City Manager Salary in Columbus, Ohio

How much does a City Manager make in Columbus, OH?

As of March 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a City Manager in Columbus, OH is $114,788. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $105,435 to $129,952, with most professionals earning between $96,920 and $143,759.

Search City Manager Jobs in Columbus, OH

Develop a Job description

Pay Equity

2024 Compensation Trend

Benefits Consulting

Salary range for a City Manager

$105,435 to $129,952

Employers: Find Surveys For This Job

Employers: Price Your Company Jobs

View Average Salary for United States
Adjust City Manager Salary:
Select State
Select City in OH
Choose Similar Job
Pick Related Category
View Cost of Living in Columbus, Ohio

Facing Salary Structure Challenges? Let Our Expert Guide You

The job market is increasingly challenging. Our whitepaper, Navigating the Challenges of Creating Salary Structures, offers guidance on creating salary structures. Provide your phone number and work email to download the full version.

We will handle your contact details in line with our Privacy Policy. If you prefer not to receive marketing emails from Salary.com, you can opt-out out of marketing communications at any time by clicking unsubscribe.

What is a City Manager?

A City Manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a councilâ€“manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administrative officer (CAO) in some municipalities....

Source: Wikipedia (as of 09/06/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

See user submitted job responsibilities for City Manager.

Search City Manager Job Openings

Job Openings for City Manager in Columbus, OH

What does a City Manager do?

Common responsibilities of a City Manager

Works directly with individual citizens, citizen groups, members of the financial and business community, developers, planning community economic development groups and agencies and other related entities to insure prudent conservation of existing community assets and maximum utilization of community resources in the development and redevelopment process.

February 15, 2023

Creates and executes policy development, plans fiscal and budget management, leadership, and development of effective organizational structure.

July 30, 2022

Leads the execution of sales strategies designed to expand product adoption with targeted eye care accounts through effective prospecting, onboarding and expansion of use.

September 13, 2022

Represents the City and the City Manager's Office in a professional manner and positive light including proactively and effectively dealing with contentious issues and challenges as well as advising leadership in delivery of City services.

January 12, 2023

Communicate with office team regularly to ensure they have the information, tools, and support needed to perform their jobs effectively and successfully.

March 17, 2023

Demonstrate leadership and courage by making or supporting decisions that reflect the organizational mission and goals even when the decision may be unpopular to some.

March 24, 2023

Manage leaders to follow up on training completion, check for understanding, and provide continuous education opportunities to drive proficiencies for all front of store experiences.

April 11, 2023

Provide strengths-based case management and supportive services to Veterans households for the SSVF Program, including delivery of Rapid Rehousing and Homeless Prevention to eligible Veterans throughout the Kansas and Western Missouri Division.

April 13, 2023

Submit Other Responsibilities

Not the job you're looking for? Search more salaries here:

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

City Manager Salary By Experience Levels in Columbus, OH

How much should you be earning in City Manager in Columbus, OH based on your current experience?

Tell us how much experience you have and see an estimate of earnings and view how different experience leavels impact potential pay for City Manager in Columbus, OH

RELEVANT JOB EXPERIENCE

Length of experience is a pay differentiator. Those with greater experience may have an advantage in negotiating salary. For those with less experience, other factors such as education or special skills could impact your pay. Please visit Professional Salary Report for more details.

City Manager Salary By Level of Education in Columbus, OH

Do you know how much should you be paid for a City Manager position in Columbus, OH based on your education level?

Tell us about your education and see an estimate of earnings for City Manager in Columbus, OH and well to know the impact of education on future careers.

LEVEL OF EDUCATION

Depending on the job, educational levels may have a significant impact on pay levels. Be informed and understand how things like education and certifications can help to increase potential earnings for the career you are interested in. Please visit Professional Salary Report for more details.

Average Salary Range for City Manager in Columbus, OH

Average Base Salary

Core compensation

105435

129952

114788

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

118890

150658

132359

What is the average salary for City Manager in 2025?

These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of City Manager in Columbus, OH. The base salary for City Manager ranges from $105,435 to $129,952 with the average base salary of $114,788. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $118,890 to $150,658 with the average total cash compensation of $132,359.

View Average Salary for City Manager as table

	Average Salary	Average Salary Range
Base Salary	$114,788	$105,435 - $129,952
Bonus	$17,571	$13,455 - $20,706
Total Pay	$132,359	$118,890 - $150,658

* Base Salary represents gross income before taxes and deductions. It does not include additional pay such as benefits, bonuses, profit sharing or commissions.

* Total Pay combines base salary, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job.

City Manager Salary Near Columbus, OH

CITY, STATE	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE	COMPARE TO Columbus, OH
CITY, STATE Newark, OH	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $104,777 - $129,141	COMPARE TO Columbus, OH
CITY, STATE Springfield, OH	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $101,935 - $125,638	COMPARE TO Columbus, OH
CITY, STATE Chillicothe, OH	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $99,315 - $122,409	COMPARE TO Columbus, OH
CITY, STATE Mansfield, OH	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $103,239 - $127,246	COMPARE TO Columbus, OH
CITY, STATE Dayton, OH	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $104,157 - $128,378	COMPARE TO Columbus, OH
CITY, STATE Lima, OH	AVERAGE SALARY RANGE $101,355 - $124,924	COMPARE TO Columbus, OH

See salaries for City Manager in locations close to Columbus, OH. Pay for the same job may vary based on the location and on the location and on other factors such as the size of company, the industry, and other local conditions.

About Columbus, Ohio

The confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers occurs just north-west of Downtown Columbus. Several smaller tributaries course through the Columbus metropolitan area, including Alum Creek, Big Walnut Creek, and Darby Creek. Columbus is considered to have relatively flat topography thanks to a large glacier that covered most of Ohio during the Wisconsin Ice Age. However, there are sizable differences in elevation through the area, with the high point of Franklin County being 1,132 ft (345 m) above sea level near New Albany, and the low point being 670 ft (200 m) where the Scioto River leaves...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/11/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

View Salary for Similar Jobs to City Manager in Columbus, OH

See Additional Similar Jobs

Loading results...

JOB TITLE	LOCATION	MINIMUM SALARY	MAXIMUM SALARY
JOB TITLE Assistant To The City Manager	LOCATION Columbus, OH	MINIMUM SALARY $69,920	MAXIMUM SALARY $88,129
JOB TITLE City Operations Manager	LOCATION Columbus, OH	MINIMUM SALARY $107,695	MAXIMUM SALARY $134,397
JOB TITLE Deputy City Manager	LOCATION Columbus, OH	MINIMUM SALARY $46,141	MAXIMUM SALARY $57,777
JOB TITLE City Manager Short Term Rentals	LOCATION Columbus, OH	MINIMUM SALARY $96,239	MAXIMUM SALARY $132,758
JOB TITLE City Clerk	LOCATION Columbus, OH	MINIMUM SALARY $41,450	MAXIMUM SALARY $51,708
JOB TITLE City Assessor	LOCATION Columbus, OH	MINIMUM SALARY $57,003	MAXIMUM SALARY $75,847

The City Manager job could be listed using titles that are not exactly the same, but actually are for the same or very similar job. Here are some job titles in Columbus, OH that might be a good fit for the type of job and salary you are looking for.

Discover how your pay is adjusted for skills, experience, and other factors

How much should you be paid?

For a real-time salary target, tell us more about your role in the four categories below.