What’s A Facility Management Pro Worth Today?

Today’s facility management professionals are responsible for much more than buildings and maintenance. Their role has evolved—and continues to expand—to include managing people, places and workplace technology.

As the scope of facility management increases, so does the value they offer their organizations. But how does this translate to facility management salaries?

Let’s see what the numbers look like today.

How Much Do Facility Management Professionals Make?

The best place to start this discussion is with some well-known online job boards. As companies post job openings to these boards, the websites collect data on the salaries associated with them.

As of November 2017, Indeed reported that facility managers make nearly $62,000 per year on average — an estimate that came from more than 11,000 employees, users and job advertisements on their site. Payscale noted similar findings, with median earnings of around $64,000 per year, while Glassdoor had a bit higher of a national average: a little over $77,000.

While these averages provide insight into the potential earnings of facility management professionals, there are other factors to consider.

How Experience and Skills Impact Facility Manager Salaries

It’s true across various industries: The more experience you bring to the table, the better your chances are to earn more. Facility management is no exception.

Of today’s facility managers across the nation, a little more than half have been working in the field for over 10 years. While these individuals can expect to earn an average of $62,000, those with more than 20 years of experience can expect to earn closer to $70,000.

In addition to their experience level, there are also certain skills that can boost compensation. For instance, if a facility manager has a background in budget management, their salary can increase by 7 percent. And if they have worked with contract negotiation, that could provide another 5 percent boost.

The Impact of Geography

The higher cost of living in certain cities is no secret. To make this more manageable, companies typically offer higher salaries to employees working in those locations.

In several larger cities, facility managers can expect to earn bigger paychecks. Take Chicago, for example, where the average salary is over $70,000, a 13 percent increase from the national average. San Francisco offers a similar increase of 12 percent.

There are also certain states where higher salaries are available for facility managers. Washington, for instance, has a median pay of close to $75,000 per year.

Salaries Vary Among Employers

While some companies may already be large and well established, others may be smaller startups trying to grow their workforce. These factors can impact the salaries they are able to offer employees.

For some facilities manager positions, this may translate into salaries that fall beneath the national average. Opportunities for bonuses and raises, however, can help to bridge this gap.

Today’s facilities management professionals are taking on more responsibility than ever before. Their value throughout organizations is reflected in the compensation they receive, with a trend toward the positive based on experience.

Competency Impacts Facility Management Salaries

As facility managers take on increasingly strategic roles, they are under greater pressure to prove their worth. Facility managers who demonstrate they can streamline operations, reduce costs and increase workplace productivity will be in a better position to negotiate higher salaries.

To make their case, they’ll need to track the right facility management metrics.

Recommended: 8 New Facility Management Metrics You Need to Know

That means keeping a close eye on real estate, costs, space usage and much more. Thanks to facility management solutions, including integrated workplace management systems (IWMS) that show real-time data about workplaces and how employees use them, facility managers can access the insights they need to make better business decisions and prove their worth.

For facility management professionals who are willing to embrace new responsibilities and demonstrate how they add value, the future looks promising.

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