Vocational Index

Career

Facilities managers

Keep buildings safe, efficient and ready for the people inside.

$106,660
Median pay
+4.6%
Job growth, 2025–35
14,200
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job do

  • Monitor the facility to ensure that it remains safe, secure, and well-maintained.
  • Oversee the maintenance and repair of machinery, equipment, and electrical and mechanical systems.
  • Oversee construction and renovation projects to improve efficiency and to ensure that facilities meet environmental, health, and security standards, and comply with government regulations.
  • Plan, administer, and control budgets for contracts, equipment, and supplies.
  • Participate in architectural and engineering planning and design, including space and installation management.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition+3.8%2025–35 edition+4.6%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 13,200 → 14,200 openings a year.

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Persuasion & leadership
5.3
Information & systems
5.3
Objects & tools
4.2
People & care
3.6
Ideas & analysis
2.6
Creation & expression
1.6

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then information & systems?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Monitor the facility to ensure that it remains safe, secure, and well-maintained.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $106,660 a year and 14,200 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

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Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.