79 | 90 |
| Mayaguez PR | $39,410 | $18.95 | 0.93 | 150 |
| Ponce PR | $41,040 | $19.73 | 0.82 | 160 |
| North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | $49,760 | $23.93 | 0.9 | 330 |
| Gadsden AL | $49,920 | $24.00 | 0.64 | 70 |
| Homosassa Springs FL | $49,940 | $24.01 | 0.79 | 90 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $50,060 | $24.07 | 1.3 | 120 |
| Laredo TX | $50,090 | $24.08 | 0.55 | 190 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington Park MD | $111,530 | $53.62 | 3.28 | 730 |
| Huntsville AL | $94,990 | $45.67 | 3.26 | 2,740 |
| Warner Robins GA | $100,120 | $48.13 | 2.43 | 580 |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek OH | $94,520 | $45.44 | 2.42 | 2,850 |
| Elkhart-Goshen IN | $75,110 | $36.11 | 2.35 | 950 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA-IL | $84,730 | $40.73 | 2.32 | 1,320 |
| Richmond VA | $82,370 | $39.60 | 1.92 | 4,000 |
| Aguadilla PR | $54,550 | $26.23 | 1.9 | 290 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk VA-NC | $79,380 | $38.17 | 1.82 | 4,390 |
| Wichita KS | $76,840 | $36.94 | 1.8 | 1,760 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin FL | $89,170 | $42.87 | 1.7 | 670 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $80,450 | $38.68 | 1.63 | 670 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $83,350 | $40.07 | 0.98 | 29,360 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $82,500 | $39.66 | 0.92 | 18,270 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $78,510 | $37.74 | 1 | 14,260 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $104,880 | $50.43 | 1.44 | 14,240 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $79,420 | $38.18 | 1.11 | 14,160 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $76,290 | $36.68 | 1.05 | 10,880 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $75,140 | $36.13 | 1.14 | 10,450 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $93,010 | $44.72 | 1.18 | 10,090 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $95,970 | $46.14 | 1.51 | 9,960 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $81,470 | $39.17 | 1 | 9,170 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $76,820 | $36.94 | 1.12 | 8,400 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $71,270 | $34.27 | 0.92 | 8,190 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 13-1020. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 526 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.