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Associate director salary
Average associate director salary
$114,223
Average Associate Director Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for an Associate Director is approximately $114,223 per year. This figure reflects compensation across various industries, with factors such as geographic location and years of experience influencing earnings. For example, Associate Directors in high-demand sectors such as technology and healthcare often earn above the national average.
Where Do Associate Directors Earn More?
The highest paying states for Associate Directors include California, New York, and Massachusetts, where salaries can exceed $130,000. Additionally, industries such as finance and consulting offer competitive salaries, making them attractive options for professionals in this role.
Salary Estimates Across the Web
Sources such as Glassdoor and Payscale report varied salary ranges, emphasizing the importance of researching specific companies and industries. Understanding these salary dynamics can assist job seekers in negotiating offers effectively.
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Where can an Associate Director earn more?
Associate director salary estimates from across the web
Average associate director salary by state
The average associate director salary in New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average associate director salary states are North Dakota, Arkansas, and Idaho.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for associate directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $123,356 | $59.31 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $121,701 | $58.51 |
| 3 | Delaware | $114,411 | $55.01 |
| 4 | New York | $118,923 | $57.17 |
| 5 | California | $122,157 | $58.73 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $109,760 | $52.77 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $112,593 | $54.13 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $108,922 | $52.37 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $105,792 | $50.86 |
| 10 | Arizona | $106,714 | $51.30 |
| 11 | Texas | $105,510 | $50.73 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $98,837 | $47.52 |
| 13 | Virginia | $108,464 | $52.15 |
| 14 | Nevada | $103,838 | $49.92 |
| 15 | Maryland | $113,120 | $54.38 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $103,511 | $49.76 |
| 17 | New Mexico | $105,803 | $50.87 |
| 18 | Kentucky | $100,823 | $48.47 |
| 19 | Illinois | $99,769 | $47.97 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $100,656 | $48.39 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $100,055 | $48.10 |
| 22 | Georgia | $98,793 | $47.50 |
| 23 | Michigan | $99,729 | $47.95 |
| 24 | Ohio | $98,285 | $47.25 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $92,489 | $44.47 |
| 26 | Alabama | $91,299 | $43.89 |
| 27 | Vermont | $93,570 | $44.99 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $95,398 | $45.86 |
| 29 | Oregon | $93,920 | $45.15 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $90,876 | $43.69 |
| 31 | Florida | $95,100 | $45.72 |
| 32 | Iowa | $94,703 | $45.53 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $96,303 | $46.30 |
| 34 | Maine | $95,046 | $45.70 |
| 35 | Washington | $92,015 | $44.24 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $92,913 | $44.67 |
| 37 | Indiana | $92,685 | $44.56 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $90,956 | $43.73 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $95,330 | $45.83 |
| 40 | Utah | $85,842 | $41.27 |
| 41 | Missouri | $90,546 | $43.53 |
| 42 | Colorado | $91,474 | $43.98 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $87,405 | $42.02 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $81,598 | $39.23 |
| 45 | Kansas | $85,367 | $41.04 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $88,894 | $42.74 |
| 47 | Montana | $77,225 | $37.13 |
| 48 | Idaho | $83,328 | $40.06 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $83,887 | $40.33 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $84,139 | $40.45 |
| 51 | Alaska | $68,346 | $32.86 |
Highest paying cities for associate directors
The highest-paying cities for associate directors are South San Francisco, CA, Jersey City, NJ, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South San Francisco, CA | $126,987 | $61.05 |
| 2 | Jersey City, NJ | $123,488 | $59.37 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $121,615 | $58.47 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $119,333 | $57.37 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $113,330 | $54.49 |
| 6 | Stamford, CT | $112,878 | $54.27 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $110,372 | $53.06 |
| 8 | Providence, RI | $108,874 | $52.34 |
| 9 | Richmond, VA | $108,387 | $52.11 |
| 10 | Raleigh, NC | $107,301 | $51.59 |
| 11 | Phoenix, AZ | $106,813 | $51.35 |
| 12 | Austin, TX | $106,692 | $51.29 |
| 13 | Washington, DC | $103,556 | $49.79 |
| 14 | Richmond, KY | $101,664 | $48.88 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $100,019 | $48.09 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $98,613 | $47.41 |
| 17 | Columbus, OH | $98,305 | $47.26 |
| 18 | Columbia, SC | $96,689 | $46.49 |
| 19 | Tampa, FL | $95,884 | $46.10 |
| 20 | Saint Paul, MN | $95,596 | $45.96 |
Associate Directors are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Associate director salary details
An associate director's salary ranges from $79,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $164,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an associate director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $164,000 | $13,667 | $79 |
| 75th Percentile | $138,000 | $11,500 | $66 |
| Average | $114,223 | $9,519 | $55 |
| 25th Percentile | $94,000 | $7,833 | $45 |
| 10th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
Highest paying associate director jobs
The highest paying types of associate directors are corporate director, senior director, and group director.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director Of Business Operations | $111,945 | $9,329 | $53.82 | 202,032 |
| Director Of Project Management | $126,958 | $10,580 | $61.04 | 200,498 |
| Director, Special Projects | $129,916 | $10,826 | $62.46 | 45,103 |
| Regional Director Of Operations | $115,156 | $9,596 | $55.36 | 130,533 |
| Director/Manager | $128,735 | $10,728 | $61.89 | 287,314 |
| Managing Director | $129,690 | $10,808 | $62.35 | 81,022 |
Top companies hiring associate directors now:
Which companies pay associate directors the most?
Associate director salaries at Legalmatch.com and alliantgroup are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average associate director salary at companies like MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey & Company Inc are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Legalmatch.com | $209,594 | $100.77 |
| 2 | alliantgroup | $202,437 | $97.33 |
| 3 | MacArthur Foundation | $190,966 | $91.81 |
| 4 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $190,689 | $91.68 |
| 5 | Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute - PCORI | $190,198 | $91.44 |
| 6 | Partners In Health | $189,281 | $91.00 |
| 7 | The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research | $186,727 | $89.77 |
| 8 | Chewy | $184,668 | $88.78 |
| 9 | The Rockefeller Foundation | $183,426 | $88.19 |
| 10 | Boston Consulting Group | $183,110 | $88.03 |
| 11 | Handy | $178,283 | $85.71 |
| 12 | Everyday Health | $177,488 | $85.33 |
| 13 | Wayfair | $176,216 | $84.72 |
| 14 | Genentech | $173,283 | $83.31 |
| 15 | Amazon | $171,708 | $82.55 |
| 16 | Icertis | $170,811 | $82.12 |
| 17 | Credit Karma | $168,499 | $81.01 |
| 18 | Editas Medicine | $168,437 | $80.98 |
| 19 | Iac/Interactivecorp | $167,610 | $80.58 |
| 20 | Intuitive Surgical | $167,357 | $80.46 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Associate Director salary by industry
The average associate director salary varies across industries:
- The average associate director salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $143,618, the highest of any industry.
- The average associate director salary in the finance industry is $132,005.
- Associate directors in the education industry earn an average salary of $82,359, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for associate directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $143,618 | $69.05 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $132,005 | $63.46 |
| 3 | Finance | $128,841 | $61.94 |
| 4 | Media | $127,118 | $61.11 |
| 5 | Health Care | $122,104 | $58.70 |
| 6 | Professional | $121,208 | $58.27 |
| 7 | Technology | $119,707 | $57.55 |
| 8 | Education | $82,359 | $39.60 |
High paying associate director jobs
Associate director salary trends
The average associate director salary has risen by $14,062 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average associate director earned $100,161 annually, but today, they earn $114,223 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for associate directors over the last decade.
Compare associate director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average associate director salary over time
Compare associate director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Associate director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $114,000 | $54.91 | +4.1% |
| 2024 | $110,000 | $52.68 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | $108,000 | $52.00 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $106,000 | $51.09 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | $106,000 | $50.78 | +0.1% |
Recently added associate director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol-Myers Squibb | Associate Director, Procurement, Excellence & Performance | Trenton, NJ | 06/30/2025 | $161,250 |
| Exelixis | Associate Sourcing Director | Alameda, CA | 06/30/2025 | $146,000 |
| Bayer | Associate Director, Field Reimbursement, Oncology-Great Lakes Region | Fort Wayne, IN | 06/30/2025 | $157,542 |
| Bayer | Associate Director, Field Reimbursement, Oncology-Great Lakes Region | Kalamazoo, MI | 06/30/2025 | $157,542 |
| Bayer | Associate Director, Field Reimbursement, Oncology-Great Lakes Region | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $157,542 |
| Carrier | Associate Director Commodity Management & Sourcing, Heat Exchangers | Palm Beach Gardens, FL | 06/30/2025 | $133,319 |
| Chanel | Associate Director, Product-57Th Street Flagship Boutique | Day, NY | 06/30/2025 | $134,900 |
| Wolters Kluwer | AI Governance Associate Director | Waltham, MA | 06/30/2025 | $183,700 |
| Year Up | Associate Director, Corporate Engagement-EOI Placement Success | Philadelphia, PA | 06/30/2025 | $88,000 |
| Year Up | Associate Director, Corporate Engagement-EOI Placement Success | Ione, CA | 06/30/2025 | $85,000 |
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