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Best states for an academic director
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and executive management careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to academic director jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for academic directors.In fact, our research shows that Oregon is the best state for academic directors in America. The best city in America for academic directors with the highest pay is San Francisco, CA.
We figured that the best places for academic director jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.Oregon is the best state, and Grants Pass is the city with the highest pay for academic directors.
10 best states for academic directors in 2026
1. Oregon
Total academic director jobs: 56 Average annual salary: $139,390 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $216,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
2. Connecticut
Total academic director jobs: 57 Average annual salary: $135,214 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $203,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
3. Montana
Total academic director jobs: 17 Average annual salary: $129,108 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $203,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
4. California
Total academic director jobs: 561 Average annual salary: $134,311 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $211,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
5. Colorado
Total academic director jobs: 109 Average annual salary: $126,161 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $201,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
6. Nevada
Total academic director jobs: 13 Average annual salary: $137,319 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $215,000 Location Quotient: 0.31
7. Indiana
Total academic director jobs: 83 Average annual salary: $122,565 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $192,000 Location Quotient: 0.63
8. Illinois
Total academic director jobs: 213 Average annual salary: $122,151 Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $190,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
9. District of Columbia
Total academic director jobs: 67 Average annual salary: $130,825 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $200,000 Location Quotient: 1.98
10. Arizona
Total academic director jobs: 81 Average annual salary: $124,357 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $199,000 Location Quotient: 0.69
Academic director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an academic director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an academic director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $139,390 | $89,000 | 4,142,776 | 56 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $135,214 | $89,000 | 3,588,184 | 57 |
| 3 | Montana | $129,108 | $81,000 | 1,050,493 | 17 |
| 4 | California | $134,311 | $85,000 | 39,536,653 | 561 |
| 5 | Colorado | $126,161 | $79,000 | 5,607,154 | 109 |
| 6 | Nevada | $137,319 | $87,000 | 2,998,039 | 13 |
| 7 | Indiana | $122,565 | $78,000 | 6,666,818 | 83 |
| 8 | Illinois | $122,151 | $78,000 | 12,802,023 | 213 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $130,825 | $85,000 | 693,972 | 67 |
| 10 | Arizona | $124,357 | $77,000 | 7,016,270 | 81 |
| 11 | New York | $123,606 | $80,000 | 19,849,399 | 383 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $120,271 | $79,000 | 6,859,819 | 201 |
| 13 | Idaho | $130,783 | $82,000 | 1,716,943 | 10 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $126,044 | $78,000 | 579,315 | 4 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $107,703 | $64,000 | 4,684,333 | 495 |
| 16 | Ohio | $115,226 | $73,000 | 11,658,609 | 103 |
| 17 | Maryland | $125,945 | $82,000 | 6,052,177 | 61 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $119,017 | $78,000 | 1,342,795 | 12 |
| 19 | Washington | $117,984 | $73,000 | 7,405,743 | 83 |
| 20 | South Dakota | $114,111 | $72,000 | 869,666 | 8 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $113,068 | $73,000 | 9,005,644 | 150 |
| 22 | Maine | $117,135 | $77,000 | 1,335,907 | 11 |
| 23 | Vermont | $109,971 | $72,000 | 623,657 | 16 |
| 24 | Utah | $114,076 | $70,000 | 3,101,833 | 32 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | $107,160 | $69,000 | 12,805,537 | 170 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $107,122 | $68,000 | 5,795,483 | 76 |
| 27 | Michigan | $108,373 | $69,000 | 9,962,311 | 93 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $113,817 | $72,000 | 1,815,857 | 7 |
| 29 | Alabama | $100,051 | $60,000 | 4,874,747 | 511 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $108,660 | $67,000 | 4,454,189 | 37 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $106,139 | $66,000 | 10,273,419 | 116 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $108,428 | $70,000 | 1,059,639 | 14 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $106,830 | $67,000 | 5,576,606 | 84 |
| 34 | Missouri | $105,634 | $65,000 | 6,113,532 | 71 |
| 35 | Georgia | $100,138 | $60,000 | 10,429,379 | 175 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $88,450 | $52,000 | 2,984,100 | 309 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $88,706 | $53,000 | 3,930,864 | 427 |
| 38 | Iowa | $97,532 | $60,000 | 3,145,711 | 39 |
| 39 | Virginia | $96,271 | $61,000 | 8,470,020 | 128 |
| 40 | Delaware | $105,588 | $68,000 | 961,939 | 9 |
| 41 | Texas | $92,972 | $54,000 | 28,304,596 | 291 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $97,189 | $59,000 | 6,715,984 | 53 |
| 43 | Alaska | $91,026 | $57,000 | 739,795 | 23 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $91,464 | $56,000 | 1,920,076 | 28 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $98,241 | $59,000 | 2,088,070 | 13 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $96,687 | $61,000 | 755,393 | 5 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $87,279 | $52,000 | 3,004,279 | 29 |
| 48 | Florida | $85,410 | $50,000 | 20,984,400 | 170 |
| 49 | Kansas | $90,792 | $55,000 | 2,913,123 | 14 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $85,552 | $51,000 | 5,024,369 | 40 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $71,376 | $50,000 | 1,427,538 | 4 |
Highest paying states for academic directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Academic Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $139,390 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $135,214 |
| 3 | Montana | $129,108 |
| 4 | California | $134,311 |
| 5 | Colorado | $126,161 |
| 6 | Nevada | $137,319 |
| 7 | Indiana | $122,565 |
| 8 | Illinois | $122,151 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $130,825 |
| 10 | Arizona | $124,357 |
| 11 | New York | $123,606 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $120,271 |
| 13 | Idaho | $130,783 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $126,044 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $107,703 |
| 16 | Ohio | $115,226 |
| 17 | Maryland | $125,945 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $119,017 |
| 19 | Washington | $117,984 |
| 20 | South Dakota | $114,111 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $113,068 |
| 22 | Maine | $117,135 |
| 23 | Vermont | $109,971 |
| 24 | Utah | $114,076 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | $107,160 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $107,122 |
| 27 | Michigan | $108,373 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $113,817 |
| 29 | Alabama | $100,051 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $108,660 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $106,139 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $108,428 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $106,830 |
| 34 | Missouri | $105,634 |
| 35 | Georgia | $100,138 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $88,450 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $88,706 |
| 38 | Iowa | $97,532 |
| 39 | Virginia | $96,271 |
| 40 | Delaware | $105,588 |
| 41 | Texas | $92,972 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $97,189 |
| 43 | Alaska | $91,026 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $91,464 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $98,241 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $96,687 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $87,279 |
| 48 | Florida | $85,410 |
| 49 | Kansas | $90,792 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $85,552 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $71,376 |
Academic director best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025