research@apics.

org
More than 2,600 supply chain professionals provided their
responses to this inaugural annual survey focused on
compensation and careers in the supply chain field. The
survey has resulted in two resources: this report and an
interactive salary calculator tool*.

For information about the survey demographics, please

see Appendix A beginning on slide 33. For information
regarding how the survey and this report were developed,
please see Appendix B beginning on slide 44.

apics.org/salary
*
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

5 SALARY
Supply chain professional salary and increases
Salary by title keyword and responsibilities
The gender gap in supply chain

16 BENEFITS
Paid time off (PTO) and flexibility
Insurance, retirement and other cash benefits
Professional development support

24 CAREER
Career satisfaction with the supply chain field and current position
Reasons for leaving previous employer

29 CERTIFICATION
The value of certification
The value of APICS certification

33 APPENDICES

Appendix A: Demographics of the survey

Appendix B: How the survey was developed
The most important observations in this report are the following:

The average salary for supply

chain professionals in 2017
was $85,210 and the average
salary increase was 3 percent.

Advancement and higher

compensation opportunities
are the most common reasons
for seeking a new position; all
other factors lag far behind.

The highest degree obtained by

respondents is heavily weighted
toward undergraduate (50 percent)
and graduate (28 percent) degrees.

Approximately half of all respondents

hold at least one certification; 15
percent have earned more than
one certification.

Respondents in general are

satisfied with the supply chain field
(8.4/10 scale), but slightly less
satisfied with their current positions
(7.4/10 scale). Respondents say they
are likely to stay in the supply chain
field (8.6/10 scale).
 SALARY
Based on the survey results, the average salary
for supply chain professionals was $85,210 and
the average raise was 3 percent. The most notable
impacts on salary are industry tenure and the number
of individuals supervised (directly or indirectly). In
terms of gender, there is a salary disparity.  

5
 SUPPLY CHAIN $130,000
PROFESSIONAL
COMPENSATION

Overall, supply chain $102,000

professionals surveyed
earn between $50,000
and $130,000. The median
salary reported was $78,000
$78,000. Additional cash
compensation does not
appear until higher levels
$60,300
of salary.
$50,000

$25,000
$10,000
$4,000
$0 $0
Base Salary

Additional Cash 10th 25th 50th 75th 90th

Compensation Percentile Percentile Percentile Percentile Percentile

6 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 SALARY PERCENT SALARY INCREASE

INCREASES

10% or more 0%
Supply chain professionals received an average base
salary increase of 3 percent from July 1, 2016 to July 1,
2017 (among those in their same position during that 8 - 9.9%
timeframe). Ninety percent of respondents received 8% 9% Less than 1%

an increase, 9 percent saw no change and 13 6 - 7.9%

3% 2%
respondents (0.5%) reported a decrease in salary.
4% 1 - 1.9%
9 %

4 - 5.9% 12%

27% 2 - 2.9%

3 - 3.9% 27%

7 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 AVERAGE SALARY BY TENURE
IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN FIELD
$103,535
As expected, supply chain professionals with the highest
level of tenure also received the highest salaries. A $39,818
$90,779
gap separates the average salaries of those with at least
20 years of work experience in the supply chain field from
those with less than one year in the field.
$76,327
A curious data point is that the average salary for those $69,435
with less than one year of tenure is slightly higher than
$63,717 $62,789
those with one to two years of tenure. This may be due to
the current high demand/supply ratio for new graduates
that is generally reported by the field, resulting in more
salary bargaining power than their peers who graduated
only one or two years prior.

Less 1-2 3-4 5-9 10-19 20 Years

Than 1 Years Years Years Years or more
Year
Years in supply chain field

8 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 SALARY BY NUMBER OF
INDIVIDUALS SUPERVISED
DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY

Supply chain professionals who supervise others, directly

or indirectly, reported significantly higher salaries. Those
supervising at least 50 individuals report an average base
salary of $129,356 — about 82 percent more than those
who do not supervise others ($71,185). Supervising even
1-4 individuals provides a 13 percent increase compared $129,356
with those who do not supervise others.

$102,511
$95,561

$80,673
$71,185

None 1-4 5-9 10-49 50+

Number of Individuals Supervised

9 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 SALARY
BY TITLE
KEYWORD

Respondents who have

the words “supply chain” or
“operations” in their titles
reported higher average
salaries overall. Those
$103,575
$98,277
whose titles contain the
words “buyer” or “planner” in $86,613 $87,554 $86,818 $85,962
their titles reported salaries
lower than respondents
overall. However, individuals $68,394
with those titles also
reported fewer average
years of tenure in supply
chain (approximately 11
years). All other titles
reported an average
supply chain tenure of
around 14 years.

Supply Chain Operations Logistics Transportation Distribution Buyer or Demand

Planner

10 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 PROFESSIONAL
RESPONSIBILITIES
ACROSS SUPPLY CHAIN

The following of supply chain professionals’

responsibilities is based on the APICS Supply Chain Plan 70%
Operations Reference (SCOR)* model. Plan was the
most commonly reported responsibility by supply chain
professionals (more than one could be selected). Source, Source 40%
Make and Deliver were all at a similar level.

Make 33%

Deliver 36%

Return 14%

Enable 15%

*apics.org/scor

11 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 SALARIES BY $99,168

SUPPLY CHAIN
$89,568
RESPONSIBILITY $84,745 $86,922 $87,339
$84,035

Supply chain responsibilities appear to have an influence

on salaries. Individuals who handle the most commonly
reported supply chain responsibilities — Plan, Source and
Make —reported lower salaries than those who handle
Deliver and Return. Respondents who reported Enable as
part of their responsibilities also reported a significantly
higher salary.

Plan Source Make Deliver Return Enable

12 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 THE GENDER GAP
IN SUPPLY CHAIN

The results of the survey

show that there is a pay gap
between men and women
in the supply chain field. $90,025 $77,772
Male respondents reported
AVERAGE AVERAGE
average salaries that are FEMALE
MALE
15.8 percent higher than
SALARY SALARY
those reported by female
respondents. The disparity
increases with field tenure.

$110,127
$97,424
$92,121
$79,136 $81,349
$71,828 $71,993
$65,414 $63,835 $61,322 $65,584
$61,456

Male

Female

Less than 1 year 1-2 years 3-4 years 5-9 years 10-19 years 20 years or
more

13 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 POSITION
LEVEL BY
GENDER

There is a significantly
Executive* 0.8%
higher proportion of men
in upper position levels, 0.2%
while most of the women
in the sample are in the Vice President 2.2%
staff/associate level. Note
1.1%
in particular the 2-to-1
and higher ratios at the
director, vice president
and executive levels. Director 10.3%

4.2%

Manager 46.2%

35.7%

Male
Staff/Associate 40.5%
Female
58.8%
*Less than 30 responses 

14 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 INDUSTRY YEARS IN SUPPLY CHAIN FIELD

TENURE Less Than 3%

BREAKDOWN 1 Year
3%
BY GENDER
1-2 Years 8%
Men have higher reported
salaries and hold more 9%
high-level positions than
women. However, field
3-4 Years 13%
tenure appears to be similar
between the two groups. 11%

5-9 Years 22%

23%

10-19 Years 30%

32%

20 or More 25%
Years
23%

Male

Female

15 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 BENEFITS
Seventy-nine percent of supply chain professionals
reported that they have at least three weeks of
paid time off (PTO). While an overwhelming majority
of supply chain professionals receive benefits such
as insurance and professional development
support, these benefits are offered more frequently
at larger organizations. 

16
 PAID TIME OFF

Virtually all supply chain professionals (99 percent) are

eligible to receive at least one week of paid time off (in
addition to paid holidays) per year. The typical supply
chain professional receives three weeks.
2%
1 Week
18% or less 19%
5 Weeks
or more 2 Weeks

26%
4 Weeks

35%
3 Weeks

17 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 PERCENTAGE
OF PAID TIME 12% 5% 4%
OFF BY
38% 37% 32%
INDUSTRY
TENURE 28% 34% 37%

13% 15% 18%

The average number of paid
weeks off tends to increase 10% 9% 9%
with field tenure.
Less Than 1 Year 1-2 Years 3-4 Years

1 Week or Less
2% 2% 2%
2 Weeks
21% 11% 10%
3 Weeks

4 Weeks 46% 36% 26%

5 or More Weeks 21% 32% 30%

10% 18% 32%

5-9 Years 10-19 Years 20 or More Years

18 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 TIME OFF AND BENEFITS BY EMPLOYER SIZE

FLEXIBILITY
Paid Holidays
A great majority of
Paid Family/Medical Leave*
respondents indicated that
their employers offer paid
Flexible Schedule
holidays (97 percent) and
paid family/medical leave Compensatory Time
such as maternity/paternity
leave (70 percent). Just Telecommuting 97% 70% 57% 18% 52% 97% 53% 54% 16% 44%
more than a majority said
their employers provide *Maternity/paternity leave, etc. All Respondents Less Than 100 Employees
flexible schedules (57
percent) or the ability to
work from home/remotely
(52 percent). A much
smaller percentage said
their employers provide
compensatory time. Note
that, in general, all these
benefits increase as
organization size increases.

98% 60% 52% 16% 40% 98% 73% 56% 17% 53% 97% 82% 67% 23% 69%

100-999 Employees 1,000-49,999 Employees 50,000 or More Employees

19 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 INSURANCE
AND DISABILITY
BENEFITS Health Insurance

Dental Insurance
Each of the listed insurance
and disability benefits are Vision Insurance
offered overall to at least
Life Insurance
four out of five supply chain
professionals. Short- Short Term Disability
and long-term disability
Long Term Disability 99% 97% 93% 92% 85% 84% 94% 88% 77% 73% 59% 59%
insurance benefits were
offered more frequently All Respondents Less Than 100 Employees
among larger-sized
organizations. Organizations
with less than 100 employees
are less likely to provide
these benefits, but a
majority do offer them.

99% 96% 91% 91% 83% 79% 99% 99% 95% 95% 89% 89% 99% 99% 95% 95% 86% 86%

100-999 Employees 1,000-49,999 Employees 50,000 or More Employees

20 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 RETIREMENT
AND OTHER
CASH BENEFITS
Retirement Plan (401(k), etc.)
A majority of respondents
Retirement Plan Matching
indicated that their employers
of Employer Contributions
offer retirement plans (96 Profit Sharing
percent) and/or retirement
plan matching of employer Stock Options
7%
contributions (81 percent). 96% 81% 26% 25% 15% 82% 60% 23% 2%
Pension
Other cash benefits, such as
stock options and pensions, All Respondents Less Than 100 Employees
were offered far more
frequently at larger-sized
organizations. Profit-sharing
is consistent across all
organization sizes.

6%
94% 73% 24% 15% 97% 86% 28% 28% 16% 98% 87% 25% 35% 30%

100-999 Employees 1,000-49,999 Employees 50,000 or More Employees

21 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 PROFESSIONAL Education (Tuition) 69% 49%

DEVELOPMENT Training In-House 63% 39%

SUPPORT Training External 53% 43%
In-Person Class
63% 58%
Membership/
The likelihood of being Association Dues
offered professional 50% 51%
Conference Attendance
development support 52% 36%
generally increases with Certification Exam
organization size, but there Preperation 60% 40%
is little difference between Certification Exam Fees
60% 29%
organizations of 1,000-
49,999 employees versus Fees For Certification All Respondents Less Than 100 Employees
Maintenance
organizations of 50,000 or
more employees. About
half of all respondents,
61% 72% 76%
regardless of company size,
indicated company support 54% 67% 72%
for conference attendance.
51% 53% 58%

64% 65% 59%

51% 51% 49%

45% 56% 56%

55% 64% 66%

32% 41% 37%

100-999 Employees 1,000-49,999 Employees 50,000 or More Employees

22 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 PROFESSIONAL 69% 63% 67%

DEVELOPMENT 63% 58% 63%

SUPPORT BY AGE 53% 45% 53%

63% 48% 58%

Many professional development benefits appear to
increase marginally with employee age. Membership 50% 39% 49%
dues and certification maintenance appear to have the
52% 52% 53%
most significant increase for respondents higher in age.
Certification exam fees go against the trend, as such 60% 62% 63%
support decreases with age. In-house training is
37% 25% 34%
consistently offered among the various age groups.
Conference attendance increases significantly from All Respondents 20-29 30-39
the 20-29 age group to the 30-39 age group, and then
remains consistent for those 30 and older.

Education (Tuition) 70% 73% 74%

Training In-House 65% 64% 64%

Training External In-Person Class 55% 56% 52%

Membership/Association Dues 67% 73% 79%

Conference Attendance 54% 54% 59%

Certification Exam Preperation 54% 47% 44%

Certification Exam Fees 63% 55% 50%

Fees For Certification Maintenance 42% 45% 43%

40-49 50-59 60+

23 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 CAREER
Supply chain professionals are very satisfied with
their careers and have a high likelihood of staying
in the field. When they change positions, it is most
commonly due to advancement opportunities and
higher compensation.

24
 CAREER
SATISFACTION

When asked to rate their

satisfaction (using a 0-10
scale) with working in the
supply chain field overall,
79 percent of respondents 27%
provided a rating of 8, 9 or 26% 26%
10. Nearly all supply chain
professionals (96 percent)
provided a rating of 6-10.
The average rating was 8.4.

13%

4%
3%
0% 0% 0% 1% 1%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Not At All Very Satisfied
Satisfied

25 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 LIKELIHOOD OF
STAYING IN THE
SUPPLY CHAIN
FIELD

Another indicator of career

satisfaction is the likelihood
of remaining in the supply
chain field in the next five
years. Ninety-four percent
provided a rating of 6-10 on
a 0-10 scale. The average 25%
rating was 8.6.
20%

16%
14%

10%

6%
3% 3%
2%
1% 1%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Definitely Definitely
Will Not Will

26 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 SATISFACTION
WITH PRIMARY
POSITION

Overall, supply chain

professionals are satisfied
with their primary positions
in the supply chain field, 27%
26% 26%
with 55 percent providing
a rating of 8 or higher on
a 0-10 scale. Eighty-five
percent provided a rating in
the 6-10 range. The average
rating was 7.4.

13%

4%
3%
1% 1%
0% 0% 0%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Not At All Very Satisfied
Satisfied

27 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 REASONS Number of Employees Age Gender

FOR LEAVING All

Respondents
<100 100-999 1,000-
49,999
50,000+ <30 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+ Male Female

PREVIOUS Advancement
EMPLOYER opportunity 44% 34% 38% 40% 40% 51% 49% 39% 28% 28% 44% 37%

Supply chain professionals Higher compensation

(among those who have had opportunity 40% 34% 35% 41% 46% 51% 49% 36% 28% 24% 42% 36%
more than one employer
Negative office
after high school for environment 19% 20% 20% 20% 17% 20% 23% 18% 18% 9% 19% 20%
professional positions)
left their previous employers Unchallenged in
for a variety of reasons. previous role 18% 20% 17% 18% 18% 23% 24% 15% 11% 8% 18% 18%
The most common reasons
have been for advancement Poor work/life
balance 17% 15% 16% 19% 16% 16% 21% 17% 14% 10% 18% 16%
opportunities (41 percent)
or higher compensation Poor job
opportunities (40 percent). security 15% 13% 13% 18% 14% 13% 16% 16% 14% 14% 16% 14%
For those respondents that
are male or younger (39 and Laid off
13% 20% 17% 11% 10% 4% 8% 15% 20% 25% 14% 11%
under), these reasons are
even stronger.
Moved
11% 10% 11% 11% 11% 15% 12% 9% 10% 8% 10% 12%

Negative relationship
with supervisor(s) 11% 13% 11% 11% 9% 12% 12% 10% 11% 7% 12% 10%

Lengthy commute
10% 7% 9% 11% 10% 10% 10% 11% 10% 9% 9% 11%
time

15-24% 25-39% 40%+ Respondents could select multiple answers

28 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 CERTIFICATION
The average salary increase for those holding at
least one certification is 22 percent versus those who
reported no certifications.  An APICS certification
provided respondents with a median salary that is 27
percent higher than those who indicated that they
did not have any Certifications. 

29
 THE VALUE OF SALARY BY PERCENTILE

CERTIFICATION
$105,000
$97,400
Obtaining a certification can $83,800 $83,000
have a significant impact on $75,000
$66,000 $70,000
$63,300 $62,300
the salaries of supply chain $55,000 $55,000
professionals. Those who hold $45,800
just one certification reported
a median salary that was 19
percent higher than those who
are not certified. Moreover,
10th Percentile 25th Percentile 50th Percentile
holding several certifications
can have an even greater
impact on one’s salary. Those
with two or three certifications $160,800
reported median salaries that $145,000
are 39 percent higher and 50 $132,000
$130,000
percent higher, respectively. $121,000 $117,000
$105,000
$90,000

None

1 Certification

2 Certifications

3 or More Certifications

75th Percentile 90th Percentile

30 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 THE VALUE
OF APICS
CERTIFICATION $75,000
$70,000 $65,000
$62,000
The survey results show that $57,100 $55,800
$58,100 $97,500 $90,000
those who hold an APICS $45,800 $87,800
Certified in Production and $70,000
Inventory Management
(CPIM), Certified Supply
Chain Professional (CSCP)
or Certified in Logistics,
Transportation and 10th Percentile 25th Percentile 50th Percentile
Distribution (CLTD) can
expect higher compensation.
Respondents with an APICS
$146,000
certification reported a $137,600
$135,000
median salary that is 27
percent higher than those $120,000 $119,500 $117,000
$109,800
who indicated that they did
not have any certification. $90,000

No Certification

CPIM

CSCP

CLTD

75th Percentile 90th Percentile

31 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 THE VALUE $105,781
OF APICS $95,040
$98,204

CERTIFICATION $76,412
$82,132
$75,937
$81,693

THROUGHOUT $67,713

ONE’S CAREER

As supply chain professionals

progress in their careers,
APICS certification will
continue to have an impact.
0-9 Years in the 10-19 Years in the
Those with an APICS CPIM, Supply Chain Field Supply Chain Field
CSCP or CLTD have reported
higher salaries than those
with the same years of $121,472 $119,935
experience in the supply $115,108 $111,980
chain field but without an $104,048 $106,013
$100,543
APICS certification. $93,250

No Certification

CPIM

CSCP

CLTD

20-29 Years in the 30 or More Years in the

Supply Chain Field Supply Chain Field

32 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 APPENDICES
Appendix A contains demographical information on
that survey sample.

Appendix B contains information on how the study

and survey were prepared.

33 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 APPENDIX A: DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SURVEY

Sample characteristics

A significant majority of the sample was at the staff/associate

or managerial level, with 11 percent being at the director level
or above.

POSITION LEVEL OF THE RESPONDENTS

48% Staff/Associate

1% Executive/President/C-level
2% Vice President

8% Director

42% Manager

34 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 APPENDIX A: DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SURVEY

Sample characteristics

The most commonly reported region was the Midwest. The

New England area and the East South Central region were
the least represented at 4 percent each.

LOCATION OF THE RESPONDENTS

6% 11%
WEST MIDWEST
Mountain West North 25% 4%
Central MIDWEST NORTH EAST
East North New
Central England

15%
WEST
12%
Pacific
NORTH EAST
Middle
Atlantic

16%
SOUTH
South
Atlantic
8% 4%
SOUTH SOUTH
West South East South
Central Central

35 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 APPENDIX A: DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SURVEY

In terms of education 78 percent of the sample had an

undergraduate degree or higher and reported salaries
29 percent higher than those who had an associate
degree or lower.

HIGHEST DEGREE OBTAINED

Graduate
Degree 28%

Undergraduate
Degree 50%

Associate Degree
9%

Technical/Trade
School 2%

High School
Diploma or 11%
Equivalent

36 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 APPENDIX A: DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SURVEY

The sample was mostly male. The ratio of males to females was
marginally higher in the upper age groups (63 percent of those
55 and older were male), but the numbers are ebbing toward a
balance in the younger age groups in the sample (59 percent of
those 29 and under were male).

BREAKDOWN OF GENDER AND AGE

20-29 17%

8%

30-39 28%

33%

40-49 29%

26%

50-59 21%

10%

60+ 4%

6%

Female

Male

37 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 APPENDIX A: DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SURVEY

Two significant variables in this study were organization size ORGANIZATION SIZE BY NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
and supply chain field tenure. Larger organizations tended to
offer more benefits and professional development supports
Less Than 100 7%
compared with smaller organizations. Field tenure had the most
significant impact on one’s reported compensation, more so 100-999 26%
than position level. Much of the compensation analysis was
compared using field tenure, rather than position level. The 1,000-49,999 48%
results showed that vice presidents reported higher
compensation than executives. Although executives were 50,000 or More 19%
represented the least, 31 percent of the executives in the study
were employed at organizations containing fewer than 50
employees, and 32 percent were employed at organizations with
100-249 employees. Additionally, 25 percent of the executives INDUSTRY TENURE
came from organizations with revenues of less than $5 million
in the recent fiscal year. Those at the vice president level and Less Than 1 Year 3%
below were distributed more widely for other factors.
1-2 Years 8%

3-4 Years 12%

5-9 Years 22%

10-29 Years 30%

20 or More Years 25%

38 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

APPENDIX B: HOW THE SURVEY WAS DEVELOPED

Collection of the data

Participants were initially invited to respond to the survey on

October 9, 2017. Supply chain professionals also were invited
to participate via social media. Per antitrust guidelines, data
collected regarding compensation must be at least three
months old. Therefore, all respondents were instructed to
answer the survey based on their position in the supply chain
field in the period between July 1, 2016, and July 1, 2017. At the
close of data collection, 2,659 respondents completed the
survey. The margin of error was 1.9 percent at a 95 percent
confidence level. The major data point of comparison was
field tenure, as that was observed to have the most significant
impact on salary.

APICS contracted with Readex Research to conduct the

Supply Chain Compensation and Career survey. The survey
was designed jointly by APICS and Readex. Placement of the
survey on a web page, distribution of the electronic survey
invitations and tabulation of the results were handled by Readex.

SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES

 This report was prepared by the APICS research department.

Matthew Talbert, MPA, Research Manager

Mike Ogle, Ph.D., Senior Director of Academics and Research

For feedback on improving this study or for additional comments

and questions, please contact research@apics.org.

40 SALARY BENEFITS CAREER CERTIFICATION APPENDICES