Facilities Managers

What Facilities Managers Do

Plan, direct, or coordinate operations and functionalities of facilities and buildings. May include surrounding grounds or multiple facilities of an organization's campus.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

Less than 5 years

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.4/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 4.2/5
• English Languageimportance 3.8/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.5/5
• Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 3.4/5
• Mechanicalimportance 3.4/5
• Building and Constructionimportance 3.3/5
• Administrativeimportance 3.3/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• E-Mail5.0/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
• Telephone Conversations4.7/5
• Contact With Others4.7/5
• Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.6/5
• Health and Safety of Other Workers4.5/5

Related Careers

• General and Operations Managers
• Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
• Construction Managers
• First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers
• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
• Administrative Services Managers
• Industrial Production Managers
• Construction and Building Inspectors

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers96% skill match
• First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers95% skill match
• First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers95% skill match
• First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers93% skill match
• Butchers and Meat Cutters93% skill match
• Food Service Managers93% skill match
• First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers93% skill match
• Chefs and Head Cooks92% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.6/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.6/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.5/5
• Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 3.5/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.4/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.4/5
• Instructingimportance 3.3/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Dependability
• Leadership Orientation
• Cautiousness
• Attention to Detail
• Initiative
• Integrity
• Adaptability

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• EnterprisingHigh
• ConventionalHigh
• RealisticMedium
• SocialMedium
• InvestigativeLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where facilities managers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Lexington Park, MD2.21× national avg
2. 2Salisbury, MD2.18× national avg
3. 3Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN2.13× national avg
4. 4Anchorage, AK2.13× national avg
5. 5State College, PA2.03× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Industrial Production ManagersAdvancement
• First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial WorkersCareer Change
• First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention WorkersCareer Change
• First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and RepairersCareer Change

See the full career path from Facilities Managers →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.