Best states for an assistant director

Q: What is the best state for assistant directors?

The best state to be an assistant director is California based on assistant director salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for assistant directors?

The highest paying state for assistant directors is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for assistant directors?

The worst state for assistant directors is South Carolina, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and arts, entertainment, sports, and media careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to assistant director jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for assistant directors.In fact, our research shows that California is the best state for assistant directors in America. The best city in America for assistant directors with the highest pay is San Francisco, CA.

In order to get you the best states for assistant directors, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.California is the best state, and Monterey is the city with the highest pay for assistant directors.

10 best states for assistant directors in 2025

1. California
Total assistant director jobs: 1,104
Average annual salary: $93,031
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000
Location Quotient:
0.9
Assistant director jobs in California
2. New York
Total assistant director jobs: 874
Average annual salary: $86,077
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000
Location Quotient:
1.62
Assistant director jobs in New York
3. Massachusetts
Total assistant director jobs: 569
Average annual salary: $72,794
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000
Location Quotient:
1.47
Assistant director jobs in Massachusetts
4. Connecticut
Total assistant director jobs: 108
Average annual salary: $89,025
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000
Location Quotient:
0.77
Assistant director jobs in Connecticut
5. New Jersey
Total assistant director jobs: 316
Average annual salary: $72,102
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Assistant director jobs in New Jersey
6. District of Columbia
Total assistant director jobs: 142
Average annual salary: $69,736
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000
Location Quotient:
2.01
Assistant director jobs in District of Columbia
7. Maryland
Total assistant director jobs: 284
Average annual salary: $64,914
Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Assistant director jobs in Maryland
8. Nevada
Total assistant director jobs: 54
Average annual salary: $72,179
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000
Location Quotient:
0.61
Assistant director jobs in Nevada
9. Washington
Total assistant director jobs: 216
Average annual salary: $68,883
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000
Location Quotient:
0.7
Assistant director jobs in Washington
10. Oregon
Total assistant director jobs: 128
Average annual salary: $61,854
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $104,000
Location Quotient:
0.73
Assistant director jobs in Oregon

Assistant director jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an assistant director

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an assistant director

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$93,031	$54,000	39,536,653	1,104
2	New York	$86,077	$49,000	19,849,399	874
3	Massachusetts	$72,794	$42,000	6,859,819	569
4	Connecticut	$89,025	$51,000	3,588,184	108
5	New Jersey	$72,102	$41,000	9,005,644	316
6	District of Columbia	$69,736	$40,000	693,972	142
7	Maryland	$64,914	$37,000	6,052,177	284
8	Nevada	$72,179	$41,000	2,998,039	54
9	Washington	$68,883	$40,000	7,405,743	216
10	Oregon	$61,854	$36,000	4,142,776	128
11	Illinois	$57,278	$34,000	12,802,023	398
12	Georgia	$56,082	$33,000	10,429,379	348
13	Vermont	$56,036	$33,000	623,657	28
14	Virginia	$57,047	$32,000	8,470,020	401
15	Michigan	$56,958	$33,000	9,962,311	191
16	New Hampshire	$57,713	$34,000	1,342,795	42
17	Rhode Island	$54,810	$32,000	1,059,639	37
18	Pennsylvania	$52,374	$30,000	12,805,537	369
19	South Dakota	$47,442	$29,000	869,666	188
20	Texas	$51,177	$30,000	28,304,596	686
21	Wisconsin	$52,205	$31,000	5,795,483	165
22	Delaware	$54,772	$31,000	961,939	37
23	Wyoming	$53,790	$33,000	579,315	11
24	Arizona	$53,126	$31,000	7,016,270	173
25	Minnesota	$55,679	$33,000	5,576,606	158
26	Colorado	$52,594	$32,000	5,607,154	209
27	Oklahoma	$45,897	$28,000	3,930,864	454
28	Alaska	$52,992	$37,000	739,795	20
29	North Carolina	$48,350	$28,000	10,273,419	273
30	Florida	$48,310	$29,000	20,984,400	476
31	West Virginia	$45,846	$26,000	1,815,857	47
32	Ohio	$47,469	$27,000	11,658,609	262
33	Indiana	$44,643	$26,000	6,666,818	246
34	New Mexico	$48,408	$29,000	2,088,070	27
35	Montana	$48,275	$29,000	1,050,493	21
36	Nebraska	$47,358	$28,000	1,920,076	48
37	Utah	$47,476	$28,000	3,101,833	44
38	Mississippi	$40,676	$24,000	2,984,100	297
39	Alabama	$40,223	$24,000	4,874,747	493
40	Idaho	$47,964	$28,000	1,716,943	16
41	Louisiana	$39,772	$23,000	4,684,333	485
42	Iowa	$39,710	$24,000	3,145,711	510
43	Arkansas	$33,652	$20,000	3,004,279	474
44	Hawaii	$39,821	$28,000	1,427,538	27
45	Missouri	$43,100	$26,000	6,113,532	158
46	Kentucky	$42,060	$25,000	4,454,189	96
47	Tennessee	$42,366	$25,000	6,715,984	142
48	Maine	$44,118	$26,000	1,335,907	16
49	North Dakota	$43,630	$27,000	755,393	8
50	Kansas	$40,891	$25,000	2,913,123	66
51	South Carolina	$36,813	$21,000	5,024,369	98

Highest paying states for assistant directors

Rank	State	Avg. Assistant Director Salary
1	California	$93,031
2	New York	$86,077
3	Massachusetts	$72,794
4	Connecticut	$89,025
5	New Jersey	$72,102
6	District of Columbia	$69,736
7	Maryland	$64,914
8	Nevada	$72,179
9	Washington	$68,883
10	Oregon	$61,854
11	Illinois	$57,278
12	Georgia	$56,082
13	Vermont	$56,036
14	Virginia	$57,047
15	Michigan	$56,958
16	New Hampshire	$57,713
17	Rhode Island	$54,810
18	Pennsylvania	$52,374
19	South Dakota	$47,442
20	Texas	$51,177
21	Wisconsin	$52,205
22	Delaware	$54,772
23	Wyoming	$53,790
24	Arizona	$53,126
25	Minnesota	$55,679
26	Colorado	$52,594
27	Oklahoma	$45,897
28	Alaska	$52,992
29	North Carolina	$48,350
30	Florida	$48,310
31	West Virginia	$45,846
32	Ohio	$47,469
33	Indiana	$44,643
34	New Mexico	$48,408
35	Montana	$48,275
36	Nebraska	$47,358
37	Utah	$47,476
38	Mississippi	$40,676
39	Alabama	$40,223
40	Idaho	$47,964
41	Louisiana	$39,772
42	Iowa	$39,710
43	Arkansas	$33,652
44	Hawaii	$39,821
45	Missouri	$43,100
46	Kentucky	$42,060
47	Tennessee	$42,366
48	Maine	$44,118
49	North Dakota	$43,630
50	Kansas	$40,891
51	South Carolina	$36,813

Assistant director best states FAQs

What is the best state for assistant directors?

What is the highest paying state for assistant directors?

What is the worst state for assistant directors?

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Best states for Assistant Directors

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total assistant director jobs:	1,104
Average annual salary:	$93,031
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$54,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$158,000
Location Quotient:	0.9

Best states for an assistant director

10 best states for assistant directors in 2025

1. California

2. New York

3. Massachusetts

4. Connecticut

5. New Jersey

6. District of Columbia

7. Maryland

8. Nevada

9. Washington

10. Oregon