2024 MBA Pay: Manufacturing

It may not be a sexy industry, but it pays well. That’s manufacturing in a nutshell. Here, four schools produced graduates who averaged $153,000 or more to start. Topping the list is the Wharton School, which ranked among the top MBA programs for production curriculum by business schools and MBA directors according to a 2025 U.S. News survey. In 2024, Wharton turned out 8 graduates who entered manufacturing, averaging $163,086. In the same survey, MIT Sloan ranked as the top business school for production. And its graduates averaged nearly as much as its Wharton counterparts: $161,538. That said, the highest manufacturing paycheck went to a Harvard Business School alum to the tune of $215,000.