What does it cost to hire a school administrator in Philadelphia?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $129,130 median wage in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $25,826 to $38,739 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a school administrator in Philadelphia look like?

Employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area pay education administrators, kindergarten through secondary a median of $129,130, with the middle half of the market between $104,630 and $153,340 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $104,630 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Is the talent for this role already in Philadelphia?

This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 34.6% of Philadelphia adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Hiring a school administrator in Philadelphia, PA

Employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area pay education administrators, kindergarten through secondary a median of $129,130 a year, with the middle half of the market between $104,630 and $153,340 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 11-9032). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do Philadelphia residents in management work earn more than employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area pay?

Philadelphia residents working in management occupations earn a median of $78,949 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $124,850 as the median of the 35 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 37%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole management group, not this one role. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area the group covers 35 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare at $58,960 to chief executives at $292,770 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with education administrators, kindergarten through secondary at $129,130 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 35 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Philadelphia residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

What does a school administrator earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to education administrators, kindergarten through secondary by employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 11-9032.
25th percentile	$104,630
Median	$129,130
75th percentile	$153,340

Half of education administrators, kindergarten through secondary in this area earn between $104,630 and $153,340 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $104,630 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 11-9032 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What Philadelphia residents earn

$78,949

Median annual earnings of Philadelphia residents working in management occupations, 70,100 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Evaluate curricula, teaching methods, and programs to determine their effectiveness, efficiency, and use, and to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
Observe teaching methods and examine learning materials to evaluate and standardize curricula and teaching techniques and to determine areas for improvement.
Counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues.
Collaborate with teachers to develop and maintain curriculum standards, develop mission statements, and set performance goals and objectives.
Direct and coordinate activities of teachers, administrators, and support staff at schools, public agencies, and institutions.

Task statements for SOC 11-9032, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Apache Cassandra, IBM SPSS Statistics, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft SharePoint.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 11-9032 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Philadelphia?

This is a job zone five: extensive preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). O*NET OnLine, SOC 11-9032.

That matters here, because 34.6% of Philadelphia adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Philadelphia aged 25 and over.

The average Philadelphia commute runs 32 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 16.4% of Philadelphia workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Philadelphia.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Philadelphia County, management of companies and enterprises employs 13,920 and turns over 7.3% a quarter, with 1,191 hires against 1,235 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $16,506 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 55.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about education administrators, kindergarten through secondary. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $129,130 median in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $25,826 to $38,739 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a school administrator in Philadelphia

What does it cost to hire a school administrator in Philadelphia?: Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $129,130 median wage in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $25,826 to $38,739 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a school administrator in Philadelphia look like?: Employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area pay education administrators, kindergarten through secondary a median of $129,130, with the middle half of the market between $104,630 and $153,340 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $104,630 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do Philadelphia residents in management work earn more than employers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area pay?: Philadelphia residents working in management occupations earn a median of $78,949 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $124,850 as the median of the 35 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 37%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in Philadelphia?: This is a job zone 5 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 34.6% of Philadelphia adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a school administrator somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other management roles in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is the largest of 2 Pennsylvania cities in this dataset.