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Account director salary
Average account director salary
$114,728
Average Account Director Salary
The median salary for an Account Director in the United States is approximately $114,728 per year. This figure can vary significantly based on experience and the specific industry, with some sectors offering higher compensation packages. For instance, advertising and marketing firms often pay more than other industries due to the competitive nature of client management.
Regional Salary Differences
Account Directors in states like California, New York, and Texas tend to earn more, reflecting the higher cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. For example, in California, the average salary can exceed $130,000, making it one of the most lucrative locations for this role.
Job Outlook and Opportunities
As businesses increasingly focus on client relationships and strategic partnerships, the demand for Account Directors is expected to grow. Pursuing further education or certifications in project management or business development can enhance your earning potential and career advancement opportunities.
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Where can an Account Director earn more?
Account director salary estimates from across the web
Average account director salary by state
The average account director salary in New Jersey, Maine, and Nevada are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average account director salary states are Arkansas, Colorado, and Indiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for account directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $123,773 | $59.51 |
| 2 | Vermont | $119,612 | $57.51 |
| 3 | Maine | $125,710 | $60.44 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $113,932 | $54.77 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $127,913 | $61.50 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $111,447 | $53.58 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $116,749 | $56.13 |
| 8 | New York | $117,233 | $56.36 |
| 9 | Tennessee | $114,015 | $54.81 |
| 10 | South Carolina | $120,190 | $57.78 |
| 11 | Michigan | $113,246 | $54.45 |
| 12 | Washington | $112,331 | $54.01 |
| 13 | California | $118,950 | $57.19 |
| 14 | Ohio | $109,032 | $52.42 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $114,518 | $55.06 |
| 16 | Nebraska | $112,146 | $53.92 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $109,775 | $52.78 |
| 18 | Montana | $106,646 | $51.27 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $108,726 | $52.27 |
| 20 | Illinois | $107,684 | $51.77 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $104,715 | $50.34 |
| 22 | Oregon | $107,678 | $51.77 |
| 23 | Virginia | $109,822 | $52.80 |
| 24 | Idaho | $106,716 | $51.31 |
| 25 | Georgia | $103,620 | $49.82 |
| 26 | Delaware | $108,741 | $52.28 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $97,318 | $46.79 |
| 28 | Alabama | $96,164 | $46.23 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $96,571 | $46.43 |
| 30 | Texas | $106,861 | $51.38 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $104,319 | $50.15 |
| 32 | Maryland | $108,166 | $52.00 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $98,943 | $47.57 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $104,080 | $50.04 |
| 35 | Hawaii | $107,567 | $51.71 |
| 36 | Iowa | $99,049 | $47.62 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | $102,781 | $49.41 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $96,721 | $46.50 |
| 39 | Arizona | $93,234 | $44.82 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $97,094 | $46.68 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $92,274 | $44.36 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $88,926 | $42.75 |
| 43 | Kansas | $92,602 | $44.52 |
| 44 | Utah | $98,595 | $47.40 |
| 45 | Missouri | $92,471 | $44.46 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $97,816 | $47.03 |
| 47 | Florida | $85,656 | $41.18 |
| 48 | Indiana | $90,756 | $43.63 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $89,693 | $43.12 |
| 50 | Alaska | $96,349 | $46.32 |
| 51 | Colorado | $91,978 | $44.22 |
Highest paying cities for account directors
The highest-paying cities for account directors are San Francisco, CA, Las Vegas, NV, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $126,795 | $60.96 |
| 2 | Las Vegas, NV | $122,985 | $59.13 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $117,360 | $56.42 |
| 4 | Philadelphia, PA | $114,455 | $55.03 |
| 5 | Detroit, MI | $113,464 | $54.55 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $112,914 | $54.29 |
| 7 | Omaha, NE | $112,440 | $54.06 |
| 8 | Saint Paul, MN | $111,578 | $53.64 |
| 9 | McLean, VA | $110,727 | $53.23 |
| 10 | Hartford, CT | $108,919 | $52.36 |
| 11 | Columbus, OH | $108,634 | $52.23 |
| 12 | Baltimore, MD | $108,400 | $52.12 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $108,155 | $52.00 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $107,227 | $51.55 |
| 15 | Portland, OR | $107,098 | $51.49 |
| 16 | Raleigh, NC | $105,668 | $50.80 |
| 17 | Washington, DC | $104,354 | $50.17 |
| 18 | Atlanta, GA | $103,600 | $49.81 |
| 19 | Boston, MA | $102,865 | $49.45 |
| 20 | Salt Lake City, UT | $98,229 | $47.23 |
Account Directors are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Account director salary details
An account director's salary ranges from $82,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $158,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an account director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $158,000 | $13,167 | $76 |
| 75th Percentile | $136,000 | $11,333 | $65 |
| Average | $114,728 | $9,561 | $55 |
| 25th Percentile | $96,000 | $8,000 | $46 |
| 10th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
Highest paying account director jobs
The highest paying types of account directors are senior director of marketing, director of strategy, and director, national accounts.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director Of Sales & Business Development | $82,584 | $6,882 | $39.70 | 163,561 |
| Director Of Marketing & Development | $98,174 | $8,181 | $47.20 | 151,893 |
| Director New Business Development | $110,272 | $9,189 | $53.02 | 154,470 |
| Director Of Sales And Marketing | $117,348 | $9,779 | $56.42 | 132,459 |
| Director Of Client Relations | $116,480 | $9,707 | $56.00 | 63,226 |
| Director, National Accounts | $118,359 | $9,863 | $56.90 | 66,271 |
Top companies hiring account directors now:
Which companies pay account directors the most?
Account director salaries at BuzzFeed and TBWA Worldwide are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average account director salary at companies like Schrödinger and Northwell Health are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BuzzFeed | $152,341 | $73.24 |
| 2 | TBWA Worldwide | $145,662 | $70.03 |
| 3 | Schrödinger Inc | $144,904 | $69.67 |
| 4 | Northwell Health | $144,223 | $69.34 |
| 5 | Brightstar | $143,819 | $69.14 |
| 6 | Jack Morton Worldwide | $142,868 | $68.69 |
| 7 | AstraZeneca | $141,069 | $67.82 |
| 8 | Condé Nast | $141,028 | $67.80 |
| 9 | Wieden+Kennedy | $140,685 | $67.64 |
| 10 | Cummins & White | $140,581 | $67.59 |
| 11 | $139,308 | $66.97 | |
| 12 | DocuSign | $138,165 | $66.43 |
| 13 | Wpp Us Holdings Inc | $138,085 | $66.39 |
| 14 | Canva | $136,493 | $65.62 |
| 15 | VICE | $136,421 | $65.59 |
| 16 | Cadence Design Systems | $136,091 | $65.43 |
| 17 | Palantir | $135,804 | $65.29 |
| 18 | J. The Jewish News of Northern California | $135,064 | $64.93 |
| 19 | Yahoo | $134,941 | $64.88 |
| 20 | Cytokinetics | $134,923 | $64.87 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Account Director salary by industry
The average account director salary varies across industries:
- The average account director salary in the professional industry is $118,397, the highest of any industry.
- The average account director salary in the finance industry is $111,351.
- Account directors in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $101,223, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for account directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $118,397 | $56.92 |
| 2 | Technology | $111,351 | $53.53 |
| 3 | Media | $106,996 | $51.44 |
| 4 | Hospitality | $101,223 | $48.66 |
High paying account director jobs
Account director salary trends
The average account director salary has risen by $26,581 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average account director earned $88,147 annually, but today, they earn $114,728 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for account directors over the last decade.
Compare account director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average account director salary over time
Compare account director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Account director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $115,000 | $55.16 | +4.3% |
| 2024 | $110,000 | $52.80 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $108,000 | $51.79 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | $105,000 | $50.48 | +2.6% |
| 2021 | $102,000 | $49.18 | +3.5% |
Recently added account director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith & Nephew | Key Account Director, AWM | Field, MN | 06/30/2025 | $150,000 |
| Btisolutions | Korean Bilingual Logistics Business Operation/Logistics Account Director G769725 | Dalton, GA | 06/30/2025 | $100,000 |
| Ensemble Health Partners | Director, Accounts Receivable | Appleton, WI | 06/30/2025 | $92,400 |
| Vizient | Account Director, Supplier Performance | Irving, TX | 06/30/2025 | $102,400 |
| Vizient | Account Director, Supplier Performance-Medtech | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $102,400 |
| Navex Global | Account Director | Lake Oswego, OR | 06/30/2025 | $115,000 |
| SMB Account Director, Search & Staffing-Talent Solutions | Detroit, MI | 06/29/2025 | $101,000 | |
| Rapp | Account Director | Dallas, TX | 06/29/2025 | $111,000 |
| Rapp | Account Director | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $112,000 |
| Dna | Account Director, Client Experience-Healthcare | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $115,000 |
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