Buyers and Purchasing Agents

The median annual wage for Buyers and Purchasing Agents is $71,950, based on BLS OEWS 2023 data. The mean annual wage is $77,850, and an estimated 477,980 workers are employed in this occupation nationally. Between 2020 and 2023, pay rose +7.9% while consumer prices rose 17.7% — a real change of -8.4% (pay did not keep up with inflation).

Wage Trend & Inflation Adjustment

How the national median wage for Buyers and Purchasing Agents has moved across BLS OEWS release years, and what each year's wage is worth in 2023 dollars after adjusting for CPI inflation. "Real" change strips out inflation — the truest measure of whether pay is actually rising.

National median wage trend for Buyers and Purchasing Agents, nominal and inflation-adjusted, BLS OEWS.
Year	Median (nominal)	In 2023 $ (real)	Employment
2023	$71,950	$71,950	477,980
2022	$67,620	$70,404	464,880
2021	$63,470	$71,371	439,020
2020	$66,690	$78,515	419,920

Nominal change

+7.9%

Inflation (CPI)

+17.7%

Real change

-8.4%

Highest-Paying Areas (2023)

Where Buyers and Purchasing Agents earn the most, and how each area's median compares to the national median of $71,950. A positive premium means the area pays above the national rate.

Highest-paying areas for Buyers and Purchasing Agents, BLS OEWS 2023.
Area	Median Annual	vs National	Employment
District of Columbia	$112,960	+57%	1,970
Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area	$95,490	+32.7%	240
New Jersey	$89,790	+24.8%	12,210
Maryland	$81,780	+13.7%	9,080
Virginia	$81,540	+13.3%	21,960
Delaware	$79,750	+10.8%	1,310
Washington	$79,360	+10.3%	15,390
Connecticut	$78,240	+8.7%	6,240
California	$77,720	+8%	47,150
Rhode Island	$77,570	+7.8%	1,550