Wages by Occupation in Manhattan, KS

Pay and jobs by occupation in the Manhattan, KS metropolitan area (BLS, May 2025). BLS counts about 53,500 jobs across all occupations here, with a median annual wage of $45,900 for all occupations combined. 235 occupations have a published median wage in this area.

Education and earnings of residents

Who lives in the Manhattan, KS area and what they earn, by education, from federal survey data (not a measure of any one employer or college).

40.4% of adults 25 and over in this area have a bachelor’s degree or higher (±1.7), compared with 35.7% nationally.

Prices of goods and services here run at 90.2 when the whole U.S. is 100 (housing 72.0; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024; estimates are revised). A higher number means prices are higher on average, not that the area is better or worse.

About 22,239 residents (17.3% of those 3 and older; U.S. 6.6%) are enrolled in college or graduate school, at any school (±1,053; ACS 2020-2024, Table B14001).

The unemployment rate in this area averaged 3.7% in 2025, with a labor force of about 64,913 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted annual average; estimates are model-based and revised).

40.6% of adults 25 to 34 have a bachelor’s degree or higher (±2.9), compared with 39.6% nationally (Table B15001).

Median yearly earnings by education, adults 25 and over who have earnings

Education	This area	United States
Less than high school	$26,748	$32,485
High school graduate	$37,901	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$42,996	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$54,857	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$72,878	$90,720

Poverty rate by education, adults 25 and over

Education	This area	United States
Less than high school	25.4% (±4.3)	24.2%
High school graduate	14.7% (±2.1)	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	9.5% (±1.5)	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	6.9% (±1.1)	4.5%

What residents with a bachelor’s degree studied

Field of first major	This area	United States
Science and engineering	37.4%	36.1%
Science and engineering related fields	8.2%	10.0%
Business	18.2%	20.1%
Education	13.9%	10.9%
Arts, humanities and other	22.3%	23.0%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, Tables B15003, B20004 (earnings shown only when the margin of error is at most 20% of the value), B23006 (unemployment shown only when every margin is at most 3 points), B17003 (margins of error at the 90% level; poverty shown only when every margin is at most 8 points) and C15010 (the Census Bureau’s own field groups, in a fixed order, not ranked). Describes residents of the area, not a prediction for any person; the Census Bureau has not endorsed this presentation. MajorPays does not provide advice.

Wages by occupation

Occupation	Jobs	Median annual wage	Mean annual wage	Jobs per 1,000 jobs here	Concentration vs. U.S.
Accountants and Auditors	470	$65,900	$75,410	8.80	0.94
Administrative Services Managers	40	$115,610	$124,210	0.72	0.43
Agricultural Technicians	90	$51,270	$49,580	1.76	18.10
Amusement and Recreation Attendants	330	$27,980	$29,710	6.13	2.39
Animal Caretakers	90	$29,880	$36,060	1.65	0.96
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval	50	$77,940	$86,230	0.95	1.39
Architectural and Civil Drafters	40	$77,810	$69,550	0.80	1.19
Architectural and Engineering Managers	50	$157,400	$161,540	1.02	0.72
Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants	60	$35,260	$34,320	1.14	1.73
Automotive Body and Related Repairers	50	$59,260	$69,440	0.95	0.98
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics	240	$44,410	$49,830	4.46	0.98
Bakers	60	$30,010	$32,430	1.12	0.74
Bartenders	250	$27,160	$32,370	4.68	0.96
Billing and Posting Clerks	130	$45,290	$47,410	2.35	0.90
Biological Scientists, All Other	50	$88,610	$91,620	0.90	2.50
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks	560	$45,570	$45,460	10.52	1.19
Budget Analysts	70	$73,920	$83,340	1.23	4.06
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists	70	$54,010	$56,040	1.35	0.72
Bus Drivers, School	150	$45,850	$41,490	2.76	1.07
Business Operations Specialists, All Other	690	$75,120	$78,480	12.88	1.84
Butchers and Meat Cutters	50	$39,290	$40,220	1.00	1.14
Buyers and Purchasing Agents	210	$59,940	$68,850	3.89	1.23
Carpenters	300	$51,600	$56,250	5.63	1.31
Cashiers	1,620	$27,870	$27,360	30.22	1.52
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers	130	$57,030	$59,510	2.39	1.80
Chefs and Head Cooks	40	$48,640	$53,570	0.76	0.59
Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders	50	$36,040	$41,380	0.97	1.08
Chief Executives	80	$138,290	$193,660	1.55	1.18
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	240	$53,130	$53,720	4.58	1.81
Childcare Workers	210	$28,590	$28,470	3.95	1.18
Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians	80	$63,440	$62,980	1.44	3.27
Civil Engineers	180	$96,030	$95,870	3.40	1.44
Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	—	$64,740	$71,910	—	—
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment	200	$30,720	$33,450	3.76	1.54
Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians	140	$64,260	$62,240	2.55	1.19
Compliance Officers	130	$68,240	$69,850	2.52	0.94
Computer and Information Systems Managers	120	$139,180	$148,780	2.23	0.52
Computer Network Architects	40	$93,710	$99,200	0.77	0.66
Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators	80	$39,660	$43,830	1.47	1.35
Computer Occupations, All Other	150	$97,470	$100,420	2.83	1.01
Computer Systems Analysts	80	$84,820	$95,970	1.55	0.46
Computer User Support Specialists	220	$51,230	$54,320	4.03	0.87
Construction and Building Inspectors	50	$66,660	$68,070	0.92	0.97
Construction Laborers	420	$47,730	$48,080	7.80	1.11
Construction Managers	150	$111,360	$115,040	2.80	1.14
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria	310	$34,100	$32,920	5.78	2.04
Cooks, Restaurant	520	$32,280	$33,040	9.64	1.06
Cooks, Short Order	70	$27,820	$26,730	1.34	1.51
Correctional Officers and Jailers	130	$37,000	$42,730	2.34	0.95
Cost Estimators	80	$78,560	$83,590	1.49	1.03
Counter and Rental Clerks	130	$41,030	$48,400	2.48	0.96
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks	60	$41,540	$44,810	1.12	0.97
Customer Service Representatives	870	$38,620	$39,940	16.25	0.97
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	90	$46,030	$46,700	1.65	1.50
Dietitians and Nutritionists	30	$73,920	$75,140	0.58	1.15
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers	130	$21,770	$23,980	2.43	0.70
Dishwashers	100	$24,370	$26,760	1.82	0.59
Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance	40	$46,110	$48,100	0.78	0.60
Driver/Sales Workers	—	$17,510	$27,290	—	—
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary	100	$84,910	$92,360	1.95	0.92
Education Administrators, Postsecondary	180	$113,160	$128,780	3.42	2.94
Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other	60	$51,620	$58,430	1.20	1.57
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors	170	$51,720	$55,340	3.11	1.37
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians	40	$66,440	$73,480	0.67	1.09
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	50	$103,540	$97,310	0.99	1.17
Electricians	170	$61,170	$60,300	3.14	0.64
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	570	$49,520	$52,770	10.57	1.18
Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs	70	$56,620	$56,920	1.31	1.31
Engineers, All Other	50	$73,580	$85,950	0.96	0.97
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health	40	$75,360	$80,960	0.78	1.36
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	100	$71,330	$71,570	1.91	0.65
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors	150	$31,870	$35,490	2.72	1.31
Facilities Managers	40	$107,860	$119,680	0.82	0.82
Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	50	$45,930	$47,540	0.90	3.70
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse	50	$35,400	$36,470	0.87	0.51
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals	90	$37,020	$38,950	1.75	8.28
Fast Food and Counter Workers	2,190	$27,130	$26,610	40.87	1.65
Financial and Investment Analysts	50	$59,080	$75,520	0.98	0.42
Financial Managers	180	$137,240	$152,840	3.28	0.61
Financial Specialists, All Other	50	$63,130	$69,490	0.96	1.13
Firefighters	120	$53,290	$51,260	2.32	1.04
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	380	$78,660	$79,110	7.03	1.35
First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services	50	$49,780	$54,240	0.89	1.34
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers	50	$75,360	$85,960	0.92	1.45
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers	510	$36,460	$41,580	9.55	1.21
First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers	80	$44,820	$47,790	1.57	1.36
First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers	60	$56,300	$59,770	1.18	1.40
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	260	$74,230	$78,120	4.88	1.23
First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	30	$64,930	$73,810	0.60	0.43
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	350	$61,530	$63,890	6.53	0.71
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	110	$81,330	$87,380	2.02	2.03
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	190	$73,300	$73,270	3.63	0.84
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers	420	$45,310	$47,740	7.79	1.08
First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors	170	$57,780	$60,040	3.09	0.77
Food Preparation Workers	290	$29,270	$29,370	5.51	0.96
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant	50	$21,660	$23,010	0.86	0.45
Food Service Managers	100	$70,860	$74,360	1.91	1.24
Fundraisers	110	$65,870	$76,940	2.06	2.88
General and Operations Managers	920	$84,990	$103,740	17.22	0.76
Graphic Designers	60	$49,800	$52,020	1.05	0.82
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists	130	$29,700	$37,170	2.47	1.26
Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other	50	$49,750	$56,520	0.88	0.75
Healthcare Support Workers, All Other	60	$53,290	$54,510	1.07	1.52
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	150	$58,000	$59,730	2.84	1.08
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers	480	$51,750	$53,080	8.97	0.68
Highway Maintenance Workers	60	$47,750	$46,730	1.12	1.13
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	580	$30,420	$30,510	10.92	0.39
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop	190	$26,240	$26,630	3.57	1.28
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks	130	$28,630	$29,480	2.39	1.42
Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping	90	$51,820	$50,760	1.69	2.92
Human Resources Managers	40	$112,140	$122,310	0.71	0.50
Human Resources Specialists	500	$76,400	$79,810	9.33	1.59
Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians	50	$46,000	$50,490	1.02	2.10
Industrial Engineers	70	$95,230	$99,610	1.32	0.56
Industrial Machinery Mechanics	180	$62,910	$63,270	3.27	1.16
Industrial Production Managers	60	$114,990	$132,500	1.03	0.65
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators	190	$37,450	$40,360	3.47	0.70
Information and Record Clerks, All Other	110	$51,060	$49,910	1.97	2.27
Information Security Analysts	60	$97,490	$109,580	1.19	0.97
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers	250	$49,040	$50,420	4.72	1.23
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other	90	$66,600	$64,160	1.66	1.46
Instructional Coordinators	130	$66,010	$67,610	2.34	1.60
Insurance Sales Agents	140	$58,750	$85,060	2.64	0.86
Insurance Underwriters	60	$66,280	$86,510	1.12	1.65
Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan	70	$37,690	$39,120	1.32	1.38
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	720	$30,220	$32,400	13.37	0.94
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	40	$50,330	$52,740	0.80	1.14
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	930	$36,070	$36,200	17.35	0.91
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers	440	$36,660	$38,120	8.22	1.34
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers	90	$28,500	$30,660	1.63	1.28
Lawyers	120	$124,230	$124,160	2.16	0.45
Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants	70	$39,450	$41,250	1.29	1.29
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists	70	$60,370	$57,740	1.36	1.58
Library Assistants, Clerical	90	$32,710	$33,430	1.63	2.96
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses	230	$61,430	$63,230	4.34	1.04
Light Truck Drivers	170	$39,380	$38,000	3.18	0.50
Loan Interviewers and Clerks	80	$47,760	$50,040	1.58	1.50
Loan Officers	130	$87,730	$98,310	2.46	1.40
Logisticians	170	$66,710	$76,540	3.09	1.91
Machinists	100	$51,630	$52,280	1.81	0.98
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners	280	$28,350	$29,050	5.25	0.95
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	570	$46,370	$47,380	10.66	1.08
Management Analysts	180	$80,720	$85,480	3.45	0.60
Managers, All Other	110	$106,610	$113,480	2.11	0.53
Manicurists and Pedicurists	60	$30,260	$30,190	1.03	1.05
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	220	$61,100	$68,190	4.08	0.70
Marketing Managers	30	$151,780	$156,290	0.63	0.25
Mechanical Engineers	90	$83,200	$91,220	1.61	0.84
Medical and Health Services Managers	220	$106,330	$115,310	4.12	1.07
Medical Assistants	120	$37,460	$36,880	2.33	0.44
Medical Records Specialists	70	$47,050	$51,430	1.23	0.98
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants	190	$37,910	$42,230	3.55	0.57
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners	50	$53,390	$56,290	0.98	1.07
Microbiologists	40	$81,330	$92,130	0.76	6.26
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	240	$54,980	$54,700	4.52	1.13
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	250	$39,570	$41,690	4.64	0.51
Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines	80	$66,170	$65,090	1.44	1.26
Natural Sciences Managers	30	$140,850	$145,920	0.61	0.88
Network and Computer Systems Administrators	130	$80,170	$81,550	2.52	1.25
New Accounts Clerks	40	$38,150	$41,810	0.78	3.30
Nurse Practitioners	90	$115,350	$118,700	1.63	0.79
Nursing Assistants	840	$36,080	$38,830	15.70	1.68
Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	70	$91,560	$99,570	1.30	1.44
Occupational Therapists	70	$88,610	$88,470	1.26	1.21
Occupational Therapy Assistants	30	$62,380	$61,960	0.59	1.79
Office Clerks, General	80	$44,350	$44,210	1.57	0.10
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	360	$58,080	$59,920	6.77	2.20
Packers and Packagers, Hand	50	$27,460	$28,800	0.92	0.25
Painters, Construction and Maintenance	110	$45,330	$44,680	1.96	1.36
Paralegals and Legal Assistants	70	$47,890	$51,820	1.27	0.50
Paramedics	50	$48,950	$57,790	0.84	1.30
Parts Salespersons	100	$36,380	$43,550	1.81	1.04
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks	40	$51,630	$52,860	0.84	0.85
Personal Financial Advisors	120	$83,180	$123,820	2.18	1.27
Pest Control Workers	40	$38,070	$42,880	0.73	1.10
Pharmacists	80	$139,080	$134,370	1.57	0.76
Pharmacy Technicians	150	$39,640	$41,840	2.85	0.94
Phlebotomists	—	$37,900	$37,610	—	—
Physical Therapist Assistants	50	$60,210	$64,940	0.94	1.29
Physical Therapists	90	$97,110	$92,030	1.70	0.99
Physicians, All Other	130	$294,890	$274,800	2.37	1.08
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	200	$60,600	$65,870	3.79	1.27
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	280	$52,220	$57,520	5.33	1.23
Postal Service Clerks	30	$63,920	$58,220	0.56	1.18
Postal Service Mail Carriers	130	$57,700	$58,770	2.47	1.17
Postsecondary Teachers, All Other	60	$60,050	$77,380	1.12	1.16
Power Plant Operators	70	$98,840	$88,800	1.36	7.24
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education	70	$49,160	$49,610	1.26	0.41
Printing Press Operators	50	$37,500	$38,230	0.91	0.98
Procurement Clerks	30	$56,620	$55,220	0.58	1.61
Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks	100	$52,570	$53,830	1.87	0.75
Project Management Specialists	160	$95,390	$99,780	3.05	0.45
Property Appraisers and Assessors	40	$62,560	$64,300	0.82	2.24
Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers	170	$45,980	$61,470	3.24	1.62
Public Relations Specialists	150	$59,170	$62,950	2.79	1.53
Public Safety Telecommunicators	40	$51,640	$52,500	0.71	1.08
Radiologic Technologists and Technicians	60	$79,750	$76,570	1.03	0.70
Real Estate Sales Agents	110	$37,000	$42,150	2.00	1.61
Receptionists and Information Clerks	390	$32,130	$33,360	7.25	1.24
Recreation Workers	90	$29,900	$32,980	1.69	0.79
Registered Nurses	810	$78,960	$79,100	15.06	0.69
Rehabilitation Counselors	40	$36,050	$42,160	0.66	1.08
Residential Advisors	50	$34,890	$38,460	0.89	1.63
Retail Salespersons	1,390	$29,540	$34,380	26.02	1.04
Sales Managers	130	$162,920	$162,380	2.34	0.57
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel	370	$62,900	$71,110	6.88	0.85
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products	220	$63,040	$75,340	4.02	0.50
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products	40	$123,990	$127,360	0.74	0.40
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	330	$57,620	$56,640	6.16	0.90
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive	1,230	$40,460	$40,390	23.02	2.10
Security Guards	160	$39,730	$39,750	3.06	0.37
Sheet Metal Workers	40	$76,750	$73,860	0.84	1.09
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks	170	$41,910	$43,670	3.15	0.60
Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs	80	$32,300	$33,360	1.57	0.98
Social and Community Service Managers	50	$78,750	$85,660	0.92	0.68
Social and Human Service Assistants	240	$42,520	$44,010	4.50	1.60
Software Developers	350	$101,960	$106,460	6.55	0.60
Soil and Plant Scientists	60	$66,100	$65,920	1.21	11.92
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School	100	$58,860	$57,220	1.86	1.11
Special Education Teachers, Middle School	40	$56,890	$57,190	0.76	1.25
Special Education Teachers, Secondary School	50	$58,320	$57,350	1.00	0.95
Speech-Language Pathologists	80	$77,050	$79,280	1.52	1.29
Stockers and Order Fillers	1,020	$30,990	$33,960	19.06	1.05
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors	160	$42,200	$47,650	3.03	0.96
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term	470	$34,510	$36,080	8.84	2.62
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary	1,100	$31,020	$31,170	20.50	2.24
Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	40	$59,320	$58,720	0.69	0.77
Tellers	220	$35,930	$36,520	4.07	1.92
Training and Development Specialists	190	$55,830	$59,250	3.59	1.22
Veterinarians	70	$81,310	$78,470	1.37	2.55
Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers	140	$33,630	$34,620	2.54	3.12
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians	200	$51,610	$52,950	3.78	4.56
Waiters and Waitresses	940	$33,140	$37,460	17.53	1.20
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators	70	$47,490	$50,530	1.25	1.52
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	180	$50,550	$50,550	3.35	1.25

Colleges in this area

4 colleges in the federal directory have a campus in this area, listed alphabetically; MajorPays does not rank colleges. Each name links to the college’s profile.

College	Type	Level	Students, fall 2024
Bellus Academy	Private for-profit	Less than 2-year	209
Kansas State University	Public	4-year or above	20,295
Manhattan Area Technical College	Public	2-year	878
Manhattan Christian College	Private nonprofit	4-year or above	160

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS directory (HD 2024, core-based statistical area of the campus) and Fall Enrollment 2024 (total headcount). A count of students is the size of the college, not its quality; the Department has not endorsed this presentation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, metropolitan area estimates (cross-industry, all ownerships). Wages are pay for all workers in an occupation in this area, not any one person or employer; a dash means BLS does not publish the figure (often to protect privacy or because the estimate is unreliable), and “or more” marks a wage at or above BLS’s top reporting limit. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of jobs in this area divided by its share nationally (1.00 = the same share as the U.S.; above 1.00 = a larger share); it says nothing about pay or openings. Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's jobs per 1,000 jobs of all kinds in this area. Occupations that BLS reports only as hourly wages are not listed, and BLS shows some wages above its top limit as plain numbers while others read “or more”. Occupations are listed alphabetically; click a heading to sort. MajorPays does not rank places or occupations. MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; the Bureau of Labor Statistics has not approved or endorsed this presentation. MajorPays does not provide advice. See Data sources.

Explore more: all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas · salary by state · careers