Find a Job You Really Want In
Communications Directors are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as communications directors in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since communications directors are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where communications directors have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around, and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for communications directors. After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s communications directors:
So there you have it — Minnesota is the best of the best when it comes to being a communications directors.
How did it end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for communications directors and for more on the top ten states.
How we determined the best states to be a communications director
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Pay
So in order to find out the best states for communications directors in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well communications directors get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2015:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for communications directors in California is $146,630 and the average salary in Oregon is $107,060, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for communications directors in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for communications directors.
1. Minnesota
Total Jobs: 1,220
Average Annual Salary: $123,810
Average Entry Level Salary: $71,720
Average Experienced Salary: $186,910
Location Quotient: 1.93
2. Georgia
Total Jobs: 1,050
Average Annual Salary: $121,660
Average Entry Level Salary: $69,640
Average Experienced Salary: $181,070
Location Quotient: 1.13
3. Virginia
Total Jobs: 1,010
Average Annual Salary: $122,100
Average Entry Level Salary: $71,470
Average Experienced Salary: $184,830
Location Quotient: 1.2
4. Iowa
Total Jobs: 8,060
Average Annual Salary: $108,180
Average Entry Level Salary: $54,310
Average Experienced Salary: $177,590
Location Quotient: 1.37
5. Minnesota
Total Jobs: 1,670
Average Annual Salary: $111,040
Average Entry Level Salary: $67,550
Average Experienced Salary: $165,460
Location Quotient: 1.38
6. North Carolina
Total Jobs: 700
Average Annual Salary: $122,770
Average Entry Level Salary: $72,450
Average Experienced Salary: $185,330
Location Quotient: 0.75
7. Michigan
Total Jobs: 13,460
Average Annual Salary: $114,870
Average Entry Level Salary: $59,780
Average Experienced Salary: $185,980
Location Quotient: 0.84
8. Washington
Total Jobs: 2,110
Average Annual Salary: $106,160
Average Entry Level Salary: $64,060
Average Experienced Salary: $162,510
Location Quotient: 1.62
9. Connecticut
Total Jobs: 850
Average Annual Salary: $120,700
Average Entry Level Salary: $81,750
Average Experienced Salary: $175,190
Location Quotient: 2.26
10. Georgia
Total Jobs: 1,390
Average Annual Salary: $113,350
Average Entry Level Salary: $58,990
Average Experienced Salary: $181,230
Location Quotient: 0.77
There You Have It
If you’re looking to start out your career as a communications director these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a communications director in America:
Detailed List Of The Best States For Communications Directors
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | $123,810 |
| 2 | Georgia | $121,660 |
| 3 | Virginia | $122,100 |
| 4 | Iowa | $108,180 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $111,040 |
| 6 | North Carolina | $122,770 |
| 7 | Michigan | $114,870 |
| 8 | Washington | $106,160 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $120,700 |
| 10 | Georgia | $113,350 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $96,970 |
| 12 | Delaware | $123,440 |
| 13 | Illinois | $107,060 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $74,450 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $114,560 |
| 16 | Missouri | $111,300 |
| 17 | Alabama | $115,360 |
| 18 | Delaware | $159,740 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $99,460 |
| 20 | Ohio | $105,790 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $133,640 |
| 22 | Florida | $118,890 |
| 23 | Mississippi | $97,000 |
| 24 | Oklahoma | $84,200 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $97,230 |
| 26 | Iowa | $89,120 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $159,310 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $98,390 |
| 29 | Michigan | $105,760 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $97,950 |
| 31 | Arizona | $91,450 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $89,740 |
| 33 | Rhode Island | $139,320 |
| 34 | Indiana | $105,600 |
| 35 | Washington | $107,430 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $110,160 |
| 37 | Nevada | $103,250 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $103,700 |
| 39 | Alabama | $73,070 |
| 40 | Arizona | $98,980 |
| 41 | North Carolina | $137,200 |
| 42 | Kansas | $98,610 |
| 43 | Georgia | $135,920 |
| 44 | Ohio | $102,410 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $93,010 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $78,840 |
| 47 | Pennsylvania | $116,490 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $69,340 |
| 49 | New Jersey | $132,940 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $68,880 |
| 51 | Connecticut | $119,760 |
| 52 | Delaware | $143,410 |
| 53 | Indiana | $95,560 |
| 54 | North Dakota | $110,890 |
| 55 | Connecticut | $144,380 |
| 56 | Illinois | $125,220 |
| 57 | Colorado | $110,510 |
| 58 | North Dakota | $100,920 |
| 59 | Michigan | $74,030 |
| 60 | Kansas | $94,700 |
| 61 | New York | $180,820 |
| 62 | Louisiana | $99,520 |
| 63 | Maine | $100,900 |
| 64 | New York | $158,100 |
| 65 | New Jersey | $145,910 |
| 66 | Nevada | $103,800 |
| 67 | Kentucky | $69,410 |
| 68 | Kansas | $66,680 |
| 69 | Louisiana | $72,380 |
| 70 | Virginia | $147,330 |
| 71 | Tennessee | $76,130 |
| 72 | Alabama | $94,220 |
| 73 | Maine | $86,290 |
| 74 | Wisconsin | $96,740 |
| 75 | Maryland | $117,320 |
| 76 | Indiana | $83,610 |
| 77 | New Mexico | $96,960 |
| 78 | Oregon | $111,290 |
| 79 | Mississippi | $89,950 |
| 80 | Virginia | $140,870 |
| 81 | Michigan | $99,080 |
| 82 | Ohio | $118,970 |
| 83 | Alaska | $112,530 |
| 84 | Missouri | $126,140 |
| 85 | Indiana | $70,930 |
| 86 | Rhode Island | $142,890 |
| 87 | North Carolina | $71,610 |
| 88 | Oklahoma | $83,490 |
| 89 | Tennessee | $90,000 |
| 90 | Missouri | $69,030 |
| 91 | Illinois | $89,300 |
| 92 | Nebraska | $65,730 |
| 93 | Nebraska | $136,100 |
| 94 | Wisconsin | $71,440 |
| 95 | Arkansas | $74,350 |
| 96 | Pennsylvania | $144,840 |
| 97 | Missouri | $103,300 |
| 98 | South Carolina | $74,470 |
| 99 | Florida | $101,970 |
| 100 | Utah | $81,760 |
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.
