# How Much to Pay an Office Manager at a Trades Company in 2026

BLS doesn't track "office manager" as one job, but its closest match, first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers, earned a median $33.41 an hour ($69,500 a year) in May 2025. At specialty trade contractors the median was $33.42. A bookkeeper-style office lead without staff to supervise usually earns less.

## Key takeaways

- Office supervisors (SOC 43-1011): $33.41 national median; middle half $26.90–$40.91.
- Specialty trade contractors pay almost exactly the national figure: $33.42, or $69,510 a year.
- If the job is mostly books and billing with no one to manage, compare with bookkeeping clerks: $25.99 at trade contractors.
- State medians for office supervisors range from $25.80 (West Virginia) to $38.21 (Washington).
- Salary alone doesn't make someone exempt from overtime; the duties test matters too.

## What does an office manager make?

It depends on which job you mean. In a trades shop, "office manager" can mean anything from a one-person front office to someone running CSRs, dispatch, billing and payroll. BLS's closest category, first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers, covers about 1,436,680 people with a May 2025 median of $33.41 an hour. That's the right benchmark if your office manager supervises at least one or two other office staff.

**First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers, United States, May 2025**

| Percentile | Hourly | Annual |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10th | $21.93 | $45,610 |
| 25th | $26.90 | $55,950 |
| Median | $33.41 | $69,500 |
| 75th | $40.91 | $85,090 |
| 90th | $50.34 | $104,710 |

_Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 43-1011, all industries. Annual figures assume 2,080 hours. Mean: $35.33 an hour._

## Which BLS job matches your office manager?

Pick the benchmark by what the person will actually do, not by the title on the posting. Paying a supervisor's wage for a bookkeeping role overspends; paying a clerk's wage for someone running a five-person office loses good candidates.

**Office roles at specialty trade contractors (NAICS 238), May 2025**

| If the job is mostly… | BLS occupation (SOC) | Employed in NAICS 238 | Median hourly | Median annual |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Front desk, phones, filing, general admin | Secretaries and administrative assistants (43-6014) | 85,430 | $22.27 | $46,320 |
| Invoicing, payables, payroll entry, reconciliations | Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks (43-3031) | 73,970 | $25.99 | $54,050 |
| Running the office team plus the above | First-line supervisors of office workers (43-1011) | 36,420 | $33.42 | $69,510 |
| Running admin for a larger company: facilities, policies, several departments | Administrative services managers (11-3012) | 6,670 | $48.31 | $100,480 |

_Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 industry-specific estimates for NAICS 238000. Role descriptions in the first column are ours._

Most shops with 5–20 techs are hiring a working office manager: someone who supervises a CSR or two and still does billing and payroll prep. That sits between the bookkeeper median ($25.99) and the supervisor median ($33.42), moving up as the team they run grows.

## Do HVAC, plumbing and electrical shops pay office managers more?

Slightly. Building equipment contractors, the industry group for HVAC, plumbing and electrical, employ 19,080 office supervisors at a median of $34.25, a little above the specialty-trade figure of $33.42. Building finishing contractors (painting, flooring, drywall) pay $32.00, and general builders and remodelers pay $34.86.

**Office supervisor wages by construction industry, May 2025**

| Industry (NAICS) | Employed | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Median annual |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| All industries | 1,436,680 | $21.93 | $33.41 | $50.34 | $69,500 |
| Specialty trade contractors (238) | 36,420 | $21.90 | $33.42 | $51.00 | $69,510 |
| Building equipment contractors (2382) | 19,080 | $22.03 | $34.25 | $51.52 | $71,230 |
| Building finishing contractors (2383) | 5,310 | $20.27 | $32.00 | $48.93 | $66,560 |
| Construction of buildings (236) | 12,970 | $19.57 | $34.86 | $54.99 | $72,520 |

_Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, SOC 43-1011._

## How does office manager pay vary by state?

State medians for office supervisors run from $25.80 an hour in West Virginia to $38.21 in Washington, with New York and California close behind. Florida, Texas, Georgia and Ohio all sit near $31. Use the state median as a midpoint, then adjust for your metro and the size of the team the person will run.

**First-line supervisors of office workers in selected states, May 2025**

| State | Employed | 10th pct. | Median | 90th pct. | Median annual |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Washington | 31,790 | $27.36 | $38.21 | $58.03 | $79,480 |
| New York | 83,110 | $26.56 | $38.06 | $59.83 | $79,170 |
| California | 149,230 | $24.46 | $37.30 | $58.48 | $77,590 |
| Colorado | 26,100 | $24.03 | $36.83 | $53.97 | $76,600 |
| Massachusetts | 34,520 | $24.53 | $36.91 | $51.68 | $76,770 |
| Illinois | 42,400 | $22.49 | $33.18 | $49.89 | $69,010 |
| Pennsylvania | 56,600 | $21.64 | $31.38 | $46.90 | $65,270 |
| Texas | 160,600 | $20.83 | $31.22 | $49.78 | $64,940 |
| Georgia | 42,630 | $21.12 | $31.07 | $48.99 | $64,620 |
| Florida | 93,850 | $21.02 | $30.94 | $48.88 | $64,360 |
| Ohio | 45,070 | $21.51 | $30.87 | $46.71 | $64,220 |
| North Carolina | 35,830 | $21.10 | $29.97 | $47.07 | $62,340 |
| Louisiana | 20,810 | $18.17 | $27.49 | $41.04 | $57,180 |

_Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 state estimates, SOC 43-1011, all industries. West Virginia (not shown): $25.80 median. State data isn't split by industry._

## Should an office manager be salaried or hourly?

Either can work, but salary alone doesn't remove overtime. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, an employee is exempt only if they're paid a salary at or above the level DOL enforces (the DOL fact sheet lists $684 a week) and their job meets a duties test. For an office manager that usually means the executive test (managing the office as a department and regularly directing at least two full-time employees) or the administrative test (office work tied to running the business, with real discretion on significant matters). A bookkeeper doing data entry on salary is likely still owed overtime. States can be stricter. This is general information, not legal advice; check the DOL links below or ask an employment attorney.

**Hourly vs. salary for an office manager**

| Option | Works when | Watch out for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hourly, non-exempt | The job is mostly admin and bookkeeping; hours swing in busy season | Track every hour, including after-hours payroll work |
| Salary, non-exempt | You want a steady paycheck but the duties test isn't met | Overtime is still owed over 40 hours |
| Salary, exempt | They run the office team and meet the salary and duties tests | Don't stretch the title to avoid overtime |
| Salary + annual bonus | You want them focused on collections, cash flow or office efficiency | Formula bonuses for non-exempt staff count toward overtime |

## What does an office manager cost the business?

The example below treats an office manager on a salary equal to the specialty-trade median, $69,510 a year (about $1337 a week), and runs it through the [payroll cost calculator](https://www.brix.so/tools/payroll-cost-calculator). Benefits are higher than for an entry-level role because senior office hires often expect health coverage and a retirement match.

> **Total cost of an office manager at the trade-contractor median (illustrative inputs)**
>
> Salary: $69,514 a year.
>
> Employer payroll taxes, including 2.7% state unemployment on $9,000: $5,603.
>
> Workers' comp at an illustrative $0.30 per $100 of payroll: $209. Benefits at $650 a month: $7,800. Software seats, computer and training: $2,500.
>
> Total: **$85,625 a year**, about $7,135 a month, 23% on top of salary.

Interactive calculator: https://www.brix.so/tools/payroll-cost-calculator

A good office manager pays for themselves through cash flow and owner time: invoices out the same day, receivables chased before they go 60 days, payroll and vendor bills right the first time, and the owner back in the field or selling. If your receivables are slow, the cost of waiting on money is often bigger than the salary. See the [contractor bookkeeping checklist](https://www.brix.so/learn/bookkeeping-checklist-for-contractors) for what the role should own.

## What should you automate before hiring an office manager?

Automate the repeatable paperwork first so the person you hire spends time on judgment work: collections conversations, vendor negotiations, managing the office team and catching problems early. Invoicing, payment reminders, QuickBooks sync, timesheets and appointment reminders all follow rules and can run without a person touching each one.

**Office work: automate or hire for it?**

| Task | Automate first? | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Turning finished jobs into invoices | Yes | Same steps every job |
| Payment reminders on unpaid invoices | Yes | Consistent, polite and on time |
| Syncing invoices and payments to QuickBooks | Yes | Removes double entry |
| Collecting timesheets for payroll | Yes | Clock-ins beat paper |
| Calling a customer 60 days past due | Person | Needs judgment and tone |
| Managing CSRs and dispatch | Person | People management |
| Month-end review with your accountant | Person | Needs context and decisions |

BRIX turns finished jobs into invoices, chases unpaid ones, syncs customers, invoices and payments with QuickBooks, and collects payroll-ready timesheets. That doesn't replace an office manager, but it lets a smaller shop wait longer to hire one, and it lets the one you hire manage instead of type. BRIX doesn't file taxes or give tax advice.

- [Invoicing and payments](https://www.brix.so/features/invoicing-payments): Turns finished jobs into invoices and politely chases unpaid ones until the money is in your account.
- [QuickBooks sync](https://www.brix.so/integrations/quickbooks): Syncs customers, invoices and payments with QuickBooks so the books match the jobs.
- [Crew timesheets](https://www.brix.so/#use-cases): Clock-ins, job hours and payroll-ready timesheets.

## Next steps

Decide whether you need a manager or a bookkeeper with the [office manager hiring guide](https://www.brix.so/hiring/office-manager), then post with the [office manager job description](https://www.brix.so/hiring/office-manager/job-description). If the gap is really phones or the schedule, compare [CSR pay](https://www.brix.so/hiring/customer-service-representative/pay) and [dispatcher pay](https://www.brix.so/hiring/dispatcher/pay) first.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much should I pay an office manager at a small contracting company?

Start from what the job really is. If they supervise office staff, BLS's office supervisor median at specialty trade contractors is $33.42 an hour ($69,510 a year). If it's a one-person office focused on books, the bookkeeping clerk median of $25.99 is a better anchor. Adjust for your state.

### Is an office manager exempt from overtime?

Only if both tests are met: a salary at or above the federal level DOL enforces (its fact sheet lists $684 a week) and duties like managing the office and directing at least two full-time employees, or administrative work with real discretion. Many office managers in small shops don't meet the duties test. Check state rules too.

### What's the difference between an office manager and a bookkeeper?

A bookkeeper records transactions: invoices, bills, payroll entries and reconciliations. An office manager runs the office, often including bookkeeping, plus staff, vendors, insurance and owner support. BLS pays the two differently: $25.99 for bookkeeping clerks versus $33.42 for office supervisors at specialty trade contractors.

### Where do office managers earn the most?

Among states, Washington ($38.21 an hour), New York ($38.06) and California ($37.30) had the highest medians for office supervisors in May 2025. West Virginia had the lowest at $25.80. Big metros generally pay above their state medians.

### What does an office manager cost in total?

In our illustrative example, an office manager paid the trade-contractor median of $69,510 costs about $85,625 a year after payroll taxes, workers' comp, $650 a month in benefits and equipment. Your state unemployment rate, comp rate and benefits will change that, so use the payroll cost calculator.

### Can software replace an office manager?

Software can take over much of the repeatable work: invoicing, payment reminders, accounting sync and timesheets. It doesn't manage people, negotiate with vendors or make judgment calls on collections. Small shops often automate first and hire later; larger shops use both.

## Related

- [When to Hire an Office Manager (and What They Should Own)](https://www.brix.so/hiring/office-manager)
- [Office Manager Job Description for a Contracting or Trades Company](https://www.brix.so/hiring/office-manager/job-description)
- [How Much to Pay a Dispatcher at a Trades Company in 2026](https://www.brix.so/hiring/dispatcher/pay)
- [How Much to Pay a Customer Service Representative in 2026](https://www.brix.so/hiring/customer-service-representative/pay)
- [True Cost of an Employee Calculator for Trades Businesses](https://www.brix.so/tools/payroll-cost-calculator)
- [Bookkeeping Checklist for Contractors (Weekly, Monthly, Year-End)](https://www.brix.so/learn/bookkeeping-checklist-for-contractors)
- [What Are Payroll Taxes?](https://www.brix.so/learn/payroll-taxes)
- [Contractor invoicing software that sends the invoice and chases the money](https://www.brix.so/features/invoicing-payments)
- [QuickBooks for contractors: the right version, real job costing and a sync that keeps the books matched to the jobs](https://www.brix.so/integrations/quickbooks)
- [How to Set Up QuickBooks for a Contracting Business](https://www.brix.so/guides/quickbooks-setup-for-contractors)

## Sources

- [BLS OEWS May 2025: First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers (43-1011), national estimates](https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/occupation/431011/2025) (checked 2026-10-24)
- [BLS OEWS May 2025: Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (43-3031), national estimates](https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/occupation/433031/2025) (checked 2026-10-24)
- [BLS OEWS May 2025: Specialty Trade Contractors (NAICS 238000) occupational estimates](https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/industry/238000/2025) (checked 2026-10-24)
- [BLS OEWS May 2025: National industry-specific occupational estimates](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2025/may/oessrci.htm) (checked 2026-10-24)
- [BLS OEWS May 2025: State occupational employment and wage estimates](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2025/may/oessrcst.htm) (checked 2026-10-24)
- [BLS OEWS data tables and downloads (national, industry and state files, May 2025)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm) (checked 2026-10-24)
- [U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #17A, Exemption for executive, administrative and professional employees](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/17a-overtime) (checked 2026-10-24)
- [U.S. Department of Labor: Overtime pay (FLSA)](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime) (checked 2026-10-24)
- [U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #56C, Bonuses under the FLSA](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/56c-bonuses) (checked 2026-10-24)
- [IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide, for use in 2026](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p15.pdf) (checked 2026-10-24)

Talk to BRIX: call or text (518) 588-1122, email eeharris2004@gmail.com, or book a 15-minute call at https://cal.com/ethanharris/15min.

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Written by BRIX Editorial Team. Last updated 2026-10-24.
Canonical: https://www.brix.so/hiring/office-manager/pay