Small-City Management Experience: Does It Matter for Getting and Keeping the Large-City Managerial Job?

Does small-city management experience (100,000 population), and does it help them to keep the large-city jobs? The answers to these questions are important for city managers planning a move to a larger city and for young professionals planning a career in city management. This study indicates that the large-city assistant city manager (ACM) position is the prevalent route for getting a large-city manager's position, while small-city experience by itself may have a negative influence on managers' job tenure in large cities. A career path combining both large-city ACM and small-city management experiences helps large-city managers keep their jobs.