Production Manager salary
From 1,910 certified H-1B filings (FY2025–FY2026). Base salary only.
- Occupation code 11-3051: Industrial Production Managers
- Also filed as: Plant Manager
At a glance
- Mostly Level II (mid-level). 34% of Production Manager filings are Level II, compared with 42% across all H-1B filings.
- Top filer: Tesla. 180 filings (9% of the total), median $159,589.
- Pay depends on the city. Among the 3 metro areas with the most filings, the median ranges from $138,472 in New York, NY to $190,250 in San Jose, CA.
- Median up 26% since FY2020. From $115,000 in FY2020 to $145,330 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.
Production Manager H-1B salary overview
Employers filed 1,910 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Production Manager jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 11-3051, Industrial Production Managers). The median base salary is $140,000, 14% above the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $112,000 and $168,500. The most common wage level is Level II (mid-level), at 34% of filings. San Jose, CA has the most filings (196), and Tesla is the employer that files the most (180).
Is your Production Manager offer competitive?
Enter the base salary in your offer. We compare it with certified H-1B filings for Production Manager jobs, nationally or in one metro area.
Enter a salary to see where it falls.
Percentiles from certified H-1B filings, base salary only. Metro areas with at least 10 filings.
Top employers for Production Manager
Tesla180 filings · 9%$159,589
Apple112 filings · 6%$190,500
Qualcomm45 filings · 2%$180,648
Cummins25 filings · 1%$118,560
Asml20 filings · 1%$134,648
Lucid Motors16 filings · 1%$169,666
Eli Lilly and Company16 filings · 1%$131,500
Amgen15 filings · 1%$128,828
EY12 filings · 1%$300,000
Rivian12 filings · 1%$152,740
Employers with the most Production Manager filings. Bar: share of all Production Manager filings. Figure: median base salary.
Pay by level
Entry-level · 15% of filings
Mid-level · 34% of filings
Senior · 23% of filings
Expert · 28% of filings
Show the table
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Level I · Entry | $90,000 | 257 |
| Level II · Qualified | $123,840 | 591 |
| Level III · Experienced | $149,118 | 399 |
| Level IV · Fully competent | $170,000 | 493 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Production Manager pay by city
Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.
Show all 35 metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $190,250 | 196 |
| San Francisco, CA | $168,500 | 112 |
| New York, NY | $138,472 | 108 |
| Austin, TX | $146,109 | 75 |
| Boston, MA | $154,274 | 70 |
| Detroit, MI | $130,200 | 65 |
| San Diego, CA | $169,874 | 62 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $152,901 | 57 |
| Houston, TX | $134,640 | 55 |
| Chicago, IL | $134,346 | 54 |
| Dallas, TX | $126,734 | 50 |
| Miami, FL | $98,000 | 35 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $121,297 | 33 |
| Atlanta, GA | $120,000 | 27 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $104,250 | 27 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $122,860 | 22 |
| Reno, NV | $127,500 | 22 |
| Charlotte, NC | $138,000 | 19 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $118,000 | 19 |
| Raleigh, NC | $145,000 | 19 |
| Columbus, OH | $138,351 | 18 |
| Columbus, IN | $112,000 | 17 |
| Nashville, TN | $121,500 | 16 |
| Washington, DC | $140,930 | 16 |
| Chattanooga, TN | $130,000 | 15 |
| Memphis, TN | $98,232 | 15 |
| Riverside, CA | $141,211 | 15 |
| Portland, OR | $127,311 | 14 |
| Sacramento, CA | $127,296 | 13 |
| Dayton, OH | $91,335 | 12 |
| Salt Lake, UT | $143,500 | 12 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $147,700 | 11 |
| Kansas, MO | $107,182 | 11 |
| Stockton, CA | $180,000 | 11 |
| Oxnard, CA | $133,717 | 10 |
Metro areas with at least 10 filings for this occupation.
What a Production Manager does
Plan, direct, or coordinate the work activities and resources necessary for manufacturing products in accordance with cost, quality, and quantity specifications.
Typical tasks
- Set and monitor product standards, examining samples of raw products or directing testing during processing, to ensure finished products are of prescribed quality.
- Direct or coordinate production, processing, distribution, or marketing activities of industrial organizations.
- Review processing schedules or production orders to make decisions concerning inventory requirements, staffing requirements, work procedures, or duty assignments, considering budgetary limitations and time constraints.
- Review operations and confer with technical or administrative staff to resolve production or processing problems.
- Hire, train, evaluate, or discharge staff or resolve personnel grievances.
- Develop or implement production tracking or quality control systems, analyzing production, quality control, maintenance, or other operational reports to detect production problems.
Preparation
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
O*NET occupation: Industrial Production Managers (11-3051.00). This section includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
H-1B pay vs. all U.S. workers
Across all U.S. workers in this occupation (Industrial Production Managers), the median annual wage was $126,060 in May 2025, with 246,250 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $140,000, 11% higher.
| H-1B filings | All U.S. workers (BLS, May 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $95,821 | $78,000 |
| 25th percentile | $112,000 | $98,160 |
| Median | $140,000 | $126,060 |
| 75th percentile | $168,500 | $161,880 |
| 90th percentile | $198,000 | $205,520 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). BLS wages cover all wage and salary workers and include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are the base salary offered on certified LCAs. The two sources cover different periods. BLS reports wages of $239,200 or more as a single top value.
Salary details
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $95,821 |
| 25th | $112,000 |
| 50th (median) | $140,000 |
| 75th | $168,500 |
| 90th | $198,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $115,000 | $93,000 | $136,947 | 471 |
| FY2021 | $120,000 | $101,947 | $144,518 | 587 |
| FY2022 | $126,039 | $103,188 | $155,000 | 706 |
| FY2023 | $129,800 | $110,000 | $152,348 | 671 |
| FY2024 | $131,000 | $106,000 | $162,029 | 737 |
| FY2025 | $135,196 | $109,909 | $164,461 | 1,081 |
| FY2026 | $145,330 | $119,500 | $171,600 | 829 |
Questions
How much does an H-1B Production Manager make?
The median base salary in certified H-1B filings for Production Manager jobs is $140,000 (1,910 filings, FY2025–FY2026). Half of the filings are between $112,000 and $168,500.
What does an entry-level Production Manager earn on an H-1B?
Level I (entry-level) filings have a median of $90,000. Level I accounts for 15% of Production Manager filings.
Which city pays H-1B Production Managers the most?
Among metro areas with at least 100 filings, San Jose, CA has the highest median base salary for Production Manager jobs: $190,250 (196 filings).
Which employers file the most H-1B applications for Production Managers?
Tesla (180), Apple (112) and Qualcomm (45) filed the most Production Manager LCAs in FY2025–FY2026.
Do H-1B Production Managers earn more than other U.S. workers in the same job?
The H-1B median base salary ($140,000) is 11% higher than the median wage of all U.S. workers in this occupation ($126,060, BLS May 2025). The sources measure pay differently, so treat this as a rough comparison.