Salary guide, May 2025

FSQA Manager pay, United States

Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.

This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.

The median annual wage for Industrial Production Managers in the United States was $126,060 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $98,160 and $161,880.

Also searched as: Food Safety & Quality Manager, Food Safety Manager, QA Manager (Food). These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.

Broader occupation · SOC 11-3051 Industrial Production Managers

BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.

Industrial Production Managers in U.S.: median $126,060; published 25th to 75th percentile $98,160 to $161,880.

Annual wage percentiles, U.S.
10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
$78,000	$98,160	$126,060	$161,880	$205,520

Industrial Production Managers in U.S.: median $60.61; published 25th to 75th percentile $47.19 to $77.83.

Hourly wage percentiles, U.S.
10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
$37.50	$47.19	$60.61	$77.83	$98.81

BLS estimated 246,250 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 11-3051 Industrial Production Managers, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.

How does pay compare in the target metros?

FSQA Manager pay in target metros (May 2025)
Metro	Median	25th to 75th	Employment	Location quotient
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$120,090	$86,300 to $164,900	2,300	0.51
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$119,360	$84,210 to $160,800	1,550	0.68
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$121,840	$89,090 to $166,420	1,050	0.47
Raleigh-Cary, NC	$130,120	$97,770 to $164,810	1,010	0.86
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$151,630	$117,020 to $178,570	7,220	0.48
Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$151,630	$117,020 to $178,570	7,220	0.48
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$132,990	$98,770 to $171,080	5,890	0.92
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$129,840	$103,990 to $165,090	8,850	1.24

Rank every metro for FSQA Manager

What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?

Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels.

Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$155,730
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing$155,730
Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing$145,280
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing$140,800
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)$139,500
Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills$139,030
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing$138,990
Tobacco Manufacturing$138,300
Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing$135,850
Chemical Manufacturing$135,530
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing$135,490
Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing$135,300
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing$135,190
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing$133,830
Electrical Equipment Manufacturing$131,970

Bars show up to 15 industries with exact annual medians. The table lists every published industry.

FSQA Manager (SOC 11-3051) by manufacturing industry, national, May 2025
NAICS	Industry	Employment	25th	Median	75th
31-33	Manufacturing	185,250	$98,370	$125,280	$159,150
336000	Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	25,800	$104,500	$131,510	$162,800
332000	Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing	23,450	$90,010	$109,920	$138,480
325000	Chemical Manufacturing	21,440	$106,190	$135,530	$169,170
311000	Food Manufacturing	19,440	$95,170	$116,250	$148,320
333000	Machinery Manufacturing	17,600	$98,400	$124,850	$156,920
334000	Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing	12,170	$104,940	$133,830	$171,590
326000	Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing	11,450	$96,720	$118,960	$145,370
3330A1	Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)	11,250	$98,450	$124,790	$155,830
326100	Plastics Product Manufacturing	9,620	$96,550	$117,930	$142,340
336400	Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	9,520	$124,810	$140,800	$169,400
3250A1	Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)	9,340	$107,310	$139,500	$172,510
325400	Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	8,080	$116,550	$138,990	$169,920
3320A1	Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)	7,960	$96,560	$119,690	$149,230
336300	Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing	7,960	$99,800	$124,910	$143,850
339000	Miscellaneous Manufacturing	7,820	$99,010	$128,300	$164,320
327000	Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing	6,940	$88,100	$107,810	$137,940
327000	Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing	6,940	$88,100	$107,810	$137,940
3320A2	Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only)	6,690	$93,950	$114,900	$140,350
322000	Paper Manufacturing	6,640	$100,720	$129,500	$161,330
335000	Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing	6,260	$99,380	$127,140	$161,060
332700	Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing	6,210	$84,420	$105,370	$134,470
331000	Primary Metal Manufacturing	6,010	$102,000	$127,420	$164,710
334500	Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	5,650	$110,400	$135,490	$173,780
321000	Wood Product Manufacturing	4,750	$80,030	$101,510	$129,620
334400	Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing	4,720	$104,010	$135,190	$171,590
332710	Machine Shops	4,630	$83,940	$103,660	$134,740
322200	Converted Paper Product Manufacturing	4,580	$97,660	$122,280	$150,980
339100	Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing	4,480	$108,750	$135,850	$172,360
336100	Motor Vehicle Manufacturing	4,390	$100,130	$131,560	$165,450
311600	Animal Slaughtering and Processing	4,200	$99,300	$119,820	$150,790
3250A2	Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only)	4,010	$98,820	$124,440	$157,780
323000	Printing and Related Support Activities	3,730	$82,840	$104,240	$131,880
323100	Printing and Related Support Activities	3,730	$82,840	$104,240	$131,880
311900	Other Food Manufacturing	3,640	$90,990	$112,850	$147,090
339900	Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing	3,340	$82,870	$107,730	$137,700
337000	Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing	3,140	$82,770	$103,250	$134,010
333500	Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing	2,980	$93,550	$109,790	$136,320
3370A1	Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only)	2,840	$82,580	$103,230	$133,630
321900	Other Wood Product Manufacturing	2,760	$77,930	$98,860	$125,740
311800	Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing	2,750	$88,190	$109,640	$137,820
335900	Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing	2,720	$100,300	$129,200	$161,690
312000	Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing	2,710	$101,850	$130,480	$166,040
324000	Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	2,650	$114,730	$155,730	$174,110
324100	Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	2,650	$114,730	$155,730	$174,110
332800	Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities	2,600	$80,590	$102,030	$127,720
312100	Beverage Manufacturing	2,450	$99,890	$130,100	$165,580
311500	Dairy Product Manufacturing	2,420	$100,010	$123,960	$155,080
335300	Electrical Equipment Manufacturing	2,310	$104,000	$131,970	$165,250
311400	Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing	2,230	$96,430	$119,590	$146,490
333600	Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing	2,180	$107,140	$135,300	$176,080
322100	Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills	2,060	$128,610	$139,030	$171,120
326200	Rubber Product Manufacturing	1,830	$97,400	$123,430	$154,350
331500	Foundries	1,820	$96,830	$118,220	$137,500
311100	Animal Food Manufacturing	1,810	$93,860	$104,400	$128,970
336200	Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing	1,720	$93,120	$112,700	$142,080
332720	Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing	1,580	$87,090	$112,130	$134,040
331100	Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing	1,520	$121,640	$145,280	$207,820
336600	Ship and Boat Building	1,340	$101,600	$126,570	$164,590
313000	Textile Mills	1,250	$83,270	$102,070	$135,120
333300	Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing	1,190	$96,450	$123,440	$160,260
321200	Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing	1,150	$80,180	$100,730	$129,730
311200	Grain and Oilseed Milling	1,140	$100,890	$127,450	$163,410
331400	Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing	1,010	$100,900	$125,940	$156,800
314000	Textile Product Mills	980	$79,580	$101,670	$136,960
311300	Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing	930	$81,750	$118,380	$155,350
331300	Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing	890	$104,530	$131,300	$165,050
321100	Sawmills and Wood Preservation	840	$95,360	$121,560	$143,900
315000	Apparel Manufacturing	810	$75,880	$98,720	$136,410
331200	Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel	760	$102,320	$125,530	$155,360
334200	Communications Equipment Manufacturing	760	$92,270	$126,780	$170,350
313200	Fabric Mills	740	$82,170	$104,030	$137,730
335200	Household Appliance Manufacturing	710	$93,260	$105,140	$128,430
334100	Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing	690	$80,150	$105,880	$140,240
314900	Other Textile Product Mills	680	$74,720	$97,070	$128,960
315200	Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing	570	$75,290	$98,710	$138,000
335100	Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing	520	$86,660	$111,270	$143,240
336900	Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing	470	$84,940	$111,130	$147,630
336500	Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing	390	$103,820	$118,170	$135,280
313300	Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills	320	$83,910	$94,480	$129,990
311700	Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging	300	$81,630	$104,270	$137,390
314100	Textile Furnishings Mills	300	$95,220	$122,520	$146,210
337900	Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing	300	$84,410	$104,380	$135,230
312200	Tobacco Manufacturing	270	$111,280	$138,300	$174,020
334300	Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing	250	$84,150	$123,250	$158,980
316000	Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing	220	$77,090	$99,800	$131,740
339910	Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing	220	$82,370	$114,560	$137,020
313100	Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills	190	$89,700	$100,820	$125,840
315900	Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing	180	$79,150	$99,230	$124,890
316900	Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing	110	$71,920	$90,990	$130,520
334600	Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media	100	$82,560	$126,730	$185,000
316200	Footwear Manufacturing	70	$94,960	$104,090	$136,190
315100	Apparel Knitting Mills	50	$76,600	$94,230	$132,750
316100	Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing	40	$79,410	$91,090	$143,360

What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?

For FSQA Manager, clarify the base pay before discussing call-outs, travel or extra shifts. OEWS includes base rate, guaranteed pay and production incentive pay. It excludes overtime premium, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses. An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure.

Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.

Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.

What should you know about two BLS releases?

FSQA Manager in the United States, annual wages, May 2024 and May 2025
Release period	25th	Median	75th
May 2024	$94,620	$121,440	$156,330
May 2025	$98,160	$126,060	$161,880

These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.

Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.

What should you know about environmental monitoring and positive response?

We ask how they designed zone mapping, what they did with a Zone 1 positive, how they handled swab trends and what a hold and release decision looked like. A good manager explains the investigation, the root cause and the sanitation change that followed, not only the retest.

What should you know about questions?

Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.

What is the median pay for a FSQA Manager?

What does the 10th percentile mean here?

10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $78,000. 90% earned less than $205,520.

Does this include overtime or bonuses?

Is this the pay for a FSQA Manager at a plant?

BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.

How many people work in this occupation?

BLS estimated 246,250 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.

What should you know about related?

Underlying BLS figures for this role (JSON)

Reading this wage estimate

What does this data mean for your opening?

In terms of geographic benchmarks, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro shows a median of 128,540, and the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro shows a median of 129,840. 92, showing how production managers are clustered in these hubs. Manufacturing Headhunters reminds hiring managers that these quotients measure the intensity of the Industrial Production Managers occupation, not the market volume of FSQA candidates.

The FSQA Manager role aligns with the 11-3051 Industrial Production Managers classification. The May 2025 national median is $126,060, marking a 4,620 increase over the previous year. The middleBandWidth is 63,720, spanning from 98,160 to 161,880. This classification is quite broad, so the data includes managers overseeing production in diverse industries that do not necessarily require the specific GFSI, SQF, or PCQI certifications essential for an FSQA professional.

National industry wages provide clearer targets, with Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing at 155,730 and Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing at 145,280. While these rows offer context for production-heavy industries, they do not isolate the FSQA function. Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics excludes compensation elements like variable performance bonuses or specific food safety training incentives, meaning these figures represent only base salary estimates within the broader production management pool.

In terms of geographic benchmarks, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro shows a median of 128,540, and the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro shows a median of 129,840. The location quotient for Chicago is 1.24 and for Los Angeles is 0.92, showing how production managers are clustered in these hubs. Manufacturing Headhunters reminds hiring managers that these quotients measure the intensity of the Industrial Production Managers occupation, not the market volume of FSQA candidates. Because the FSQA Manager role involves specific regulatory interactions with the USDA or FDA, these broad statistics serve as a baseline rather than a granular reflection of the niche food safety talent market.

Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?

Does the national data include the FSQA certification requirement?

No, the 11-3051 occupational data from the BLS is general and does not reflect specific food safety certifications like PCQI or SQF. These requirements are distinct to the FSQA function.

How does the Iron and Steel industry compare to the national median?

The Iron and Steel industry reports a median of $145,280, which is higher than the overall national median of $126,060 for industrial production managers. This higher figure reflects the compensation profile of that specific manufacturing sector.

Do the metropolitan wages include specific FSQA experience pay premiums?

No, the local metropolitan data applies to the broad Industrial Production Managers category. It does not measure the impact of food safety expertise on salary.