Operations Director Salary By State: Highest-Paid Operations Directors by State [2026]
Research Summary. The Zippia data science team has conducted extensive research to provide updated insights on operations director salaries across the United States for 2026:
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California leads with the highest operations director salary at $128,743.
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Iowa has the lowest operations director salary at $66,615.
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The national average salary for operations directors stands at $104,050.
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Nationally, the hourly pay for operations directors is $50.02.
For more details, refer to our specific methodology.
Background
One of the most critical factors in job satisfaction remains salary—what can you expect to earn as an operations director in your area?
While various factors influence individual salary expectations, comprehensive data on average operations director salaries by state offers valuable insights. Although your specific city might differ from state averages, these figures can serve as a reliable benchmark for salary expectations.
As of 2026, California continues to provide the highest salaries for operations directors.
Here’s a quick overview of the top ten states for operations director salaries:
Let’s delve deeper into the salary data and review a complete ranking of all states.
Highest-Paid Operations Directors By State
| Rank | State | Average Operations Director Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $128,743 | $79,000 | $208,000 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $126,450 | $80,000 | $199,000 |
| 3 | Hawaii | $124,736 | $89,000 | $172,000 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $123,818 | $78,000 | $195,000 |
| 5 | Delaware | $121,430 | $76,000 | $193,000 |
| 6 | Alaska | $120,262 | $73,000 | $196,000 |
| 7 | Washington | $119,237 | $72,000 | $196,000 |
| 8 | New York | $112,357 | $70,000 | $179,000 |
| 9 | Colorado | $109,564 | $64,000 | $187,000 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $109,369 | $68,000 | $174,000 |
| 11 | Nevada | $107,078 | $63,000 | $180,000 |
| 12 | Virginia | $106,654 | $64,000 | $175,000 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $103,718 | $61,000 | $173,000 |
| 14 | Michigan | $102,933 | $62,000 | $170,000 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $102,864 | $63,000 | $165,000 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $102,554 | $60,000 | $173,000 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $102,004 | $61,000 | $170,000 |
| 18 | Georgia | $101,438 | $59,000 | $173,000 |
| 19 | Texas | $101,044 | $58,000 | $174,000 |
| 20 | Oregon | $99,715 | $58,000 | $169,000 |
| 21 | Illinois | $97,849 | $57,000 | $166,000 |
| 22 | Maryland | $97,634 | $59,000 | $160,000 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $97,398 | $56,000 | $166,000 |
| 24 | Arizona | $96,973 | $56,000 | $165,000 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | $96,063 | $58,000 | $157,000 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $94,554 | $54,000 | $165,000 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $94,519 | $54,000 | $164,000 |
| 28 | New Hampshire | $93,809 | $58,000 | $151,000 |
| 29 | Alabama | $91,770 | $52,000 | $159,000 |
| 30 | Indiana | $89,585 | $51,000 | $155,000 |
| 31 | Ohio | $89,154 | $52,000 | $151,000 |
| 32 | Maine | $88,903 | $54,000 | $145,000 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $88,672 | $50,000 | $155,000 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $87,575 | $49,000 | $153,000 |
| 35 | Kansas | $85,172 | $47,000 | $151,000 |
| 36 | Montana | $82,989 | $48,000 | $141,000 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $81,852 | $49,000 | $135,000 |
| 38 | Idaho | $80,516 | $46,000 | $138,000 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $80,267 | $46,000 | $138,000 |
| 40 | Florida | $80,122 | $46,000 | $138,000 |
| 41 | Missouri | $78,046 | $43,000 | $139,000 |
| 42 | Vermont | $77,842 | $47,000 | $127,000 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $76,256 | $42,000 | $136,000 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $75,209 | $41,000 | $134,000 |
| 45 | Utah | $73,773 | $42,000 | $129,000 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $72,442 | $41,000 | $126,000 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $71,223 | $40,000 | $125,000 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $70,699 | $41,000 | $120,000 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $67,881 | $38,000 | $119,000 |
| 50 | Iowa | $66,615 | $37,000 | $117,000 |
Methodology: Operations Director Salary By State
To gain a clearer understanding of operations director salaries by state, Zippia aggregates data from reputable sources, including the BLS, FLC, and OPM, and supplements this with actual salary listings from job postings. The data science team calculates a weighted average to derive the average pay for operations directors across states.
We rank each state based on the average annual salary data, identifying the state with the highest average salary for operations directors.
Operations Director Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for operations directors?
The highest-paying state for operations directors is California with an average salary of $128,743 per year.
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What city pays operations directors the most?
San Francisco, CA offers the highest average salary for operations directors at $141,492 per year.
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What is the worst state for operations directors?
The state with the lowest salary for operations directors is Iowa, averaging $66,615 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
