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Best states for a chief executive officer/manager
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Chief executive officer/manager opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for chief executive officer/managers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for chief executive officer/managers.Although there are abundant chief executive officer/manager jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. Nevada is the best state in the country for chief executive officer/manager jobs.
We figured that the best places for chief executive officer/manager jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.If you are currently seeking employment as a chief executive officer/manager, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for chief executive officer/managers in 2025
1. Nevada
Total chief executive officer/manager jobs: 664 Average annual salary: $167,196 Lowest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $236,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
2. Illinois
Total chief executive officer/manager jobs: 3,850 Average annual salary: $162,117 Lowest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $224,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
3. New Jersey
Total chief executive officer/manager jobs: 2,613 Average annual salary: $161,245 Lowest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $218,000 Location Quotient: 1.41
4. Washington
Total chief executive officer/manager jobs: 1,862 Average annual salary: $163,574 Lowest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $225,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
5. New York
Total chief executive officer/manager jobs: 3,950 Average annual salary: $155,174 Lowest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $210,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
6. Connecticut
Total chief executive officer/manager jobs: 893 Average annual salary: $153,327 Lowest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $207,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
7. Massachusetts
Total chief executive officer/manager jobs: 3,002 Average annual salary: $147,062 Lowest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $198,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
8. Virginia
Total chief executive officer/manager jobs: 2,826 Average annual salary: $149,757 Lowest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $205,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
9. Pennsylvania
Total chief executive officer/manager jobs: 2,913 Average annual salary: $143,872 Lowest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $196,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
10. District of Columbia
Total chief executive officer/manager jobs: 350 Average annual salary: $172,759 Lowest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $233,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
Chief executive officer/manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a chief executive officer/manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a chief executive officer/manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $167,196 | $118,000 | 2,998,039 | 664 |
| 2 | Illinois | $162,117 | $116,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,850 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $161,245 | $119,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,613 |
| 4 | Washington | $163,574 | $118,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,862 |
| 5 | New York | $155,174 | $114,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,950 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $153,327 | $113,000 | 3,588,184 | 893 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $147,062 | $108,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,002 |
| 8 | Virginia | $149,757 | $109,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,826 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $143,872 | $105,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,913 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $172,759 | $127,000 | 693,972 | 350 |
| 11 | Texas | $141,033 | $95,000 | 28,304,596 | 5,202 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $135,540 | $100,000 | 1,059,639 | 366 |
| 13 | Arizona | $131,429 | $88,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,816 |
| 14 | Ohio | $135,571 | $97,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,330 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $136,351 | $92,000 | 2,088,070 | 448 |
| 16 | Michigan | $138,961 | $100,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,658 |
| 17 | Colorado | $137,943 | $96,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,659 |
| 18 | Delaware | $138,757 | $101,000 | 961,939 | 307 |
| 19 | Georgia | $132,744 | $92,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,757 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $167,324 | $120,000 | 1,427,538 | 103 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $130,735 | $94,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,003 |
| 22 | California | $157,997 | $110,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,478 |
| 23 | Maryland | $134,804 | $98,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,739 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $126,030 | $88,000 | 1,920,076 | 516 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $122,969 | $85,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,374 |
| 26 | Oregon | $137,736 | $97,000 | 4,142,776 | 611 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $117,925 | $84,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,525 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $116,768 | $84,000 | 755,393 | 251 |
| 29 | Alaska | $137,488 | $110,000 | 739,795 | 88 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $124,673 | $83,000 | 4,684,333 | 694 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $121,269 | $89,000 | 1,342,795 | 388 |
| 32 | Vermont | $118,291 | $87,000 | 623,657 | 195 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $117,449 | $84,000 | 1,815,857 | 283 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $116,463 | $83,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,202 |
| 35 | Alabama | $119,061 | $82,000 | 4,874,747 | 902 |
| 36 | Idaho | $104,716 | $73,000 | 1,716,943 | 537 |
| 37 | Missouri | $111,943 | $77,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,439 |
| 38 | Florida | $119,260 | $79,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,592 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $111,893 | $79,000 | 5,024,369 | 951 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $110,517 | $79,000 | 869,666 | 201 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $112,602 | $79,000 | 579,315 | 84 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $104,915 | $71,000 | 3,004,279 | 572 |
| 43 | Iowa | $107,677 | $75,000 | 3,145,711 | 770 |
| 44 | Montana | $112,207 | $81,000 | 1,050,493 | 205 |
| 45 | Utah | $110,841 | $76,000 | 3,101,833 | 501 |
| 46 | Maine | $94,367 | $70,000 | 1,335,907 | 319 |
| 47 | Indiana | $104,799 | $74,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,388 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $101,689 | $69,000 | 3,930,864 | 665 |
| 49 | Kansas | $98,568 | $68,000 | 2,913,123 | 660 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $101,059 | $71,000 | 4,454,189 | 705 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $77,532 | $52,000 | 2,984,100 | 449 |
Highest paying states for chief executive officer/managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Chief Executive Officer/Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $167,196 |
| 2 | Illinois | $162,117 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $161,245 |
| 4 | Washington | $163,574 |
| 5 | New York | $155,174 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $153,327 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $147,062 |
| 8 | Virginia | $149,757 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $143,872 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $172,759 |
| 11 | Texas | $141,033 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $135,540 |
| 13 | Arizona | $131,429 |
| 14 | Ohio | $135,571 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $136,351 |
| 16 | Michigan | $138,961 |
| 17 | Colorado | $137,943 |
| 18 | Delaware | $138,757 |
| 19 | Georgia | $132,744 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $167,324 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $130,735 |
| 22 | California | $157,997 |
| 23 | Maryland | $134,804 |
| 24 | Nebraska | $126,030 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $122,969 |
| 26 | Oregon | $137,736 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $117,925 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $116,768 |
| 29 | Alaska | $137,488 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $124,673 |
| 31 | New Hampshire | $121,269 |
| 32 | Vermont | $118,291 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $117,449 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $116,463 |
| 35 | Alabama | $119,061 |
| 36 | Idaho | $104,716 |
| 37 | Missouri | $111,943 |
| 38 | Florida | $119,260 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $111,893 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $110,517 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $112,602 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $104,915 |
| 43 | Iowa | $107,677 |
| 44 | Montana | $112,207 |
| 45 | Utah | $110,841 |
| 46 | Maine | $94,367 |
| 47 | Indiana | $104,799 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $101,689 |
| 49 | Kansas | $98,568 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $101,059 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $77,532 |
Chief executive officer/manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025