- MHM 2007 Salary Survey (Introduction): A Fair Day's Pay for a Fair Day's Work
- MHM 2007 Salary Survey (Verbatim Respondent Comments): Penny for Your Thoughts
- MHM 2007 Salary Survey: General Profile (Tables)
Why Focus on Medians
When it comes to knowing what fair levels of compensation are, medians are a better indication of central tendency than the arithmetic mean, or average. With an abnormal distribution-the pay data of material handling and inventory managers that we collected has a long tail at the upper end of the scale-the mean will be skewed in one direction. Because of this upwardly skewed distribution, the median pay level-the central data point-is a better representation of typical pay levels in the industry or region than the mean.
Use the range between the upper and lower quartiles in the tables in this article for a better understanding of the standard pay range by age, job title, experience and company size. If you think that you're a top performer-and can back up your claims with hard examples of recent achievements-the 90th percentile might be a good target the next time that salary negotiations roll around.
Direct compensation by job title/function
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| Corporate Management (CEO/COO/Pres/CFO) | $80,000 | $120,000 | $170,000 | $250,000 | $139,788 |
| Senior/Exec VP | $100,000 | $124,000 | $170,000 | $200,000 | $135,391 |
| Operations Manager | $60,000 | $72,000 | $92,000 | $112,000 | $76,676 |
| Plant/Manufacturing Manager | $55,000 | $69,000 | $88,500 | $113,200 | $73,352 |
| DC/Warehouse/Facility Manager | $49,000 | $65,000 | $81,325 | $98,950 | $67,713 |
| Transportation/Fleet/Traffic Manager | $45,000 | $56,000 | $72,000 | $91,100 | $60,686 |
| Supply Chain Manager | $61,500 | $80,000 | $91,500 | $105,400 | $77,644 |
| Procurement/Purchasing Manager | $48,150 | $60,000 | $73,000 | $110,000 | $68,422 |
| Inventory/Materials Manager | $47,875 | $58,250 | $72,000 | $87,100 | $60,963 |
| Information Technology Manager | $51,000 | $68,000 | $96,500 | $101,800 | $72,967 |
| Consultant | $69,875 | $92,000 | $105,000 | $147,000 | $91,063 |
| Other | $47,250 | $64,000 | $87,500 | $112,800 | $72,071 |
*North American responses only; total=1,386.
Direct compensation by industry
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| Aerospace | $57,000 | $73,000 | $100,000 | $121,000 | $77,922 |
| Apparel | $50,000 | $77,000 | $97,000 | $140,080 | $79,593 |
| Automotive | $48,000 | $65,000 | $82,500 | $102,900 | $68,423 |
| Chemicals/Petroleum | $53,500 | $74,000 | $87,200 | $110,000 | $77,177 |
| Computer Equipment & Peripherals | $54,000 | $70,000 | $92,000 | $114,200 | $74,594 |
| Consumer Goods | $58,000 | $75,000 | $100,000 | $132,000 | $86,794 |
| Construction/Building Materials | $50,000 | $61,500 | $85,750 | $114,400 | $71,507 |
| Electronics/High-Tech/Telecom Equipment | $40,539 | $69,300 | $83,025 | $96,950 | $65,655 |
| Food & Beverage | $60,000 | $72,000 | $100,000 | $125,000 | $80,814 |
| Furniture | $42,000 | $46,250 | $60,750 | $162,000 | $59,950 |
| Government | $49,625 | $65,000 | $77,750 | $95,100 | $65,033 |
| Industrial Products/Machinery/Metals/Plastics | $51,000 | $68,700 | $90,000 | $123,780 | $78,465 |
| Pharamaceuticals/Healthcare | $53,845 | $70,000 | $83,750 | $92,300 | $69,497 |
| Paper/Printing/Publishing | $50,000 | $63,500 | $80,000 | $102,100 | $69,144 |
| Retail | $59,365 | $79,750 | $110,000 | $168,000 | $91,390 |
| Third-Party Logistics Provider | $53,000 | $69,500 | $104,750 | $137,600 | $80,065 |
| Transportation Services | $55,000 | $72,000 | $100,544 | $160,000 | $88,057 |
| Utilities/Energy | $74,750 | $105,000 | $118,500 | $192,000 | $103,000 |
| Wholesale Distribution | $50,000 | $67,000 | $90,000 | $121,800 | $78,852 |
| Other | $50,000 | $66,000 | $91,000 | $135,640 | $80,216 |
*North American responses only; total=1,386.
Direct compensation by sex
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| Male | $53,000 | $70,000 | $95,000 | $125,000 | $80,307 |
| Female | $41,000 | $52,000 | $70,000 | $86,240 | $57,903 |
*North American responses only; total=1,386
Direct compensation by age
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| 20-30 years | $38,500 | $50,000 | $58,500 | $92,000 | $64,992 |
| 31-40 years | $50,000 | $64,000 | $85,000 | $110,200 | $69,518 |
| 41-50 years | $52,000 | $68,000 | $90,000 | $120,000 | $77,214 |
| 51-60 years | $54,000 | $73,000 | $96,000 | $124,600 | $82,636 |
| 61 years or more | $60,500 | $88,000 | $110,000 | $154,000 | $94,168 |
*North American responses only; total=1,313
Direct compensation by experience (yrs.)
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| 0-5 years | $40,000 | $54,000 | $70,000 | $90,600 | $61,443 |
| 6-10 years | $45,000 | $60,000 | $78,000 | $101,000 | $66,143 |
| 11-15 years | $50,200 | $66,000 | $85,000 | $111,000 | $72,809 |
| 16-20 years | $53,000 | $71,500 | $95,250 | $125,000 | $79,766 |
| 21-25 years | $56,000 | $73,000 | $100,000 | $135,000 | $83,281 |
| 26 or more years | $60,000 | $78,000 | $102,000 | $145,600 | $90,014 |
*North American responses only; total=1,377
Direct compensation by seniority (yrs.)
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| 0-5 years | $48,000 | $65,000 | $85,000 | $120,000 | $72,717 |
| 6-10 years | $50,250 | $70,000 | $94,000 | $120,000 | $77,959 |
| 11-15 years | $51,000 | $68,000 | $90,000 | $125,100 | $77,002 |
| 16-20 years | $50,000 | $67,500 | $90,000 | $125,400 | $79,947 |
| 21-25 years | $53,000 | $68,000 | $96,500 | $125,360 | $80,436 |
| 26 or more years | $60,000 | $76,000 | $95,000 | $117,600 | $85,184 |
*North American responses only; total=1,377
Direct compensation by education
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| High school | $43,000 | $53,000 | $69,500 | $88,000 | $60,959 |
| Some college | $48,000 | $60,000 | $75,000 | $100,000 | $65,213 |
| 4-year undergraduate degree | $61,866 | $80,000 | $100,000 | $140,000 | $91,214 |
| Some graduate study | $62,590 | $83,000 | $101,000 | $128,840 | $87,609 |
| Graduate degree | $71,750 | $93,500 | $119,250 | $155,000 | $100,564 |
Note: North American responses only; total=1,375.
Direct compensation by most recent promotion
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| Within the past 12 months | $50,000 | $68,000 | $88,500 | $116,445 | $72,407 |
| Within the past 1-2 years | $55,000 | $72,000 | $100,000 | $129,730 | $82,831 |
| Within the past 3-5 years | $52,000 | $70,000 | $93,000 | $120,000 | $78,118 |
| More than 5 years ago | $50,500 | $65,000 | $88,500 | $120,000 | $78,606 |
*North American responses only; total=1,362
Direct compensation by geographic region
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| New England | $53,500 | $70,000 | $86,875 | $126,500 | $79,021 |
| Middle Atlantic | $52,000 | $72,000 | $95,000 | $127,000 | $85,536 |
| South Atlantic | $51,250 | $67,485 | $90,000 | $121,050 | $78,664 |
| North Central | $50,000 | $65,000 | $88,000 | $110,000 | $72,086 |
| South Central | $49,250 | $70,000 | $98,000 | $125,200 | $78,136 |
| Mountain | $50,000 | $72,000 | $97,250 | $120,000 | $80,868 |
| Pacific | $57,250 | $72,000 | $96,000 | $139,000 | $82,117 |
| Canada | $51,500 | $70,000 | $100,000 | $166,000 | $90,322 |
| Mexico | $37,500 | $53,500 | $89,000 | . | $60,000 |
*North American responses only; total=1,386
Direct compensation by receiving a bonus
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| Yes | $55,000 | $72,750 | $97,000 | $128,110 | $83,165 |
| No | $48,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 | $103,100 | $69,062 |
*North American responses only; total=1,386
Direct compensation by last year's bonus amount
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| Corporate Management (CEO/COO/Pres/CFO) | $10,000 | $30,000 | $100,000 | $200,000 | $89,660 |
| Senior/Exec VP | $10,500 | $25,000 | $55,000 | $102,000 | $44,336 |
| Operations Manager | $5,000 | $10,000 | $18,000 | $34,400 | $16,454 |
| Plant/Manufacturing Manager | $2,625 | $6,750 | $13,750 | $33,660 | $13,959 |
| DC/Warehouse/Facility Manager | $2,000 | $6,000 | $11,750 | $21,650 | $9,275 |
| Transportation/Fleet/Traffic Manager | $1,500 | $4,400 | $10,000 | $19,600 | $7,144 |
| Supply Chain Manager | $4,000 | $6,500 | $11,500 | $20,350 | $9,091 |
| Procurement/Purchasing Manager | $2,100 | $5,000 | $9,500 | $14,400 | $8,408 |
| Inventory/Materials Manager | $1,463 | $2,500 | $6,125 | $12,300 | $4,866 |
| Information Technology Manager | $1,906 | $6,000 | $10,875 | $25,800 | $8,113 |
| Consultant | $5,000 | $7,000 | $24,500 | $62,000 | $16,238 |
| Other | $2,000 | $5,500 | $11,000 | $22,000 | $10,212 |
*North American responses only; total=864.
Most recent bonus as a % of direct compensation
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| Corporate Management (CEO/COO/Pres/CFO) | 9% | 30% | 51% | 104% | 46% |
| Senior/Exec VP | 12% | 19% | 35% | 67% | 31% |
| Operations Manager | 7% | 12% | 20% | 34% | 20% |
| Plant/Manufacturing Manager | 5% | 10% | 20% | 34% | 16% |
| DC/Warehouse/Facility Manager | 4% | 9% | 16% | 24% | 15% |
| Transportation/Fleet/Traffic Manager | 3% | 8% | 14% | 20% | 10% |
| Supply Chain Manager | 6% | 8% | 12% | 24% | 11% |
| Procurement/Purchasing Manager | 4% | 8% | 13% | 18% | 9% |
| Inventory/Materials Manager | 3% | 5% | 9% | 17% | 7% |
| Information Technology Manager | 4% | 8% | 14% | 26% | 10% |
| Consultant | 6% | 8% | 26% | 61% | 22% |
| Other | 3% | 7% | 15% | 24% | 12% |
*North American responses only; total=863.
Direct compensation by amount of last year's raise
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| No Raise | $45,000 | $64,500 | $89,750 | $125,000 | $74,483 |
| 0-3% Increase | $51,000 | $66,970 | $88,000 | $110,000 | $73,612 |
| 4-6% Increase | $55,750 | $73,000 | $97,000 | $125,000 | $84,128 |
| 7-10% Increase | $52,000 | $75,000 | $115,000 | $134,400 | $85,446 |
| Greater than 10% Increase | $53,890 | $79,000 | $125,000 | $180,500 | $104,941 |
*North American responses only; total=1,378
Direct compensation by corporate annual revenue
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| Less than $50 million | $45,000 | $59,500 | $83,750 | $120,000 | $70,867 |
| $50 million-$100 million | $49,063 | $64,000 | $85,000 | $117,200 | $73,267 |
| $101 million-$500 million | $59,000 | $70,750 | $90,000 | $116,400 | $81,228 |
| $501 million-$1 billion | $57,460 | $78,000 | $96,000 | $132,600 | $87,261 |
| $1 billion or more | $68,000 | $82,250 | $102,750 | $126,230 | $89,290 |
*North American responses only; total=1,359
Direct compensation by full-time people managed directly
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| 0 | $45,000 | $60,000 | $83,200 | $100,800 | $69,168 |
| 1 to 5 | $47,000 | $65,000 | $90,000 | $119,000 | $72,476 |
| 6 to 10 | $52,625 | $72,000 | $103,750 | $140,000 | $86,112 |
| 11 to 25 | $52,000 | $67,235 | $86,500 | $116,600 | $78,277 |
| More than 25 | $60,000 | $75,000 | $95,000 | $129,370 | $84,094 |
*North American responses only; total=1,370
Direct compensation by career satisfaction
| 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Mean | |
| Very satisfied | $61,000 | $80,000 | $105,000 | $149,900 | $91,889 |
| Satisfied | $51,750 | $70,000 | $90,000 | $120,000 | $75,820 |
| Neither satisfied nor unsatisfied | $48,000 | $61,000 | $79,250 | $100,000 | $70,243 |
| Unsatisfied | $46,550 | $60,000 | $78,500 | $100,800 | $66,439 |
| Very unsatisfied | $44,500 | $62,000 | $79,125 | $523,000 | $117,274 |
*North American responses only; total=1,342
