Hiring a general and operations manager in Worcester, MA

Employers in the Worcester, MA area pay general and operations managers a median of $111,900, with the middle half of the market between $74,610 and $168,010. Worcester residents working in management occupations report a median of $77,664, which is 31% below what the metro pays for this role.

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What does a general and operations manager earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Worcester, MA area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$74,610
Median	$111,900
75th percentile	$168,010

Half of general and operations managers in this area earn between $74,610 and $168,010. A band set below $74,610 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Worcester residents earn

$77,664

Median earnings of Worcester residents working in management occupations, 9,924 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 31% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The role pays well above the local residential norm, which usually means you can hire from inside Worcester rather than competing for commuters.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Review financial statements, sales or activity reports, or other performance data to measure productivity or goal achievement or to identify areas needing cost reduction or program improvement.
Direct and coordinate activities of businesses or departments concerned with the production, pricing, sales, or distribution of products.
Direct administrative activities directly related to making products or providing services.
Prepare staff work schedules and assign specific duties.
Direct or coordinate financial or budget activities to fund operations, maximize investments, or increase efficiency.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 11-1021.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Photoshop, Amazon Web Services AWS software, Apache Hadoop.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Worcester?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 34.1% of Worcester 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.

The average Worcester commute runs 25.1 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 10.7% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Worcester County, management of companies and enterprises employs 4,001 and turns over 7.0% a quarter, with 413 hires against 436 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $9,490 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 general and operations managers. 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 median would bill roughly $22,380 to $33,570 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.

Price this search

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