Industrial Production Manager Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of industrial production managers to grow 2.6% from 2025 to 2035 (about 6,500 more jobs), with about 17,000 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $126,060 a year ranks 68th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +2.6%
- Openings a year
- 17,000
- Median pay
- $126,060
- Pay rank
- 68th of 825
Is employment of industrial production managers growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of industrial production managers to rise 2.6% (about 6,500 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +6.2% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 37 management occupations with a projection. That change ranks 427th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 252,100 |
| Employment, 2035 | 258,600 |
| Projected change | +2.6% |
| Openings a year | 17,000 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 252,100 jobs here differ from the 246,250 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 17,000 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 183rd most of 830 occupations. About 96% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 650 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for industrial production managers rank?
The median of $126,060 a year ranks 68th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on both pay and openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: bachelor's degree.
- Work experience in a related occupation: 5 years or more.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | +5.0% | 285,000 | $105,770 |
| Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | +6.1% | 18,300 | $107,230 |
| Construction Managers | +9.1% | 49,700 | $114,990 |
| Managers, All Other | +4.9% | 100,900 | $141,900 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | +5.5% | 14,900 | $171,270 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | +8.2% | 9,200 | $167,220 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other | +4.4% | 11,200 | $62,280 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other | +2.6% | 18,300 | $49,230 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.