Occupation salary profile

Buyers and Purchasing Agents

SOC 13-1020 BLS OEWS May 2025
National median · BLS
$77,710
▲ +2.72% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$83,770
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
491,430
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Buyers and Purchasing Agents

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$48,380
25th$60,800
Median (50th)$77,710
75th$100,820
90th — top pay$128,870

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Buyers and Purchasing Agents

BLS projects employment of buyers and purchasing agents to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 47,200 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
516,100 → 547,000
+30,800 jobs
Projected change
+6%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
47,200
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
3.4% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Buyers and Purchasing Agents

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Negotiation4.0
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.8
  • Persuasion3.5
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.5
  • Writing3.5
  • Active Learning3.4
  • Monitoring3.4
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service4.1
  • English Language4.0
  • Administration and Management3.7
  • Mathematics3.5
  • Economics and Accounting3.3
  • Law and Government3.2
  • Administrative3.1
  • Sales and Marketing3.1
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft WordSAP softwarePurchasing softwareAdobe AcrobatAmazon Web Services AWS softwareAtlassian JIRAEclipse IDEFacebookGoogle AngularGoogle DocsIntuit QuickBooksMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft Project

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What buyers and purchasing agents do

BLS reports pay for this group as one occupation. The details below combine O*NET's 3 detailed occupations: Buyers and Purchasing Agents, Farm Products; Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products; Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products.

  • Purchase, for further processing or for resale, farm products, such as milk, grains, or Christmas trees.
  • Negotiate contracts with farmers for the production or purchase of farm products.
  • Maintain records of business transactions and product inventories, reporting data to companies or government agencies as necessary.
  • Review orders to determine product types and quantities required to meet demand.
  • Arrange for transportation or storage of purchased products.
  • Coordinate or direct activities of workers engaged in cutting, transporting, storing, or milling products and maintaining records.
  • Negotiate prices, discount terms, or transportation arrangements with suppliers.
  • Inspect merchandise or products to determine quality, value, or yield.
Also called
BuyerGrain BuyerGrain MerchandiserPurchasing AgentCattle BuyerGrain Market AdvisorGrain Marketing AdvisorGrain Origination SpecialistProduce BrokerTobacco BuyerBakery BuyerFrozen Food Buyer
More job titles for this occupation (78)
Buying AgentBuying ProfessionalCattle BrokerChicken BuyerClean Rice BrokerCommodity BuyerContract AnalystContract SpecialistContractor BuyerContracts ManagerCotton BuyerCotton Purchasing AgentCow BuyerEgg BuyerEquipment, Supplies, and Tools Purchasing AgentExporterFarm BuyerFarm Product PurchaserFarm Products Purchasing AgentFashion BuyerFruit BuyerFuel AgentFuel BuyerFur BuyerGeneral Purchasing AgentGold BuyerGrain BrokerGrain Purchasing AgentHide BuyerHog BuyerHorse BuyerLivestock BrokerLivestock BuyerLivestock Commission AgentLivestock DealerLivestock Purchasing AgentLivestock SpeculatorLivestock, Grain, Cotton and Other Farm Products Purchasing AgentLog BuyerLumber BuyerMedia BuyerMerchandise BuyerMerchandise PlannerMerchantOre BuyerPrice AnalystPrint BuyerProcurement AgentProcurement AnalystProcurement BuyerProcurement CoordinatorProcurement EngineerProduce BuyerProduce ShipperPulpwood BuyerPulpwood ContractorPurchasing BuyerPurchasing CoordinatorPurchasing SpecialistPurveyorRailroad Purchasing AgentReplenishment BuyerResale Merchandise Purchasing AgentResident BuyerSeed BuyerSourcing SpecialistStock BuyerSubcontract Administrator (Subcontract Admin)Subcontract AssociateSustainability Purchasing AgentTechnical BuyerTie BuyerTimber BuyerTools, Supplies, and Equipment Purchasing AgentWheat BuyerWholesale and Retail MerchantWholesale BuyerWool Buyer

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.