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Best states for a business development manager
Quoted expert
Jonathan Byers
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Business development manager opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for business development managers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for business development managers.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of business development managers in America is $151,000.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for business development managers.If you are currently seeking employment as a business development manager, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for business development managers in 2026
1. Washington
Total business development manager jobs: 2,216 Average annual salary: $111,209 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $168,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
2. Nevada
Total business development manager jobs: 675 Average annual salary: $101,154 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 1.2
3. California
Total business development manager jobs: 9,203 Average annual salary: $112,556 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
4. Rhode Island
Total business development manager jobs: 330 Average annual salary: $101,883 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
5. New York
Total business development manager jobs: 3,927 Average annual salary: $102,372 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
6. Ohio
Total business development manager jobs: 2,939 Average annual salary: $98,938 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
7. Oregon
Total business development manager jobs: 1,189 Average annual salary: $101,182 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
8. Michigan
Total business development manager jobs: 2,254 Average annual salary: $96,259 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
9. New Mexico
Total business development manager jobs: 576 Average annual salary: $96,948 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
10. New Jersey
Total business development manager jobs: 1,956 Average annual salary: $105,119 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
Business development manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a business development manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a business development manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $111,209 | $73,000 | 7,405,743 | 2,216 |
| 2 | Nevada | $101,154 | $66,000 | 2,998,039 | 675 |
| 3 | California | $112,556 | $74,000 | 39,536,653 | 9,203 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $101,883 | $67,000 | 1,059,639 | 330 |
| 5 | New York | $102,372 | $67,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,927 |
| 6 | Ohio | $98,938 | $65,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,939 |
| 7 | Oregon | $101,182 | $67,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,189 |
| 8 | Michigan | $96,259 | $63,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,254 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $96,948 | $63,000 | 2,088,070 | 576 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $105,119 | $69,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,956 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $100,495 | $66,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,563 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $101,388 | $67,000 | 693,972 | 674 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $90,279 | $59,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,662 |
| 14 | Maine | $98,944 | $64,000 | 1,335,907 | 217 |
| 15 | Indiana | $92,620 | $61,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,686 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $98,507 | $64,000 | 1,342,795 | 356 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $92,749 | $61,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,951 |
| 18 | Vermont | $95,972 | $62,000 | 623,657 | 187 |
| 19 | Montana | $88,273 | $58,000 | 1,050,493 | 414 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $87,897 | $58,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,489 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $88,402 | $58,000 | 4,454,189 | 983 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $94,011 | $61,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,000 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $97,441 | $64,000 | 3,588,184 | 691 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $86,508 | $58,000 | 869,666 | 301 |
| 25 | Delaware | $96,476 | $64,000 | 961,939 | 257 |
| 26 | Texas | $87,710 | $56,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,139 |
| 27 | Virginia | $96,327 | $63,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,238 |
| 28 | Illinois | $90,972 | $60,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,251 |
| 29 | Maryland | $100,042 | $66,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,236 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $86,372 | $58,000 | 579,315 | 165 |
| 31 | Idaho | $92,407 | $61,000 | 1,716,943 | 319 |
| 32 | Missouri | $86,798 | $58,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,696 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $81,723 | $54,000 | 3,004,279 | 816 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $83,153 | $54,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,634 |
| 35 | Alaska | $85,257 | $58,000 | 739,795 | 256 |
| 36 | Arizona | $87,016 | $57,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,584 |
| 37 | Iowa | $85,689 | $57,000 | 3,145,711 | 894 |
| 38 | Kansas | $81,113 | $54,000 | 2,913,123 | 901 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $80,674 | $54,000 | 1,920,076 | 663 |
| 40 | Colorado | $88,808 | $60,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,193 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $82,495 | $54,000 | 1,815,857 | 300 |
| 42 | Utah | $83,022 | $54,000 | 3,101,833 | 773 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $77,955 | $52,000 | 755,393 | 268 |
| 44 | Alabama | $80,913 | $52,000 | 4,874,747 | 919 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $81,464 | $51,000 | 4,684,333 | 725 |
| 46 | Georgia | $81,237 | $52,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,532 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $80,421 | $53,000 | 3,930,864 | 665 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $77,145 | $49,000 | 2,984,100 | 424 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $75,448 | $48,000 | 5,024,369 | 969 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $57,920 | $45,000 | 1,427,538 | 203 |
| 51 | Florida | $69,879 | $42,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,671 |
Highest paying states for business development managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Business Development Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $111,209 |
| 2 | Nevada | $101,154 |
| 3 | California | $112,556 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $101,883 |
| 5 | New York | $102,372 |
| 6 | Ohio | $98,938 |
| 7 | Oregon | $101,182 |
| 8 | Michigan | $96,259 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $96,948 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $105,119 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $100,495 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $101,388 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $90,279 |
| 14 | Maine | $98,944 |
| 15 | Indiana | $92,620 |
| 16 | New Hampshire | $98,507 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $92,749 |
| 18 | Vermont | $95,972 |
| 19 | Montana | $88,273 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $87,897 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $88,402 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $94,011 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $97,441 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $86,508 |
| 25 | Delaware | $96,476 |
| 26 | Texas | $87,710 |
| 27 | Virginia | $96,327 |
| 28 | Illinois | $90,972 |
| 29 | Maryland | $100,042 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $86,372 |
| 31 | Idaho | $92,407 |
| 32 | Missouri | $86,798 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $81,723 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $83,153 |
| 35 | Alaska | $85,257 |
| 36 | Arizona | $87,016 |
| 37 | Iowa | $85,689 |
| 38 | Kansas | $81,113 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $80,674 |
| 40 | Colorado | $88,808 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $82,495 |
| 42 | Utah | $83,022 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $77,955 |
| 44 | Alabama | $80,913 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $81,464 |
| 46 | Georgia | $81,237 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $80,421 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $77,145 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $75,448 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $57,920 |
| 51 | Florida | $69,879 |
Expert opinions on the best states for business development managers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for business development managers to find work opportunities?
Jonathan Byers
Assistant Director, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Like most Liberal Arts graduates, people with History degrees will most likely develop a number of the professional skills mentioned above that can be applicable in many different industry areas. In today's job market, college graduates are not bound to one type of job opportunity. History majors from Virginia Tech have found employment in Higher Education, Law, Politics, Public Policy, Business, Marketing, Information Technology, Information Management, International Affairs, Local & State Government, and the Federal Government. They have found opportunities in many different locations across the United Students. A person who finds a job depends on how much they are willing to network with other professionals and be strategic and intentional with their job search strategies.
Business development manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025