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Best states for a city manager
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for city managers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for city manager 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.Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of city managers in America is $142,000.
Nevada is the best state for jobs for city managers, and Mississippi is the worst. The most common pay in Nevada is $97,844, while the median pay in Mississippi is $37,635.Nevada is the best state, and Windsor is the city with the highest pay for city managers.
10 best states for city managers in 2026
1. Nevada
Total city manager jobs: 94 Average annual salary: $97,844 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
2. New York
Total city manager jobs: 739 Average annual salary: $94,079 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location Quotient: 1.51
3. California
Total city manager jobs: 1,140 Average annual salary: $108,870 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $185,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
4. New Jersey
Total city manager jobs: 375 Average annual salary: $90,786 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $159,000 Location Quotient: 1.24
5. Washington
Total city manager jobs: 261 Average annual salary: $107,683 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
6. District of Columbia
Total city manager jobs: 78 Average annual salary: $96,401 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
7. Virginia
Total city manager jobs: 357 Average annual salary: $86,595 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 1
8. Alaska
Total city manager jobs: 31 Average annual salary: $83,554 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
9. Texas
Total city manager jobs: 834 Average annual salary: $76,278 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
10. Connecticut
Total city manager jobs: 118 Average annual salary: $85,262 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
City manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a city manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a city manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $97,844 | $55,000 | 2,998,039 | 94 |
| 2 | New York | $94,079 | $53,000 | 19,849,399 | 739 |
| 3 | California | $108,870 | $63,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,140 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $90,786 | $51,000 | 9,005,644 | 375 |
| 5 | Washington | $107,683 | $67,000 | 7,405,743 | 261 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $96,401 | $54,000 | 693,972 | 78 |
| 7 | Virginia | $86,595 | $48,000 | 8,470,020 | 357 |
| 8 | Alaska | $83,554 | $59,000 | 739,795 | 31 |
| 9 | Texas | $76,278 | $41,000 | 28,304,596 | 834 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $85,262 | $48,000 | 3,588,184 | 118 |
| 11 | Delaware | $78,364 | $43,000 | 961,939 | 44 |
| 12 | Ohio | $71,483 | $40,000 | 11,658,609 | 365 |
| 13 | Arizona | $76,648 | $42,000 | 7,016,270 | 191 |
| 14 | Missouri | $66,093 | $37,000 | 6,113,532 | 357 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $65,989 | $37,000 | 12,805,537 | 521 |
| 16 | Oregon | $74,748 | $44,000 | 4,142,776 | 142 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $79,968 | $44,000 | 6,859,819 | 252 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $74,526 | $41,000 | 1,059,639 | 36 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $76,658 | $42,000 | 2,088,070 | 40 |
| 20 | Illinois | $67,523 | $39,000 | 12,802,023 | 502 |
| 21 | Maryland | $70,629 | $39,000 | 6,052,177 | 275 |
| 22 | Florida | $68,491 | $36,000 | 20,984,400 | 602 |
| 23 | Michigan | $67,627 | $39,000 | 9,962,311 | 277 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $68,569 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 188 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $75,613 | $49,000 | 1,427,538 | 25 |
| 26 | Utah | $57,276 | $32,000 | 3,101,833 | 229 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $65,512 | $35,000 | 4,684,333 | 85 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $58,250 | $32,000 | 6,715,984 | 209 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $61,638 | $34,000 | 1,815,857 | 41 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $64,852 | $36,000 | 1,342,795 | 35 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $61,061 | $36,000 | 5,795,483 | 161 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $59,137 | $32,000 | 10,273,419 | 287 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $59,407 | $34,000 | 1,920,076 | 62 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $61,212 | $39,000 | 755,393 | 14 |
| 35 | Georgia | $56,353 | $30,000 | 10,429,379 | 376 |
| 36 | Montana | $58,113 | $35,000 | 1,050,493 | 39 |
| 37 | Indiana | $52,949 | $30,000 | 6,666,818 | 258 |
| 38 | Vermont | $61,625 | $34,000 | 623,657 | 19 |
| 39 | Kansas | $52,213 | $29,000 | 2,913,123 | 145 |
| 40 | Iowa | $52,420 | $30,000 | 3,145,711 | 142 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $50,202 | $27,000 | 3,004,279 | 120 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $54,460 | $32,000 | 869,666 | 32 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $50,075 | $27,000 | 3,930,864 | 166 |
| 44 | Alabama | $56,270 | $30,000 | 4,874,747 | 97 |
| 45 | Colorado | $59,393 | $33,000 | 5,607,154 | 164 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $53,559 | $28,000 | 5,024,369 | 137 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $54,739 | $32,000 | 579,315 | 6 |
| 48 | Idaho | $53,964 | $31,000 | 1,716,943 | 26 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $49,685 | $27,000 | 4,454,189 | 101 |
| 50 | Maine | $48,769 | $27,000 | 1,335,907 | 26 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $37,635 | $20,000 | 2,984,100 | 44 |
Highest paying states for city managers
| Rank | State | Avg. City Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $97,844 |
| 2 | New York | $94,079 |
| 3 | California | $108,870 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $90,786 |
| 5 | Washington | $107,683 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $96,401 |
| 7 | Virginia | $86,595 |
| 8 | Alaska | $83,554 |
| 9 | Texas | $76,278 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $85,262 |
| 11 | Delaware | $78,364 |
| 12 | Ohio | $71,483 |
| 13 | Arizona | $76,648 |
| 14 | Missouri | $66,093 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $65,989 |
| 16 | Oregon | $74,748 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $79,968 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $74,526 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $76,658 |
| 20 | Illinois | $67,523 |
| 21 | Maryland | $70,629 |
| 22 | Florida | $68,491 |
| 23 | Michigan | $67,627 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $68,569 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $75,613 |
| 26 | Utah | $57,276 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $65,512 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $58,250 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $61,638 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $64,852 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $61,061 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $59,137 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $59,407 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $61,212 |
| 35 | Georgia | $56,353 |
| 36 | Montana | $58,113 |
| 37 | Indiana | $52,949 |
| 38 | Vermont | $61,625 |
| 39 | Kansas | $52,213 |
| 40 | Iowa | $52,420 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $50,202 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $54,460 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $50,075 |
| 44 | Alabama | $56,270 |
| 45 | Colorado | $59,393 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $53,559 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $54,739 |
| 48 | Idaho | $53,964 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $49,685 |
| 50 | Maine | $48,769 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $37,635 |
City manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025