Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of finance director salary by state for the United States in 2026:
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California has the highest finance director salary of $137,128
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Alaska has the lowest finance director salary of $74,182
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The national average salary for finance directors is $118,518
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The national hourly pay for finance directors is $56.98
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
According to surveys conducted in various demographics, the most crucial aspect of a job for many professionals continues to be salary—particularly for finance directors. Understanding how much finance directors earn in your state can significantly influence career decisions.
While individual salaries can vary based on numerous factors, the data on average salaries for finance directors by state, broken down by seniority level, provides a useful benchmark. Although your local salary may differ from the state average, these figures can give you a general idea of what to expect.
The state with the highest salary for finance directors remains California.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for finance director salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Finance Directors By State
| Rank | State | Average Finance Director Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $137,128 | $91,000 | $205,000 |
| 2 | Delaware | $131,884 | $86,000 | $202,000 |
| 3 | New York | $129,953 | $84,000 | $199,000 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $125,762 | $81,000 | $193,000 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $123,313 | $79,000 | $190,000 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $118,828 | $76,000 | $184,000 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $117,611 | $75,000 | $182,000 |
| 8 | Michigan | $114,064 | $73,000 | $176,000 |
| 9 | Virginia | $109,941 | $70,000 | $171,000 |
| 10 | Maryland | $109,416 | $69,000 | $171,000 |
| 11 | Oregon | $109,404 | $71,000 | $167,000 |
| 12 | Nevada | $108,374 | $70,000 | $165,000 |
| 13 | Texas | $107,090 | $69,000 | $165,000 |
| 14 | Washington | $106,532 | $70,000 | $161,000 |
| 15 | Vermont | $105,556 | $67,000 | $165,000 |
| 16 | Arizona | $105,372 | $69,000 | $160,000 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $104,697 | $72,000 | $150,000 |
| 18 | Utah | $103,510 | $68,000 | $156,000 |
| 19 | Illinois | $102,741 | $67,000 | $157,000 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $102,349 | $65,000 | $160,000 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $102,326 | $65,000 | $159,000 |
| 22 | Maine | $102,023 | $65,000 | $160,000 |
| 23 | Indiana | $101,451 | $65,000 | $156,000 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $100,902 | $64,000 | $158,000 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $100,231 | $67,000 | $149,000 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $99,247 | $76,000 | $129,000 |
| 27 | Ohio | $99,164 | $63,000 | $154,000 |
| 28 | Colorado | $97,666 | $65,000 | $145,000 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $95,376 | $64,000 | $140,000 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $95,035 | $62,000 | $145,000 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $94,500 | $62,000 | $143,000 |
| 32 | Idaho | $94,267 | $62,000 | $142,000 |
| 33 | Kansas | $93,824 | $63,000 | $139,000 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $93,622 | $60,000 | $143,000 |
| 35 | Georgia | $93,487 | $60,000 | $144,000 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $93,096 | $61,000 | $140,000 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $93,030 | $59,000 | $145,000 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $90,191 | $58,000 | $139,000 |
| 39 | Missouri | $89,900 | $60,000 | $134,000 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $89,727 | $58,000 | $136,000 |
| 41 | Alabama | $89,407 | $58,000 | $137,000 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $88,968 | $60,000 | $131,000 |
| 43 | Iowa | $88,768 | $59,000 | $132,000 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $87,076 | $55,000 | $135,000 |
| 45 | Montana | $85,255 | $58,000 | $123,000 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $84,765 | $55,000 | $129,000 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $84,579 | $56,000 | $126,000 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $84,304 | $57,000 | $123,000 |
| 49 | Florida | $83,147 | $52,000 | $131,000 |
| 50 | Alaska | $74,182 | $53,000 | $102,000 |
Methodology: Finance Director Salary By State
To better understand finance director pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across a multitude of channels including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We then supplement that data with actual listed salaries from job posts. Finally, the data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for finance directors by state.
We took the average annual salary data for finance directors from these estimates and ranked every state based on this criterion, with the state with the highest salary ranking as the highest average salary for finance directors.
Finance Director Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for finance directors?
The highest-paid state for finance directors is California with an average salary of $137,128 per year.
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What city pays finance directors the most?
Palo Alto, CA pays finance directors the most with an average salary of $144,203 per year.
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What is the worst state for finance directors?
The worst state for finance directors is Alaska with an average salary of $74,182 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.
