Managers received the highest average pay among 13 noninstructional occupations in nearly all sectors. The exception was two-year private nonprofit institutions, which paid business-and-finance staff members the most. Two-year for-profit institutions devoted nearly 40 percent of their outlays to managerial pay, the most among sectors. They were followed by four-year for-profit institutions, which devoted 34 percent. At the lowest end were four-year public institutions, which devoted just 22 percent to managers’ salaries, and which also had the lowest share of noninstructional staff members classified as managers, just over 12 percent. Four-year private nonprofit institutions paid their managers — and all of their noninstructional employees — the highest average salaries.
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4-year public institutions (724 colleges)
| 1. | Management | 100,700 | 12.2% | $10,616,204,115 | 22.0% | 139 | $14,663,265 | $105,424 |
| 2. | Public service | 8,140 | 1.0% | $563,974,683 | 1.2% | 11 | $778,971 | $69,284 |
| 3. | Research | 32,146 | 3.9% | $2,182,570,715 | 4.5% | 44 | $3,014,600 | $67,896 |
| 4. | Computer, engineering, and science | 106,478 | 12.9% | $6,889,357,774 | 14.3% | 147 | $9,515,688 | $64,702 |
| 5. | Health-care practitioners and technical | 29,555 | 3.6% | $1,898,401,680 | 3.9% | 41 | $2,622,102 | $64,233 |
| 6. | Business and financial operations | 98,269 | 11.9% | $5,977,752,490 | 12.4% | 136 | $8,256,564 | $60,831 |
| 7. | Community, social service, legal, arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media | 70,576 | 8.6% | $4,219,680,826 | 8.7% | 97 | $5,828,288 | $59,789 |
| 8. | Librarians, curators, archivists, and academic-affairs and other education services | 63,176 | 7.7% | $3,372,310,684 | 7.0% | 87 | $4,657,888 | $53,380 |
| 9. | Natural resources, construction, and maintenance | 45,237 | 5.5% | $2,167,676,584 | 4.5% | 62 | $2,994,028 | $47,918 |
| 10. | Production, transportation, and material moving | 10,604 | 1.3% | $495,815,451 | 1.0% | 15 | $684,828 | $46,757 |
| 11. | Office and administrative support | 150,987 | 18.3% | $6,063,439,720 | 12.6% | 209 | $8,374,917 | $40,159 |
| 12. | Sales and related | 2,202 | 0.3% | $87,153,040 | 0.2% | 3 | $120,377 | $39,579 |
| 13. | Service | 105,842 | 12.8% | $3,760,347,825 | 7.8% | 146 | $5,193,851 | $35,528 |
| | All full-time noninstructional staff | 823,912 | 100.0% | $48,294,685,587 | 100.0% | 1,138 | $66,705,367 | $58,616 |
4-year private nonprofit institutions (1,552 colleges)
| 1. | Management | 85,654 | 17.4% | $9,211,019,621 | 29.7% | 55 | $5,934,935 | $107,538 |
| 2. | Public service | 947 | 0.2% | $81,462,947 | 0.3% | 1 | $52,489 | $86,022 |
| 3. | Research | 18,298 | 3.7% | $1,331,994,915 | 4.3% | 12 | $858,244 | $72,795 |
| 4. | Computer, engineering, and science | 48,626 | 9.9% | $3,410,228,077 | 11.0% | 31 | $2,197,312 | $70,132 |
| 5. | Business and financial operations | 52,628 | 10.7% | $3,452,974,164 | 11.1% | 34 | $2,224,854 | $65,611 |
| 6. | Health-care practitioners and technical | 13,006 | 2.6% | $818,172,245 | 2.6% | 8 | $527,173 | $62,907 |
| 7. | Community, social service, legal, arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media | 47,421 | 9.7% | $2,703,772,981 | 8.7% | 31 | $1,742,122 | $57,016 |
| 8. | Natural resources, construction, and maintenance | 17,144 | 3.5% | $920,104,480 | 3.0% | 11 | $592,851 | $53,669 |
| 9. | Librarians, curators, archivists, and academic-affairs and other education services | 48,467 | 9.9% | $2,550,478,562 | 8.2% | 31 | $1,643,350 | $52,623 |
| 10. | Production, transportation, and material moving | 3,417 | 0.7% | $151,173,813 | 0.5% | 2 | $97,406 | $44,242 |
| 11. | Office and administrative support | 93,204 | 19.0% | $4,001,288,658 | 12.9% | 60 | $2,578,150 | $42,930 |
| 12. | Sales and related | 3,122 | 0.6% | $132,576,808 | 0.4% | 2 | $85,423 | $42,465 |
| 13. | Service | 59,200 | 12.1% | $2,212,211,038 | 7.1% | 38 | $1,425,394 | $37,368 |
| | All full-time noninstructional staff | 491,134 | 100.0% | $30,977,458,309 | 100.0% | 316 | $19,959,703 | $63,073 |
4-year private for-profit institutions
| 1. | Management | 8,031 | 20.4% | $801,486,394 | 34.0% | 16 | $1,574,629 | $99,799 |
| 2. | Research | 34 | 0.1% | $2,463,329 | 0.1% | 0 | $4,840 | $72,451 |
| 3. | Computer, engineering, and science | 1,590 | 4.0% | $103,107,134 | 4.4% | 3 | $202,568 | $64,847 |
| 4. | Public service | 70 | 0.2% | $4,487,167 | 0.2% | 0 | $8,816 | $64,102 |
| 5. | Business and financial operations | 3,639 | 9.2% | $205,279,426 | 8.7% | 7 | $403,299 | $56,411 |
| 6. | Community, social service, legal, arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media | 3,952 | 10.0% | $215,738,554 | 9.1% | 8 | $423,848 | $54,590 |
| 7. | Sales and related | 2,811 | 7.1% | $153,340,749 | 6.5% | 6 | $301,259 | $54,550 |
| 8. | Health-care practitioners and technical | 104 | 0.3% | $5,639,780 | 0.2% | 0 | $11,080 | $54,229 |
| 9. | Librarians, curators, archivists, and academic-affairs and other education services | 10,878 | 27.6% | $537,069,536 | 22.8% | 21 | $1,055,146 | $49,372 |
| 10. | Office and administrative support | 6,701 | 17.0% | $277,863,515 | 11.8% | 13 | $545,901 | $41,466 |
| 11. | Production, transportation, and material moving | 144 | 0.4% | $5,524,757 | 0.2% | 0 | $10,854 | $38,366 |
| 12. | Natural resources, construction, and maintenance | 350 | 0.9% | $11,713,144 | 0.5% | 1 | $23,012 | $33,466 |
| 13. | Service | 1,095 | 2.8% | $35,181,868 | 1.5% | 2 | $69,120 | $32,130 |
| | All full-time noninstructional staff | 39,399 | 100.0% | $2,358,895,353 | 100.0% | 77 | $4,634,372 | $59,872 |
2-year public institutions (884 colleges)
| 1. | Management | 29,875 | 17.0% | $2,644,657,624 | 27.8% | 34 | $2,991,694 | $88,524 |
| 2. | Research | 98 | 0.1% | $6,290,102 | 0.1% | 0 | $7,116 | $64,185 |
| 3. | Computer, engineering, and science | 12,698 | 7.2% | $756,140,540 | 7.9% | 14 | $855,363 | $59,548 |
| 4. | Business and financial operations | 14,042 | 8.0% | $774,904,324 | 8.1% | 16 | $876,589 | $55,185 |
| 5. | Health-care practitioners and technical | 717 | 0.4% | $38,117,946 | 0.4% | 1 | $43,120 | $53,163 |
| 6. | Community, social service, legal, arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media | 15,814 | 9.0% | $825,246,255 | 8.7% | 18 | $933,536 | $52,185 |
| 7. | Public service | 454 | 0.3% | $22,950,176 | 0.2% | 1 | $25,962 | $50,551 |
| 8. | Librarians, curators, archivists, and academic-affairs and other education services | 24,314 | 13.9% | $1,222,236,933 | 12.8% | 28 | $1,382,621 | $50,269 |
| 9. | Production, transportation, and material moving | 761 | 0.4% | $36,917,978 | 0.4% | 1 | $41,762 | $48,512 |
| 10. | Sales and related | 966 | 0.6% | $43,506,012 | 0.5% | 1 | $49,215 | $45,037 |
| 11. | Natural resources, construction, and maintenance | 5,501 | 3.1% | $244,621,412 | 2.6% | 6 | $276,721 | $44,469 |
| 12. | Office and administrative support | 47,480 | 27.1% | $2,000,396,152 | 21.0% | 54 | $2,262,892 | $42,131 |
| 13. | Service | 22,741 | 13.0% | $895,848,757 | 9.4% | 26 | $1,013,404 | $39,394 |
| | All full-time noninstructional staff | 175,461 | 100.0% | $9,511,834,211 | 100.0% | 198 | $10,759,993 | $54,211 |
2-year private nonprofit institutions (99 colleges)
| 1. | Business and financial operations | 259 | 5.7% | $23,425,641 | 9.8% | 3 | $236,623 | $90,446 |
| 2. | Management | 839 | 18.3% | $67,187,192 | 28.1% | 8 | $678,659 | $80,080 |
| 3. | Computer, engineering, and science | 192 | 4.2% | $11,995,821 | 5.0% | 2 | $121,170 | $62,478 |
| 4. | Research | 9 | 0.2% | $514,507 | 0.2% | 0 | $5,197 | $57,167 |
| 5. | Sales and related | 74 | 1.6% | $3,628,655 | 1.5% | 1 | $36,653 | $49,036 |
| 6. | Community, social service, legal, arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media | 184 | 4.0% | $8,342,246 | 3.5% | 2 | $84,265 | $45,338 |
| 7. | Health-care practitioners and technical | 22 | 0.5% | $987,872 | 0.4% | 0 | $9,979 | $44,903 |
| 8. | Librarians, curators, archivists, and academic-affairs and other education services | 2,219 | 48.5% | $96,719,936 | 40.4% | 22 | $976,969 | $43,587 |
| 9. | Production, transportation, and material moving | 5 | 0.1% | $213,264 | 0.1% | 0 | $2,154 | $42,653 |
| 10. | Natural resources, construction, and maintenance | 61 | 1.3% | $2,283,342 | 1.0% | 1 | $23,064 | $37,432 |
| 11. | Public service | 7 | 0.2% | $251,115 | 0.1% | 0 | $2,537 | $35,874 |
| 12. | Office and administrative support | 538 | 11.8% | $18,544,453 | 7.7% | 5 | $187,318 | $34,469 |
| 13. | Service | 165 | 3.6% | $5,238,344 | 2.2% | 2 | $52,913 | $31,748 |
| | All full-time noninstructional staff | 4,574 | 100.0% | $239,332,388 | 100.0% | 46 | $2,417,499 | $52,325 |
2-year private for-profit (535 institutions)
| 1. | Management | 3,162 | 27.1% | $247,677,844 | 39.9% | 6 | $462,949 | $78,329 |
| 2. | Research | 32 | 0.3% | $1,785,000 | 0.3% | 0 | $3,336 | $55,781 |
| 3. | Community, social service, legal, arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media | 738 | 6.3% | $37,806,833 | 6.1% | 1 | $70,667 | $51,229 |
| 4. | Computer, engineering, and science | 182 | 1.6% | $8,783,321 | 1.4% | 0 | $16,417 | $48,260 |
| 5. | Business and financial operations | 949 | 8.1% | $44,213,091 | 7.1% | 2 | $82,641 | $46,589 |
| 6. | Sales and related | 1,229 | 10.5% | $57,203,863 | 9.2% | 2 | $106,923 | $46,545 |
| 7. | Librarians, curators, archivists, and academic-affairs and other education services | 2,502 | 21.4% | $114,760,058 | 18.5% | 5 | $214,505 | $45,867 |
| 8. | Health-care practitioners and technical | 44 | 0.4% | $1,710,000 | 0.3% | 0 | $3,196 | $38,864 |
| 9. | Office and administrative support | 2,394 | 20.5% | $91,513,475 | 14.8% | 4 | $171,053 | $38,226 |
| 10. | Natural resources, construction, and maintenance | 131 | 1.1% | $4,377,568 | 0.7% | 0 | $8,182 | $33,417 |
| 11. | Service | 294 | 2.5% | $9,813,236 | 1.6% | 1 | $18,342 | $33,378 |
| 12. | Public service | 8 | 0.1% | $261,980 | 0.0% | 0 | $490 | $32,748 |
| 13. | Production, transportation, and material moving | 10 | 0.1% | $325,789 | 0.1% | 0 | $609 | $32,579 |
| | All full-time noninstructional staff | 11,675 | 100.0% | $620,232,058 | 100.0% | 22 | $1,159,312 | $53,125 |
Note: Data cover salaries for full-time noninstructional, nonmedical staff members at degree-granting higher-education institutions in the United States that were eligible to receive Title IV federal financial aid. Figures may not add up to totals because of rounding. Questions or comments on the Almanac should be sent to the Almanac editor.
Source: Chronicle analysis of U.S. Department of Education data