Average Distribution Manager Salary in San Diego, United States for 2025

In this article, we will look at the average Distribution Manager salary for 2025 in San Diego and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Distribution Manager Make in San Diego?

A Distribution Manager working in San Diego will typically earn around 187,500 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 86,800 USD to the highest average salary of 295,400 USD.

Average Annual Salary187,500 USD
Average Monthly Salary15,625 USD
Average Lowest Salary86,800 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary7,233 USD
Average Highest Salary295,400 USD
Highest Monthly Salary24,616 USD

These are average salaries for a Distribution Manager in San Diego and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Distribution Manager to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Distribution Manager salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Distribution Manager Salaries in San Diego

So we've looked at the average salaries a Distribution Manager will earn in San Diego. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Distribution Manager can earn between 86,800 USD and 295,400 USD on average in San Diego. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Distribution Manager in San Diego is 199,700 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 199,700 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 199,700 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Distribution Manager salary in San Diego, 25% of the population are earning less than 130,500 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 130,500 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 267,200 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 267,200 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Distribution Manager Salary by Experience Level in San Diego

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Distribution Manager salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Distribution Manager in San Diego that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 95,600 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Distribution Manager salary would increase to 128,400 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Distribution Manager, the average salary would be 192,600 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 233,600 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Distribution Manager with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 254,400 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Distribution Manager with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 275,800 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
95,600 USD
2-5 Years+34%
128,400 USD
5-10 Years+48%
192,600 USD
10-15 Years+22%
233,600 USD
15-20 Years+9%
254,400 USD
20+ Years+8%
275,800 USD

Distribution Manager Salary by Education Level in San Diego

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Distribution Manager in San Diego based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Distribution Manager in San Diego with a high school education can earn an average salary of 118,900 USD.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A Distribution Manager in San Diego with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 141,000 USD.
  • Bachelor's Degree. A Distribution Manager in San Diego with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 204,900 USD.
  • Master's Degree. A Distribution Manager in San Diego with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 268,200 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
118,900 USD
Certificate or Diploma+18%
141,000 USD
Bachelor's Degree+45%
204,900 USD
Master's Degree+31%
268,200 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Distribution Manager Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In San Diego, a male distribution manager will earn an average of 163,500 USD, while a female distribution manager will earn around 153,700 USD.

This means that a male distribution manager earns approximately 6% more than a female distribution manager for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in San Diego

Male-
163,500 USD
Female-6%
153,700 USD

Distribution Manager Average Pay Raise in San Diego

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Distribution Manager in San Diego is around 11% every 19 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 19 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Distribution Manager in San Diego can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in San Diego for 2025

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Distribution Manager Bonus and Incentive Rates in San Diego

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Distribution Manager is a high bonus based job, with 80% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

20% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8%.

Received Bonus-
80%
No Bonus-
20%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Distribution Manager

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Distribution Manager in San Diego.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Asset Management AssociatePurchasing and Inventory83,900 USD
Asset Protection AssociatePurchasing and Inventory81,300 USD
Asset Protection SpecialistPurchasing and Inventory87,600 USD
Assistant BuyerPurchasing and Inventory78,200 USD
BuyerPurchasing and Inventory128,200 USD
Capacity PlannerPurchasing and Inventory95,300 USD
Category LeaderPurchasing and Inventory83,200 USD
Category Management SpecialistPurchasing and Inventory88,000 USD
Category ManagerPurchasing and Inventory99,100 USD
Channel Services RepresentativePurchasing and Inventory89,400 USD
Contracts ManagerPurchasing and Inventory105,800 USD
Contracts SpecialistPurchasing and Inventory88,300 USD
Demand PlannerPurchasing and Inventory95,200 USD
Demand Planning ManagerPurchasing and Inventory116,400 USD
Distribution AssistantPurchasing and Inventory75,800 USD
Distribution AssociatePurchasing and Inventory80,800 USD
Inventory AnalystPurchasing and Inventory88,000 USD
Inventory Control ClerkPurchasing and Inventory46,200 USD
Inventory Control ManagerPurchasing and Inventory117,100 USD
Inventory Management AssociatePurchasing and Inventory86,100 USD
Inventory SpecialistPurchasing and Inventory84,600 USD
Logistics EngineerPurchasing and Inventory73,800 USD
Master PlannerPurchasing and Inventory85,500 USD
Material HandlerPurchasing and Inventory51,900 USD
Material Planning SpecialistPurchasing and Inventory76,800 USD
Merchandise ManagerPurchasing and Inventory105,200 USD
Procurement AdministratorPurchasing and Inventory99,100 USD
Procurement AgentPurchasing and Inventory64,300 USD
Procurement AnalystPurchasing and Inventory107,300 USD
Procurement AssistantPurchasing and Inventory68,900 USD
Procurement AssociatePurchasing and Inventory86,800 USD
Procurement ClerkPurchasing and Inventory44,300 USD
Procurement EngineerPurchasing and Inventory81,000 USD
Procurement ManagerPurchasing and Inventory171,300 USD
Procurement OfficerPurchasing and Inventory41,400 USD
Procurement Process AnalystPurchasing and Inventory107,300 USD
Procurement SpecialistPurchasing and Inventory78,700 USD
Production PlannerPurchasing and Inventory94,300 USD
Project BuyerPurchasing and Inventory105,200 USD
PurchaserPurchasing and Inventory130,400 USD
Purchasing AgentPurchasing and Inventory69,100 USD
Purchasing AssistantPurchasing and Inventory45,700 USD
Purchasing ManagerPurchasing and Inventory163,800 USD
Purchasing OfficerPurchasing and Inventory76,000 USD
Purchasing SupervisorPurchasing and Inventory115,600 USD
Shipping CoordinatorPurchasing and Inventory79,000 USD
Shipping and Receiving ClerkPurchasing and Inventory41,500 USD
Stock ClerkPurchasing and Inventory45,300 USD
Stock RegulatorPurchasing and Inventory51,800 USD
Storage ManagerPurchasing and Inventory114,600 USD
Store KeeperPurchasing and Inventory43,100 USD
Stores and Logistics CoordinatorPurchasing and Inventory88,300 USD
Supply Chain AnalystPurchasing and Inventory123,800 USD
Supply Chain CoordinatorPurchasing and Inventory86,600 USD
Supply Chain Development ManagerPurchasing and Inventory152,900 USD
Supply Chain DirectorPurchasing and Inventory177,200 USD
Supply Chain ManagerPurchasing and Inventory166,600 USD
Supply PlannerPurchasing and Inventory82,300 USD
Warehouse AssistantPurchasing and Inventory35,300 USD
Warehouse ClerkPurchasing and Inventory38,700 USD
Warehouse ExecutivePurchasing and Inventory147,900 USD
Warehouse LeadPurchasing and Inventory95,300 USD
Warehouse ManagerPurchasing and Inventory151,800 USD
Warehouse SupervisorPurchasing and Inventory103,600 USD
Wholesale BuyerPurchasing and Inventory123,800 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta135,767 USD
Austin158,967 USD
Baltimore141,133 USD
Boston150,367 USD
Bristol117,467 USD
Chicago174,500 USD
Cincinnati124,133 USD
Cleveland128,467 USD
Dallas162,200 USD
Denver158,867 USD
Detroit149,000 USD
Honolulu120,800 USD
Houston166,500 USD
Indianapolis153,133 USD
Iowa City119,933 USD
Jacksonville155,867 USD
Kansas City137,600 USD
Kent119,633 USD
Las Vegas138,533 USD
Long Beach136,833 USD
Los Angeles173,933 USD
Memphis143,067 USD
Miami133,533 USD
Minneapolis132,867 USD
New Orleans133,267 USD
New York171,300 USD
Oakland131,867 USD
Oklahoma City140,800 USD
Orlando126,733 USD
Philadelphia167,333 USD
Phoenix168,467 USD
Sacramento142,700 USD
San Antonio165,733 USD
San Francisco154,800 USD
San Jose161,167 USD
Seattle154,933 USD
Tampa129,300 USD
Vancouver120,733 USD
Washington D.C.150,600 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama150,367 USD
Alaska134,833 USD
Arizona154,600 USD
Arkansas140,967 USD
California166,367 USD
Colorado148,000 USD
Connecticut148,600 USD
Delaware131,833 USD
District of Columbia127,767 USD
Florida163,833 USD
Georgia160,867 USD
Hawaii136,600 USD
Idaho134,533 USD
Illinois158,667 USD
Indiana150,400 USD
Iowa143,633 USD
Kansas141,867 USD
Kentucky150,367 USD
Louisiana144,167 USD
Maine131,433 USD
Maryland151,400 USD
Massachusetts156,033 USD
Michigan156,433 USD
Minnesota147,667 USD
Mississippi142,900 USD
Missouri150,500 USD
Montana133,900 USD
Nebraska141,500 USD
Nevada138,900 USD
New Hampshire136,867 USD
New Jersey157,467 USD
New Mexico138,500 USD
New York166,833 USD
North Carolina150,800 USD
North Dakota127,400 USD
Ohio160,967 USD
Oklahoma145,567 USD
Oregon143,633 USD
Pennsylvania164,367 USD
Rhode Island129,967 USD
South Carolina148,167 USD
South Dakota132,033 USD
Tennessee152,333 USD
Texas166,333 USD
Utah141,300 USD
Vermont125,233 USD
Virginia156,567 USD
Washington158,767 USD
West Virginia140,467 USD
Wisconsin148,200 USD
Wyoming129,733 USD

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