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Best states for a creative lead
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like creative leads are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for creative leads aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. In order to help you decide which state is the best for creative leads, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for creative lead jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for creative leads. Washington is the best state for creative leads, where the median salary is $118,215.Washington is the best state, and Pacifica is the city with the highest pay for creative leads.
10 best states for creative leads in 2025
1. Washington
Total creative lead jobs: 74 Average annual salary: $118,215 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $201,000 Location Quotient: 0.66
2. California
Total creative lead jobs: 513 Average annual salary: $120,309 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $206,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
3. Massachusetts
Total creative lead jobs: 96 Average annual salary: $116,646 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $199,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
4. Nevada
Total creative lead jobs: 303 Average annual salary: $100,041 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000 Location Quotient: 9.44
5. Oregon
Total creative lead jobs: 45 Average annual salary: $113,396 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
6. New York
Total creative lead jobs: 281 Average annual salary: $105,852 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $185,000 Location Quotient: 1.43
7. Connecticut
Total creative lead jobs: 19 Average annual salary: $109,728 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $190,000 Location Quotient: 0.37
8. Rhode Island
Total creative lead jobs: 12 Average annual salary: $100,587 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 0.64
9. North Carolina
Total creative lead jobs: 55 Average annual salary: $100,748 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 0.37
10. Idaho
Total creative lead jobs: 225 Average annual salary: $90,226 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 8.93
Creative lead jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a creative lead
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a creative lead
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $118,215 | $69,000 | 7,405,743 | 74 |
| 2 | California | $120,309 | $70,000 | 39,536,653 | 513 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $116,646 | $68,000 | 6,859,819 | 96 |
| 4 | Nevada | $100,041 | $55,000 | 2,998,039 | 303 |
| 5 | Oregon | $113,396 | $65,000 | 4,142,776 | 45 |
| 6 | New York | $105,852 | $60,000 | 19,849,399 | 281 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $109,728 | $63,000 | 3,588,184 | 19 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $100,587 | $57,000 | 1,059,639 | 12 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $100,748 | $54,000 | 10,273,419 | 55 |
| 10 | Idaho | $90,226 | $50,000 | 1,716,943 | 225 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $100,363 | $59,000 | 755,393 | 3 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $101,044 | $56,000 | 693,972 | 19 |
| 13 | Arizona | $98,893 | $55,000 | 7,016,270 | 27 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $93,784 | $52,000 | 9,005,644 | 92 |
| 15 | Maryland | $99,634 | $55,000 | 6,052,177 | 30 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $91,885 | $50,000 | 12,805,537 | 76 |
| 17 | Michigan | $96,081 | $52,000 | 9,962,311 | 30 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $82,677 | $44,000 | 2,088,070 | 207 |
| 19 | Illinois | $88,112 | $47,000 | 12,802,023 | 142 |
| 20 | Alaska | $86,474 | $51,000 | 739,795 | 103 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $80,704 | $43,000 | 3,004,279 | 272 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $91,235 | $51,000 | 1,342,795 | 9 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $93,102 | $50,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 24 | Montana | $80,489 | $45,000 | 1,050,493 | 150 |
| 25 | Virginia | $90,413 | $48,000 | 8,470,020 | 52 |
| 26 | Utah | $82,197 | $44,000 | 3,101,833 | 31 |
| 27 | Delaware | $89,507 | $49,000 | 961,939 | 5 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $88,736 | $47,000 | 5,024,369 | 6 |
| 29 | Ohio | $81,374 | $43,000 | 11,658,609 | 47 |
| 30 | Vermont | $81,500 | $45,000 | 623,657 | 7 |
| 31 | Florida | $81,380 | $43,000 | 20,984,400 | 91 |
| 32 | Texas | $79,479 | $42,000 | 28,304,596 | 113 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $80,011 | $44,000 | 5,576,606 | 59 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $79,089 | $42,000 | 5,795,483 | 24 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $71,311 | $40,000 | 869,666 | 105 |
| 36 | Iowa | $79,027 | $42,000 | 3,145,711 | 10 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $89,236 | $54,000 | 1,427,538 | 2 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $65,347 | $36,000 | 1,920,076 | 226 |
| 39 | Kansas | $65,126 | $35,000 | 2,913,123 | 311 |
| 40 | Indiana | $75,115 | $39,000 | 6,666,818 | 20 |
| 41 | Maine | $78,645 | $43,000 | 1,335,907 | 0 |
| 42 | Colorado | $73,400 | $40,000 | 5,607,154 | 40 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $64,212 | $35,000 | 3,930,864 | 307 |
| 44 | Missouri | $77,079 | $41,000 | 6,113,532 | 18 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $71,117 | $37,000 | 6,715,984 | 28 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $73,175 | $38,000 | 4,454,189 | 12 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $70,834 | $39,000 | 579,315 | 3 |
| 48 | Georgia | $66,227 | $34,000 | 10,429,379 | 62 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $72,881 | $38,000 | 2,984,100 | 5 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $69,550 | $36,000 | 4,684,333 | 6 |
| 51 | Alabama | $65,598 | $34,000 | 4,874,747 | 12 |
Highest paying states for creative leads
| Rank | State | Avg. Creative Lead Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $118,215 |
| 2 | California | $120,309 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $116,646 |
| 4 | Nevada | $100,041 |
| 5 | Oregon | $113,396 |
| 6 | New York | $105,852 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $109,728 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $100,587 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $100,748 |
| 10 | Idaho | $90,226 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $100,363 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $101,044 |
| 13 | Arizona | $98,893 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $93,784 |
| 15 | Maryland | $99,634 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $91,885 |
| 17 | Michigan | $96,081 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $82,677 |
| 19 | Illinois | $88,112 |
| 20 | Alaska | $86,474 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $80,704 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $91,235 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $93,102 |
| 24 | Montana | $80,489 |
| 25 | Virginia | $90,413 |
| 26 | Utah | $82,197 |
| 27 | Delaware | $89,507 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $88,736 |
| 29 | Ohio | $81,374 |
| 30 | Vermont | $81,500 |
| 31 | Florida | $81,380 |
| 32 | Texas | $79,479 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $80,011 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $79,089 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $71,311 |
| 36 | Iowa | $79,027 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $89,236 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $65,347 |
| 39 | Kansas | $65,126 |
| 40 | Indiana | $75,115 |
| 41 | Maine | $78,645 |
| 42 | Colorado | $73,400 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $64,212 |
| 44 | Missouri | $77,079 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $71,117 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $73,175 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $70,834 |
| 48 | Georgia | $66,227 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $72,881 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $69,550 |
| 51 | Alabama | $65,598 |
Creative lead best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025