Starbucks manager salaries: Wages, benefits & how to land the job | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

Considering a career change? Look no further than your neighborhood Starbucks. Since 2022, the world’s largest coffee company has invested billions into enhancing its employee experience—with a stated goal of filling 90% of its store leadership positions with internal candidates in the next three years.

For those who work at Starbucks, that spells a pretty straightforward path to success: Simply start out as a barista, a position that requires no previous experience, and through hard work and a demonstrated ability to generate sales and create happy, loyal customers, in a few years’ time, you can move up the career ladder to a store manager position.

Why become a Starbucks store manager?

Under the leadership of Starbucks newest CEO, Brian Niccol, in 2025 the company increased wages for store managers as part of his “Back to Starbucks” campaign, an effort aimed at turning the company around after two years of declining sales.

Starbucks’ plan included a $3 billion investment in its employees and cafes in order to reestablish Starbucks as the community coffeehouse. This included improving the customer experience by making stores inviting places to linger, showcasing better customer service, and creating efficiencies that reduce customer wait times.

The pay boost amounted to a 2% increase for all salaried employees, including corporate employees, workers in Starbucks’ manufacturing and distribution centers, and store managers.

Hourly employees, such as baristas, were not eligible for the compensation increase.

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What do Starbucks managers do? Key responsibilities

Starbucks store managers wear many hats: They are responsible for overseeing their café’s operations and financial performance, leading teams of partners (Starbucks employees), and driving customer satisfaction.

Operations management

Starbucks managers ensure their café’s day-to-day functioning through scheduling, assigning tasks, and following up on results.

Customer service

They provide excellent service at all times and under all circumstances by maintaining product quality and fostering a welcoming and inclusive store environment.

Financial oversight

Starbucks managers are in charge of the store inventory, maintaining daily financial logs, ensuring the accurate handling of cash, and driving customer sales.

Team leadership

This includes hiring, training, and mentoring partners as well as fostering a positive work environment.

Brand standards

They also uphold Starbucks’ corporate policies, safety procedures, and sanitation standards to maintain the company’s brand reputation.

How much do Starbucks managers make?

Starbucks managers earn significantly more than baristas.

A recent search on the Starbucks career page for positions in the Baltimore, MD area resulted in multiple job postings. Baristas earned between $16.10 and $18.28 per hour, which, given a schedule of 40 hours per week over a 52 week period, translates into an annual salary of between $33,488 and $37,440 per year; however, baristas do not have fixed schedules and are not guaranteed 40 hours of work on any given week, so they can earn significantly less than that.

A store manager position in the same region, on the other hand, had an advertised salary of between $62,600 and $87,600 annually—more than twice what baristas make given the best possible scenario.

The lower end of that pay spectrum is about 49% higher than the median individual annual income of $42,200, while the high end is about 107% higher—not bad at all for a position that doesn’t require a costly degree (although a degree certainly wouldn’t hurt an internal applicant’s chances).

How do Starbucks store managers rate their position?

According to Glassdoor, Starbucks received a rating of 3.6 out of 5 points for its store manager position, which indicates that most store managers have a positive experience with the company.

Employees have lauded the company for its great benefits and the opportunity for store managers to get to know their customers, while some cons include the hassle of getting equipment fixed, “lots and lots of work,” and poor communication from executive leadership.

60% of Starbucks employees approve of Niccol’s performance as current CEO, and the store manager position is rated higher than the average management position in the retail and food industry, which, Glassdoor reports, received an average rating of 3.4 points.

Starbucks manager benefits & perks

Starbucks is known for its industry-leading benefits program, and the package for store managers is robust. It includes:

Medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as mental health resources
18 weeks of paid parental leave (an increase implemented by CEO Niccols in 2024)
Paid time off and sick leave
A 5% matching 401(k) retirement program
100% tuition coverage for bachelor’s degrees online through Arizona State University
Equity in SBUX restricted stock units through the company’s Bean Stock Awards program

Company perks include a pound of coffee a week for all employees, a free Spotify Premium subscription, and 30% off Starbucks food, drinks, and merchandise.

How do I become a Starbucks manager?

Starbucks managers typically have three years of retail or customer service management experience, strong organizational skills and interpersonal abilities, and a knack for solving problems on their feet. They also have leadership skills, including the ability to coach and mentor their partners. A high school diploma or equivalent is required, while a college degree is not (although it certainly doesn’t hurt).

A typical pathway to a Starbucks manager position would be to start out at Starbucks as a barista, be promoted to Shift Supervisor ($20–$22.70 per hour), and then on to Assistant Store Manager (annual salary range $53,700–$61,800) before advancing to the position of Store Manager.

How do I apply for a job at Starbucks?

To apply for a job at Starbucks, simply visit careers.starbucks.com and search by keyword. Or, you can fill in your location to search for a list of available positions in your area. You can also do an advanced search for remote and hybrid positions.

In addition, current Starbucks employees can search a list of internal opportunities and start their move up the Starbucks career ladder. All they need to start is their Username or Network ID.