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Property Manager

$69,990
median / year
$41,010 – $139,680
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Run rental and community properties, handle tenants, collect rent, and coordinate repairs.

You may also see this posted as: Apartment Manager, Community Manager, Resident Manager, Community Association Manager, Lease Administration Supervisor, Leasing Manager.

Where you work

Apartment complexes and property offices.

The hours

Full-time, with some on-call for emergencies

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Prepare detailed budgets and financial reports for properties.
  • Manage and oversee operations, maintenance, administration, and improvement of commercial, industrial, or residential properties.
  • Plan, schedule, and coordinate general maintenance, major repairs, and remodeling or construction projects for commercial or residential properties.
  • Direct collection of monthly assessments, rental fees, and deposits and payment of insurance premiums, mortgage, taxes, and incurred operating expenses.
  • Meet with clients to negotiate management and service contracts, determine priorities, and discuss the financial and operational status of properties.

Good fit if you like…

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

O*NET job zone 4 of 5

High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

DependabilityLeadership OrientationAttention to DetailIntegrity

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft WordYardi softwareFacebook

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$69,990
per year
Hourly median
$33.65
per hour
What most earn
$41,010–$139,680
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~39,000
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+3.6%
About average
Working in the U.S.
311,180
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 34% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: On-the-job training, paid.

Related work experience: Less than 5 years.

On-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training.

License or certification

Some states require a real estate or property management license, depending on the work.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Tenant relationsBudgetingMaintenance coordinationRecordkeeping

The honest take

An entry point to real estate you can reach from high school and grow through on the job.

Standard Occupational Classification 11-9141. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.