Business Manager Salary By State: Highest-Paid Business Managers by State [2026]
Research Summary. After comprehensive analysis by the Zippia data science team, we have outlined the current business manager salary trends by state in the United States for 2026:
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Washington offers the highest business manager salary at $114,590.
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Arkansas has the lowest business manager salary at $42,187.
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The national average salary for business managers stands at $83,198.
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The national hourly wage for business managers is $40.00.
For additional details, please refer to our specific methodology.
Background
Consistently, surveys reveal that salary remains the foremost consideration for most job seekers, particularly when assessing business manager compensation in their respective regions.
While individual salaries can vary based on a multitude of factors, we provide reliable data on average business manager salaries by state, categorized by seniority levels. Although your local salary might deviate from state averages, these figures offer a valuable benchmark for your expectations.
As of now, Washington continues to be the state with the most lucrative salary for business managers.
Here’s a concise overview of the top ten states for business manager salaries in 2026:
Let’s delve into the details and provide a comprehensive ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Business Managers By State
| Rank | State | Average Business Manager Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $114,590 | $68,000 | $192,000 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $111,128 | $66,000 | $185,000 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $109,623 | $65,000 | $183,000 |
| 4 | New York | $105,372 | $62,000 | $177,000 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $99,066 | $58,000 | $167,000 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $95,856 | $56,000 | $162,000 |
| 7 | Delaware | $94,487 | $55,000 | $161,000 |
| 8 | California | $94,300 | $52,000 | $169,000 |
| 9 | Virginia | $93,859 | $54,000 | $162,000 |
| 10 | Alaska | $93,059 | $52,000 | $166,000 |
| 11 | Oregon | $86,134 | $49,000 | $151,000 |
| 12 | Wisconsin | $85,635 | $49,000 | $148,000 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $83,532 | $48,000 | $142,000 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $82,835 | $48,000 | $142,000 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $79,943 | $44,000 | $142,000 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $79,334 | $47,000 | $132,000 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $78,406 | $45,000 | $135,000 |
| 18 | Illinois | $77,639 | $44,000 | $136,000 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $76,481 | $44,000 | $132,000 |
| 20 | Colorado | $75,423 | $42,000 | $134,000 |
| 21 | Maryland | $75,369 | $43,000 | $131,000 |
| 22 | Michigan | $72,186 | $41,000 | $125,000 |
| 23 | Texas | $70,519 | $38,000 | $129,000 |
| 24 | Indiana | $69,201 | $38,000 | $123,000 |
| 25 | Ohio | $68,276 | $38,000 | $120,000 |
| 26 | Nevada | $66,563 | $36,000 | $122,000 |
| 27 | Vermont | $66,252 | $38,000 | $114,000 |
| 28 | Idaho | $65,996 | $37,000 | $116,000 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $63,925 | $35,000 | $115,000 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $63,866 | $35,000 | $116,000 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $63,739 | $36,000 | $111,000 |
| 32 | Alabama | $62,652 | $34,000 | $113,000 |
| 33 | Maine | $62,370 | $35,000 | $108,000 |
| 34 | Georgia | $60,486 | $33,000 | $108,000 |
| 35 | Montana | $60,401 | $35,000 | $103,000 |
| 36 | Arizona | $60,392 | $32,000 | $111,000 |
| 37 | New Mexico | $57,053 | $30,000 | $105,000 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $54,922 | $30,000 | $97,000 |
| 39 | Florida | $54,654 | $32,000 | $92,000 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $54,611 | $30,000 | $97,000 |
| 41 | Iowa | $53,079 | $29,000 | $94,000 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $51,239 | $28,000 | $91,000 |
| 43 | Kansas | $50,024 | $27,000 | $90,000 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $49,959 | $27,000 | $90,000 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $49,953 | $29,000 | $83,000 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $49,625 | $27,000 | $89,000 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $49,032 | $26,000 | $89,000 |
| 48 | Missouri | $48,828 | $27,000 | $88,000 |
| 49 | Utah | $47,745 | $26,000 | $85,000 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $42,187 | $23,000 | $76,000 |
Methodology: Business Manager Salary By State
To accurately represent business manager salaries by state, Zippia has compiled data from a variety of reputable sources including the BLS, FLC, and OPM, complemented by real-time salary listings from job postings. Our data science team then calculates a weighted average to determine the average compensation for business managers across each state.
The average annual salary data for business managers was utilized to rank all states based on this metric, with the state offering the highest salary positioned at the top of the list.
Business Manager Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for business managers?
The highest-paid state for business managers is Washington with an average salary of $114,590 per year.
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What city pays business managers the most?
Seattle, WA offers the highest average salary for business managers at $117,523 annually.
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What is the worst state for business managers?
The state with the lowest average salary for business managers is Arkansas, with an average salary of $42,187 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.
