Business and Finance · Career brief

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$77,710

Above the middle on pay

2025 national median. Above the middle of ChooseField careers for pay.

2Demand

Steady projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Top quarter for growth among careers on ChooseField.

3Openings

47,200

Lots of annual openings

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Top quarter for openings among careers on ChooseField.

4Route in

Verify specialty route

The specialty-specific route needs verification

Specialty requirements need verification. Prior-experience requirements vary or need verification.

5The work

Structured / detail

Accuracy, process, and organized information matter

Monitor and follow applicable laws and regulations.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.

ChooseField take

The strongest national signals are growth and opening volume; each ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if structured, detail-oriented work appeals to you and you are comfortable with specialty-specific requirements that need verification. Main tradeoff: Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.

Before choosing, compare:Accountant / Auditor Appraisers of Personal and Business Property Compliance Officers

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products with another field Explore rankings in Business and Finance Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

The labor-market benchmark for Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products covers the broader BLS group Buyers and purchasing agents (13-1020). It does not isolate this specialty.

National median pay (2025)

$77,710

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

6%employment growth47,200openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

516,100

Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Buyers and purchasing agents (13-1020).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Monitor and follow applicable laws and regulations.
Purchase the highest quality merchandise at the lowest possible price and in correct amounts.
Formulate policies and procedures for bid proposals and procurement of goods and services.
Write and review product specifications, maintaining a working technical knowledge of the goods or services to be purchased.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Getting Information4.6
Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.5
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.4
Working with Computers4.3
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.2

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Conventional5.7
Enterprising5.1
Realistic3.5
Social1.9
Investigative1.8
Artistic1.2

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Law and Government Mathematics Computers and Electronics Economics and Accounting

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Work through a realistic case with incomplete information: make a recommendation, show the numbers behind it, and defend the tradeoffs.
Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe the broader BLS group, Buyers and purchasing agents. They are not separate estimates for Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products, and the group's education category does not establish this specialty's qualification route.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

A specialty-specific experience requirement is not established here. Compare entry-level vacancies, licensing rules, and employer expectations before choosing a route.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options

Compare before committing

The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Accountant / Auditor, Appraisers of Personal and Business Property, Compliance Officers, Budget Analysts.