How much does a Vendor Manager make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Vendor Manager in the United States is $69,368 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $33.

However, a Vendor Manager's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $81,178
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $62,637 to $75,550
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $56,509

Key Factors That Influence Vendor Manager Salaries

A Vendor Manager's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Vendor Manager Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Vendor Manager's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $68,913
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $84,794
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $104,936
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $131,555
  • Expert (over 8 years): $149,817
Levels Salary
Vendor Ma... Level Vendor Manager$68,913
IT Vendor... Level Vendor Manager$84,794
IT Vendor... Level Vendor Manager$104,936
IT Vendor... Level Vendor Manager$131,555
IT Vendor... Level Vendor Manager$149,817

Top Paying Cities for Vendor Managers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $87,493
  • San Francisco: $86,535
  • Oakland: $84,712

What Skills Can Increase a Vendor Manager's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 7.68% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Purchasing (Mentioned in 3.42% Job Postings): Purchasing refers to a business or organization attempting to acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals. Although there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary greatly between organizations. Typically the word “purchasing” is not used interchangeably with the word “procurement”, since procurement typically includes expediting, supplier quality, and transportation and logistics (T&L) in addition to purchasing.
  • Talent Acquisition (Mentioned in 1.71% Job Postings): Talent acquisition is the process of identifying organizational staffing needs, recruiting qualified candidates and selecting the candidates best suited for the available positions.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 7.68%
Purchasing 3.42%
Talent Acquisition 1.71%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Vendor Manager's salary.

  • Networking: Can increase your salary by up to 14%.
  • Process Management: Can increase your salary by up to 13%.
  • RFI: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Networking $79,079
14%
Process Management $78,385
13%
RFI $76,998
11%

Vendor Manager Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Vendor Manager roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 58% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average. In contrast, Vendor Manager positions in Transportation or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Vendor Manager as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Vendor Manager

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Financial Services$86,710$42.025%
Pharmaceuticals$84,628$41.022%
Internet$81,854$39.018%
Aerospace & Defense$77,692$37.012%
Construction$76,304$37.010%

How Education impacts a Vendor Manager's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Vendor Managers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Vendor Manager with a Bachelor's Degree is between $64,887 and $69,259).

Vendor Manager Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Vendor Manager
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 15.0%
High School 15.0%
Associates 5.0%
Bachelors 70.0%
Masters 10.0%
Doctorate 0.0%

Vendor Manager Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Vendor Manager's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$62,637
Average $69,368/year
$75,550
$5,220
Average $5,781/month
$6,296
$1,205
Average $1,334/week
$1,453
$30
Average $33/hour
$36
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $75,550 $6,296 $1,453 $36
Average $69,368 $5,781 $1,334 $33
25th Percentile $62,637 $5,220 $1,205 $30

Most common benefits for Vendor Manager

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Vendor Manager

Here are companies hiring for Vendor Manager and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Vendor Manager Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Vendor Manager job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

For Employees

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Get a Salary Increase

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

Search Job Openings

For Employers

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Adjust Employee Salary

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Price My Industry Jobs

FAQ about Vendor Manager

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Vendor Manager?

The Financial Services industry offers the highest average compensation for Vendor Manager roles, with salaries approximately 25% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst