Best states for a business unit director

Q: What is the best state for business unit directors?

The best state to be a business unit director is District of Columbia based on business unit director salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for business unit directors?

The highest paying state for business unit directors is Hawaii based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for business unit directors?

The worst state for business unit directors is Hawaii, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for business unit directors? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for business unit director jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.Our research shows that District of Columbia is the best state in the country for business unit directors.

District of Columbia is the best state for jobs for business unit directors, and Hawaii is the worst. The most common pay in District of Columbia is $187,255, while the median pay in Hawaii is $83,733.If you are currently seeking employment as a business unit director, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for business unit directors in 2026

1. District of Columbia
Total business unit director jobs: 480
Average annual salary: $187,255
Lowest 10 percent earn: $137,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $254,000
Location Quotient:
1.75
Business unit director jobs in District of Columbia
2. Alaska
Total business unit director jobs: 183
Average annual salary: $150,467
Lowest 10 percent earn: $107,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $211,000
Location Quotient:
1.34
Business unit director jobs in Alaska
3. Nevada
Total business unit director jobs: 500
Average annual salary: $133,893
Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000
Location Quotient:
1.46
Business unit director jobs in Nevada
4. New York
Total business unit director jobs: 2,894
Average annual salary: $144,329
Lowest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $204,000
Location Quotient:
1.38
Business unit director jobs in New York
5. New Jersey
Total business unit director jobs: 1,482
Average annual salary: $146,266
Lowest 10 percent earn: $103,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $207,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Business unit director jobs in New Jersey
6. Massachusetts
Total business unit director jobs: 1,699
Average annual salary: $140,288
Lowest 10 percent earn: $99,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $198,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
Business unit director jobs in Massachusetts
7. Connecticut
Total business unit director jobs: 500
Average annual salary: $143,615
Lowest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $203,000
Location Quotient:
0.92
Business unit director jobs in Connecticut
8. Rhode Island
Total business unit director jobs: 181
Average annual salary: $141,061
Lowest 10 percent earn: $99,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $199,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
Business unit director jobs in Rhode Island
9. California
Total business unit director jobs: 5,019
Average annual salary: $147,424
Lowest 10 percent earn: $102,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $211,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Business unit director jobs in California
10. Wisconsin
Total business unit director jobs: 1,077
Average annual salary: $125,487
Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $181,000
Location Quotient:
1.19
Business unit director jobs in Wisconsin

Business unit director jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a business unit director

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

Detailed list of the best states for a business unit director

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	District of Columbia	$187,255	$137,000	693,972	480
2	Alaska	$150,467	$107,000	739,795	183
3	Nevada	$133,893	$92,000	2,998,039	500
4	New York	$144,329	$101,000	19,849,399	2,894
5	New Jersey	$146,266	$103,000	9,005,644	1,482
6	Massachusetts	$140,288	$99,000	6,859,819	1,699
7	Connecticut	$143,615	$101,000	3,588,184	500
8	Rhode Island	$141,061	$99,000	1,059,639	181
9	California	$147,424	$102,000	39,536,653	5,019
10	Wisconsin	$125,487	$86,000	5,795,483	1,077
11	North Carolina	$133,716	$93,000	10,273,419	1,210
12	Nebraska	$122,577	$84,000	1,920,076	471
13	Washington	$138,476	$96,000	7,405,743	992
14	Pennsylvania	$127,919	$89,000	12,805,537	1,425
15	South Dakota	$119,493	$83,000	869,666	203
16	Indiana	$121,954	$83,000	6,666,818	1,096
17	Texas	$125,241	$84,000	28,304,596	2,637
18	New Mexico	$121,732	$82,000	2,088,070	363
19	Delaware	$126,351	$88,000	961,939	214
20	Virginia	$135,269	$94,000	8,470,020	1,117
21	Maine	$124,193	$88,000	1,335,907	184
22	Michigan	$116,836	$80,000	9,962,311	1,506
23	Alabama	$112,721	$77,000	4,874,747	1,084
24	New Hampshire	$122,572	$86,000	1,342,795	263
25	Ohio	$112,789	$77,000	11,658,609	2,009
26	Oregon	$122,974	$84,000	4,142,776	630
27	Louisiana	$107,049	$71,000	4,684,333	1,040
28	Colorado	$128,783	$88,000	5,607,154	573
29	Illinois	$121,111	$83,000	12,802,023	1,850
30	Maryland	$128,516	$89,000	6,052,177	737
31	Iowa	$113,622	$78,000	3,145,711	649
32	Arizona	$121,893	$82,000	7,016,270	630
33	Missouri	$104,763	$71,000	6,113,532	1,178
34	Minnesota	$118,764	$83,000	5,576,606	807
35	Mississippi	$96,067	$65,000	2,984,100	681
36	Georgia	$117,766	$81,000	10,429,379	1,233
37	North Dakota	$112,803	$80,000	755,393	117
38	Tennessee	$101,386	$69,000	6,715,984	1,046
39	Kentucky	$97,464	$66,000	4,454,189	743
40	Vermont	$107,186	$75,000	623,657	135
41	South Carolina	$103,644	$71,000	5,024,369	671
42	Kansas	$94,508	$64,000	2,913,123	645
43	Oklahoma	$87,653	$59,000	3,930,864	792
44	Arkansas	$89,832	$61,000	3,004,279	559
45	Montana	$86,950	$61,000	1,050,493	285
46	West Virginia	$95,605	$66,000	1,815,857	252
47	Utah	$97,280	$66,000	3,101,833	371
48	Idaho	$99,872	$68,000	1,716,943	157
49	Florida	$93,397	$62,000	20,984,400	1,931
50	Wyoming	$86,014	$59,000	579,315	62
51	Hawaii	$83,733	$59,000	1,427,538	88

Highest paying states for business unit directors

Rank	State	Avg. Business Unit Director Salary
1	District of Columbia	$187,255
2	Alaska	$150,467
3	Nevada	$133,893
4	New York	$144,329
5	New Jersey	$146,266
6	Massachusetts	$140,288
7	Connecticut	$143,615
8	Rhode Island	$141,061
9	California	$147,424
10	Wisconsin	$125,487
11	North Carolina	$133,716
12	Nebraska	$122,577
13	Washington	$138,476
14	Pennsylvania	$127,919
15	South Dakota	$119,493
16	Indiana	$121,954
17	Texas	$125,241
18	New Mexico	$121,732
19	Delaware	$126,351
20	Virginia	$135,269
21	Maine	$124,193
22	Michigan	$116,836
23	Alabama	$112,721
24	New Hampshire	$122,572
25	Ohio	$112,789
26	Oregon	$122,974
27	Louisiana	$107,049
28	Colorado	$128,783
29	Illinois	$121,111
30	Maryland	$128,516
31	Iowa	$113,622
32	Arizona	$121,893
33	Missouri	$104,763
34	Minnesota	$118,764
35	Mississippi	$96,067
36	Georgia	$117,766
37	North Dakota	$112,803
38	Tennessee	$101,386
39	Kentucky	$97,464
40	Vermont	$107,186
41	South Carolina	$103,644
42	Kansas	$94,508
43	Oklahoma	$87,653
44	Arkansas	$89,832
45	Montana	$86,950
46	West Virginia	$95,605
47	Utah	$97,280
48	Idaho	$99,872
49	Florida	$93,397
50	Wyoming	$86,014
51	Hawaii	$83,733

Best states for a business unit director

10 best states for business unit directors in 2026

1. District of Columbia

2. Alaska

3. Nevada

4. New York

5. New Jersey

6. Massachusetts

7. Connecticut

8. Rhode Island

9. California

10. Wisconsin

Business unit director jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a business unit director

Detailed list of the best states for a business unit director

Highest paying states for business unit directors

Business unit director best states FAQs

What is the best state for business unit directors?

What is the highest paying state for business unit directors?

What is the worst state for business unit directors?

Search for business unit director jobs

Total business unit director jobs:	480
Average annual salary:	$187,255
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$137,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$254,000
Location Quotient:	1.75