Facilities Managers
Also called Facilities Director, Facilities Maintenance Manager, Facilities Manager, or Facilities Operations Manager (Facilities Ops Manager)
Updated · Source: O*NET 31.0
What Facilities Managers do
You keep a building and everything in it working: heat, power, repairs, budgets, safety, and the people who do the hands-on work.
Facilities managers run the physical side of an organization. That can mean one office, a hospital, a factory, or a whole campus of buildings plus the grounds around them. You watch over heating and cooling, electrical and mechanical systems, and machinery, and you decide what gets fixed, replaced, or upgraded. You control budgets for contracts, equipment, and supplies, and you make sure the building meets health, safety, environmental, and government rules.
Much of the job is people. You set goals and deadlines for your department, train staff on procedures, and work with outside contractors, architects, and engineers on construction and renovation projects. You also deal with the people who use the building every day and bring you their complaints. Most of your time is indoors and climate controlled, though walk-throughs take you into equipment rooms and job sites.
A day in the life
You start with email and a walk-through of the building, looking for anything broken, unsafe, or out of place. Someone stops you about a cold conference room, so you pass it to the maintenance crew and follow up later. Mid-morning you meet contractors about a renovation, checking that the plan follows building and safety rules set by the government and fits your budget. You approve a supply order, review a repair report, and question a price estimate from a contractor that came in higher than expected. After lunch you run a short training session on a new safety procedure. Late in the day an alarm pulls you into a mechanical room, where the building's heating, cooling, and electrical equipment lives, to meet a technician. You end by updating schedules and setting tomorrow's priorities.
This could fit you if you…
- ✓Like solving practical problems in real buildings, not just on paper
- ✓Can talk clearly to tradespeople, executives, and frustrated building users in the same hour
- ✓Enjoy keeping budgets, schedules, and records accurate and organized
- ✓Notice small things going wrong before they turn into big failures
- ✓Want a job that mixes an office desk with walk-throughs and job sites
You might not like it if you…
- –Dislike being the person everyone complains to when something breaks
- –Want predictable days, since a burst pipe or failed system can reset your whole schedule
- –Prefer to avoid paperwork like budgets, reports, and government safety rules
- –Would rather do the hands-on repairs yourself than oversee others doing them
How people get in
- 1Finish high school and build comfort with math, writing, and talking to people you do not know.
- 2Earn a bachelor's degree, which is the typical entry education. Common paths include business administration and management, operations management and supervision, engineering or industrial management, or health care facilities administration.
- 3Get experience in buildings while you study or right after: maintenance, construction, housekeeping, security, or an office operations role. Employers usually expect less than 5 years of related work experience before you manage a facility.
- 4Learn the technical basics on the job by shadowing electricians and HVAC technicians (the people who work on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) so you can judge their work and their prices.
- 5Take on supervision: lead a small crew, manage a contract with an outside company that supplies services or equipment, or own part of a budget. This is often how people show they are ready.
- 6Apply for roles listed as facilities manager, facilities operations manager, or facilities maintenance manager, and expect to start with a smaller site before running a larger campus.
Who tends to enjoy it
Leading
People who like persuading, selling, starting things, and taking charge.
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Hands-on
People who like building, fixing, working with tools, machines, plants, or animals.
Official task list
Facilities Managers plan, direct, or coordinate operations and functionalities of facilities and buildings. May include surrounding grounds or multiple facilities of an organization's campus. (O*NET)
- 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.
- Set goals and deadlines for the department.
- Conduct classes to teach procedures to staff.
- Prepare and review operational reports and schedules to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
What you'll need to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Personnel and Human Resources
How much Facilities Managers make
The median pay for Facilities Managers in the U.S. is $106,660 a year ($51.28 an hour). Most earn between $64,480 and $176,120. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025)
Pay depends a lot on where you live: the median is highest in Washington ($139,990) and lowest in U.S. Virgin Islands ($66,420).
Pay by state and territory
| State | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $121,010 | 940 |
| Alaska | $113,510 | 870 |
| Arizona | $99,880 | 3,430 |
| Arkansas | $89,810 | 880 |
| California | $118,620 | 20,550 |
| Colorado | $122,510 | 2,150 |
| Connecticut | $110,990 | 2,650 |
| Delaware | $129,260 | 240 |
| District of Columbia | $115,770 | 930 |
| Florida | $98,780 | 8,620 |
| Georgia | $114,360 | 2,670 |
| Guam | $79,560 | 60 |
| Hawaii | $108,750 | 760 |
| Idaho | $99,870 | 610 |
| Illinois | $106,980 | 9,180 |
| Indiana | $104,560 | 4,110 |
| Iowa | $99,010 | 2,340 |
| Kansas | $117,270 | 1,080 |
| Kentucky | $100,720 | 1,070 |
| Louisiana | $97,120 | 1,160 |
| Maine | $98,310 | 670 |
| Maryland | $97,700 | 5,210 |
| Massachusetts | $124,100 | 6,070 |
| Michigan | $98,150 | 4,920 |
| Minnesota | $109,720 | 3,000 |
| Mississippi | $93,640 | 930 |
| Missouri | $100,380 | 1,920 |
| Montana | $96,100 | 340 |
| Nebraska | $102,150 | 1,430 |
| Nevada | $101,850 | 1,250 |
| New Hampshire | $106,690 | 550 |
| New Jersey | $124,110 | 5,690 |
| New Mexico | $108,110 | 390 |
| New York | $131,350 | 9,580 |
| North Carolina | $108,130 | 4,810 |
| North Dakota | $92,040 | 270 |
| Ohio | $97,740 | 6,030 |
| Oklahoma | $90,390 | 1,040 |
| Oregon | $110,710 | 1,830 |
| Pennsylvania | $95,290 | 6,870 |
| Puerto Rico | $72,500 | 710 |
| Rhode Island | $106,510 | 470 |
| South Carolina | $103,940 | 1,750 |
| South Dakota | $101,280 | 370 |
| Tennessee | $106,730 | 2,580 |
| Texas | $99,430 | 13,140 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $66,420 | 50 |
| Utah | $99,320 | 1,770 |
| Vermont | $88,710 | 500 |
| Virginia | $116,540 | 2,950 |
| Washington | $139,990 | 2,790 |
| West Virginia | $95,050 | 610 |
| Wisconsin | $103,620 | 2,010 |
| Wyoming | $106,330 | 190 |
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
- Business Administration and Management 2,431 colleges
- Business / Commerce 948 colleges
- Operations Management and Supervision 240 colleges
- Engineering / Industrial Management 217 colleges
- Hospital and Health Care Facilities Administration / Management 96 colleges
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management 159 colleges
- Building / Property Maintenance 123 colleges
- Hotel / Motel Administration / Management 133 colleges
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 11-3013.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), SOC 11-3013. Outlook and entry education: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.