Industrial Production Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate the work activities and resources necessary for manufacturing products in accordance with cost, quality, and quantity specifications.
Also called: Area Plant Manager, Assembly Manager, Bulk Plant Manager, Car Construction Superintendent, Concrete Mixing Plant Superintendent, Correctional Facility Industries Superintendent
Median pay
$126,060
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$78,000 – $205,520
People employed
246,250
Holland code
ECR
Enterprising · Conventional · Realistic
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Are you OK working more than 40 hours a week?
- 2.Do you want to lead or coordinate other people’s work?
- 3.Are you happy talking and working with people most of the day?
- 4.Do you work well under tight deadlines?
The hard parts
- Tight deadlines are common
Industrial Production Managers pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (49 states and DC with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
What industrial production managers do
- 01Set and monitor product standards, examining samples of raw products or directing testing during processing, to ensure finished products are of prescribed quality.
- 02Direct or coordinate production, processing, distribution, or marketing activities of industrial organizations.
- 03Review processing schedules or production orders to make decisions concerning inventory requirements, staffing requirements, work procedures, or duty assignments, considering budgetary limitations and time constraints.
- 04Review operations and confer with technical or administrative staff to resolve production or processing problems.
- 05Hire, train, evaluate, or discharge staff or resolve personnel grievances.
- 06Develop or implement production tracking or quality control systems, analyzing production, quality control, maintenance, or other operational reports to detect production problems.
Skills that matter most
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Learning Strategies
Knowledge
- Production and Processing
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- Mathematics
Work styles that stand out
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Achievement Orientation
- Leadership Orientation
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a bachelor's degree (O*NET Job Zone 4).
- Related work experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years.
- On-the-job training: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from industrial production managers
- Construction Managers87% · −9%
- General and Operations Managers84% · −16%
- Project Management Specialists73% · −19%
- Wind Energy Operations Managers73% · group pay
- Wind Energy Development Managers72% · group pay
Change into industrial production managers
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- General and Operations Managers87% · $105,770
- Construction Managers84% · $114,990
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers81% · $74,450
- Industrial Engineers81% · $102,440
- Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers78% · $89,900
Majors that lead here
- Industrial Engineering
- Engineering/Industrial Management
- Clinical and Industrial Drug Development
- Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences
- Business/Commerce, General
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management
- Operations Management and Supervision
- Science/Technology Management
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.