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Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Purchase machinery, equipment, tools, parts, supplies, or services necessary for the operation of an establishment. Purchase raw or semifinished materials for manufacturing. May negotiate contracts.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $77,710 Median per year · $37.36/hr Most earn $48,380–$128,870

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Negotiate, renegotiate, and administer contracts with suppliers, vendors, and other representatives.
  • Prepare purchase orders, solicit bid proposals, and review requisitions for goods and services.
  • Confer with staff, users, and vendors to discuss defective or unacceptable goods or services and determine corrective action.
  • Hire, train, or supervise purchasing clerks, buyers, and expediters.
  • Review catalogs, industry periodicals, directories, trade journals, and Internet sites and consult with other department personnel to locate necessary goods and services.
  • Review catalogs, industry periodicals, directories, trade journals, and Internet sites and consult with other department personnel to locate necessary goods and services.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
6% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 47,200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't break this career out by industry.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Purchasing Agent is usually not an entry-level job straight out of school. Most people earn a bachelor's degree, then spend about 2 to 4 years in a related role such as procurement clerk or buyer before moving into this job.

  1. High school diploma with strong math and communication classes

    4 years

    Good math, writing, and business classes build the skills you need for comparing prices, reading contracts, and talking with vendors.

  2. Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, or a related field

    4 years

    A degree gives you the knowledge of accounting, contracts, and supply chain basics that employers look for in purchasing work.

  3. Procurement Clerk or Buyer

    1-3 years

    Entry roles like procurement clerk let you learn order processing, vendor records, and purchasing systems, which prepares you for more responsibility.

  4. Purchasing Agent

    2-4 years in related work before this job

    With a few years of hands-on buying experience, you can handle negotiating contracts and buying equipment, parts, supplies, or services for an organization.

Where it can lead

  1. Purchasing Manager

    2-4 years of experience first

    You move from buying yourself to leading a purchasing team, setting policies, and managing larger supplier relationships.

  2. Supply Chain Manager

    6-8 years of experience first

    You oversee the full flow of materials, from suppliers through production and delivery, which usually requires broad experience across purchasing and logistics.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and business classesAlgebra, statistics, and any business or economics course build the number skills used to compare prices and costs.
  • Get a part-time job in a store or restaurantWorking with inventory, cash, and suppliers shows you how businesses buy and manage what they need.
  • Join a business or debate clubDebate and business clubs help you practice persuading others, a key skill in negotiating.
  • Learn spreadsheet softwareBasic skills in Excel or Google Sheets help you organize and compare data, which purchasing work relies on.
  • Volunteer with a school or community group that handles budgetsHelping manage a club budget or fundraiser gives you real practice with spending decisions and tracking money.

In college

  • Major in business, supply chain management, or operationsThese majors cover purchasing, contracts, and supplier management, which are central to this career.
  • Seek an internship in purchasing, procurement, or logisticsInternships give you real buying experience and help you build a professional network before you graduate.
  • Take a campus job involving budgets or inventoryWorking at a campus bookstore, dining hall, or facilities office teaches you how institutions buy supplies and manage vendors.
  • Join a student business or supply chain organizationClubs in these areas let you practice case competitions, negotiation exercises, and meet people in the field.
  • Consider a professional certification laterCertifications in purchasing or supply management, offered by industry groups, can strengthen your résumé once you have some work experience.

Tips for getting started

  • Take a job in a warehouse, store, or office that handles orders and invoices. Hands-on exposure to how things get bought and delivered is valuable.
  • Practice negotiation and clear writing. Purchasing agents spend a lot of time comparing offers and writing emails and contracts.
  • Learn basic spreadsheet skills, especially formulas and data sorting, since comparing vendor prices is a daily task.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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