Hiring a distribution manager in Tulsa, OK

Employers in the Tulsa, OK area pay transportation, storage, and distribution managers a median of $96,740, with the middle half of the market between $72,490 and $129,800. Tulsa residents working in management occupations report a median of $72,030, which is 26% below what the metro pays for this role.

What does a distribution manager earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Tulsa, OK area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$72,490
Median	$96,740
75th percentile	$129,800

Half of transportation, storage, and distribution managers in this area earn between $72,490 and $129,800. A band set below $72,490 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Tulsa residents earn

$72,030

Median earnings of Tulsa residents working in management occupations, 19,207 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 26% 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 Tulsa rather than competing for commuters.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Supervise the activities of workers engaged in receiving, storing, testing, and shipping products or materials.
Plan, develop, or implement warehouse safety and security programs and activities.
Inspect physical conditions of warehouses, vehicle fleets, or equipment and order testing, maintenance, repairs, or replacements.
Plan, organize, or manage the work of subordinate staff to ensure that the work is accomplished in a manner consistent with organizational requirements.
Collaborate with other departments to integrate logistics with business systems or processes, such as customer sales, order management, accounting, or shipping.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 11-3071.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Warehouse management system WMS, Inventory management systems, SAP software, Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D.

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 Tulsa?

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 33.3% of Tulsa 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 Tulsa commute runs 18.7 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 10.1% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

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 $19,348 to $29,022 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.

Hiring a distribution manager somewhere else?

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

Other management roles in Tulsa

Tulsa is the 2th largest of 2 Oklahoma cities in this dataset.