Marketing Director Salary By State: Highest-Paid Marketing Directors by State [2026]
Research Summary. Extensive research conducted by the Zippia data science team reveals the latest insights on marketing director salaries across the United States for 2026:
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California boasts the highest marketing director salary at $127,906.
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Alabama offers the lowest marketing director salary, averaging $69,373.
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The national average salary for marketing directors stands at $114,906.
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The national hourly wage for marketing directors is $55.24.
For more details on our specific methodology, please refer to our methodology section.
Background
Salary remains a critical factor in career decisions for many professionals, making it essential to understand how marketing directors are compensated in different locations.
While various factors influence your potential earnings, we provide comprehensive data on average salaries for marketing directors by state, taking into account seniority levels. Although local salaries may vary slightly from state averages, this information serves as a reliable benchmark.
California continues to be the state with the highest compensation for marketing directors.
Here’s a concise overview of the top ten states for marketing director salaries in 2026:
Let’s explore how we arrived at these figures and provide a complete ranking of all states.
Highest-Paid Marketing Directors By State
| Rank | State | Average Marketing Director Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $127,906 | $78,000 | $207,000 |
| 2 | Delaware | $125,037 | $79,000 | $196,000 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $121,546 | $77,000 | $190,000 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $121,055 | $77,000 | $189,000 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $120,315 | $76,000 | $189,000 |
| 6 | New York | $120,228 | $76,000 | $188,000 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $117,430 | $74,000 | $184,000 |
| 8 | Idaho | $115,441 | $70,000 | $188,000 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $114,797 | $73,000 | $180,000 |
| 10 | Washington | $114,034 | $69,000 | $186,000 |
| 11 | Vermont | $110,707 | $70,000 | $175,000 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $108,712 | $68,000 | $173,000 |
| 13 | Oregon | $108,291 | $65,000 | $179,000 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $106,219 | $66,000 | $169,000 |
| 15 | Maine | $104,964 | $65,000 | $167,000 |
| 16 | Arizona | $103,935 | $60,000 | $177,000 |
| 17 | Maryland | $103,759 | $64,000 | $166,000 |
| 18 | Nevada | $103,481 | $61,000 | $173,000 |
| 19 | Virginia | $100,679 | $61,000 | $164,000 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $99,555 | $63,000 | $156,000 |
| 21 | Michigan | $98,693 | $61,000 | $158,000 |
| 22 | Ohio | $97,508 | $59,000 | $159,000 |
| 23 | Kansas | $97,208 | $57,000 | $164,000 |
| 24 | Illinois | $94,983 | $58,000 | $154,000 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $94,781 | $57,000 | $156,000 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $93,704 | $58,000 | $149,000 |
| 27 | Texas | $92,470 | $51,000 | $164,000 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $91,935 | $52,000 | $160,000 |
| 29 | Alaska | $91,170 | $54,000 | $151,000 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $89,917 | $52,000 | $153,000 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $89,029 | $57,000 | $137,000 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $87,580 | $49,000 | $153,000 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $87,281 | $52,000 | $144,000 |
| 34 | Colorado | $86,978 | $51,000 | $145,000 |
| 35 | Iowa | $86,252 | $52,000 | $140,000 |
| 36 | Montana | $85,993 | $53,000 | $137,000 |
| 37 | Indiana | $85,595 | $51,000 | $141,000 |
| 38 | Utah | $84,810 | $50,000 | $142,000 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $80,039 | $49,000 | $130,000 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $76,280 | $44,000 | $129,000 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $75,909 | $41,000 | $138,000 |
| 42 | Missouri | $74,640 | $43,000 | $127,000 |
| 43 | Georgia | $74,244 | $41,000 | $131,000 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $73,756 | $40,000 | $133,000 |
| 45 | Florida | $72,165 | $40,000 | $128,000 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $71,919 | $41,000 | $125,000 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $71,223 | $40,000 | $125,000 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $71,066 | $40,000 | $124,000 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $69,772 | $50,000 | $95,000 |
| 50 | Alabama | $69,373 | $38,000 | $123,000 |
Methodology: Marketing Director Salary By State
To gain a comprehensive understanding of marketing director compensation across states, Zippia has compiled data from various reputable sources, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Federal Labor Council (FLC), and Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This data is enriched with actual salary listings from job postings, resulting in a weighted average that reflects the average pay for marketing directors by state.
We evaluated the average annual salaries and ranked all states based on their average compensation for marketing directors.
Marketing Director Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for marketing directors?
The highest-paid state for marketing directors is California, with an average salary of $127,906 per year.
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What city pays marketing directors the most?
San Francisco, CA, offers the highest average salary for marketing directors at $141,145 per year.
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What is the worst state for marketing directors?
The lowest-paying state for marketing directors is Alabama, with an average salary of $69,373 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.
