How much does a department director make?

The average department director salary in the United States is $97,804. Department director salaries typically range between $64,000 and $148,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for department directors is $47.02 per hour. Department director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Department directors earn the highest average salary in New Jersey.

Department director salary

Q: What state pays Department Directors the most?

New Jersey pays Department Directors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $110,717 per year, or $53.23 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a department director?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a department director if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Connecticut you should be paid close to $110,692 per year.

Average department director salary

$97,804

$47.02 hourly rate

Entry-level department director salary

$64,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Department Director Salary Insights

As of October 2025, the average salary for a Department Director stands at $97,804 per year. This figure can fluctuate based on various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry in which one works. For instance, department directors in metropolitan areas tend to earn higher salaries compared to those in rural locations.

Salary by State

Analyzing state-specific data reveals significant disparities in salary. States like California, New York, and Texas typically offer the highest salaries for department directors, reflecting the demand and cost of living in these areas. Conversely, states with lower living costs may offer reduced salary figures.

Industries Offering Higher Salaries

In terms of industry, sectors such as healthcare, technology, and finance often provide the most competitive salaries. Opportunities for advancement within these fields can lead to substantial salary increases over time.

For those looking to enhance their earning potential, pursuing additional certifications or specialized training relevant to their industry may yield better compensation and career advancement opportunities.

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Department director salary by:

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Where can a Department Director earn more?

Compare salary by location

133k

113k

93k

73k

53k

Columbus, OH$110,994

Raleigh, NC$82,834

Compare salary by company

175k

155k

135k

115k

95k

75k

Anna Jaques Hospital$152,152

North Country Hospital$104,549

Department director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a department director typically falls between $74,762 and $147,370.

zippia

$97,804yearly

glassdoor[1]

$147,370yearly

comparably[2]

$74,762yearly

ZipRecruiter[3]

$106,500yearly

Average department director salary by state

The highest-paying states for department directors are New Jersey, Connecticut, and Nevada. The lowest average department director salary states are Georgia, North Carolina, and Kansas.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for department directors

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New Jersey	$110,717	$53.23
2	Connecticut	$110,692	$53.22
3	New York	$110,466	$53.11
4	Delaware	$109,991	$52.88
5	Nevada	$110,585	$53.17
6	Maine	$97,312	$46.78
7	Oklahoma	$94,277	$45.33
8	Rhode Island	$100,995	$48.56
9	Wyoming	$95,905	$46.11
10	Washington	$104,967	$50.46
11	California	$106,175	$51.05
12	West Virginia	$104,131	$50.06
13	District of Columbia	$108,580	$52.20
14	Virginia	$108,458	$52.14
15	South Dakota	$87,760	$42.19
16	Iowa	$88,740	$42.66
17	Louisiana	$89,061	$42.82
18	Mississippi	$87,976	$42.30
19	Pennsylvania	$90,345	$43.44
20	Idaho	$96,471	$46.38
21	New Mexico	$90,697	$43.60
22	Indiana	$90,117	$43.33
23	New Hampshire	$89,091	$42.83
24	South Carolina	$91,735	$44.10
25	Oregon	$93,619	$45.01
26	Missouri	$92,601	$44.52
27	Nebraska	$92,792	$44.61
28	Wisconsin	$88,272	$42.44
29	Alabama	$83,398	$40.10
30	Massachusetts	$86,668	$41.67
31	Ohio	$87,830	$42.23
32	Arizona	$90,063	$43.30
33	Minnesota	$89,302	$42.93
34	Arkansas	$81,357	$39.11
35	Vermont	$84,908	$40.82
36	Hawaii	$88,340	$42.47
37	Florida	$84,792	$40.77
38	Illinois	$83,794	$40.29
39	Michigan	$83,458	$40.12
40	North Dakota	$83,115	$39.96
41	Tennessee	$83,342	$40.07
42	Colorado	$84,793	$40.77
43	Alaska	$83,152	$39.98
44	Maryland	$85,519	$41.11
45	Utah	$83,952	$40.36
46	North Carolina	$81,154	$39.02
47	Georgia	$81,343	$39.11
48	Montana	$76,841	$36.94
49	Kansas	$81,009	$38.95
50	Kentucky	$79,685	$38.31
51	Texas	$74,848	$35.98

Top department director jobs near you

Highest paying cities for department directors

The highest-paying cities for department directors are New York, NY, Greenwich, CT, and Palo Alto, CA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York, NY	$110,994	$53.36
2	Greenwich, CT	$110,931	$53.33
3	Palo Alto, CA	$109,875	$52.82
4	Washington, DC	$108,742	$52.28
5	Charlottesville, VA	$107,021	$51.45
6	Longview, WA	$106,738	$51.32
7	Morgantown, WV	$105,506	$50.72
8	McMinnville, OR	$93,349	$44.88
9	Phoenix, AZ	$90,849	$43.68
10	Wilkes-Barre, PA	$90,064	$43.30
11	Indianapolis, IN	$89,892	$43.22
12	New Orleans, LA	$88,854	$42.72
13	Boston, MA	$86,640	$41.65
14	Colorado Springs, CO	$85,890	$41.29
15	Annapolis, MD	$85,798	$41.25
16	Tampa, FL	$85,753	$41.23
17	Bayamn, PR	$85,090	$40.91
18	Chicago, IL	$84,221	$40.49
19	Anchorage, AK	$83,321	$40.06
20	Raleigh, NC	$82,834	$39.82

Department director salary details

A department director's salary ranges from $64,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $148,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average department director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a department director's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$148,000	$12,333	$71
75th Percentile	$121,000	$10,083	$58
Average	$97,804	$8,150	$47
25th Percentile	$78,000	$6,500	$38
10th Percentile	$64,000	$5,333	$31

Highest paying department director jobs

The highest paying types of department directors are medical director, director, network operations, and service director.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Clinical Manager	$84,066	$7,005	$40.42	81,863
Nurse Manager	$83,684	$6,974	$40.23	380,264
Practice Manager	$107,374	$8,948	$51.62	38,196
Practice Administrator	$78,493	$6,541	$37.74	75,986
Pharmacist Manager	$93,996	$7,833	$45.19	61,178
Director, Network Operations	$140,236	$11,686	$67.42	103,623

Top companies hiring department directors now:

Which companies pay department directors the most?

Department director salaries at Anna Jaques Hospital and Hospital for Special Surgery are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average department director salary at companies like Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Anna Jaques Hospital	$152,152	$73.15
2	Hospital for Special Surgery	$151,115	$72.65
3	Children's Hospital Los Angeles	$148,612	$71.45
4	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$143,988	$69.22
5	Hunt Regional Healthcare	$129,562	$62.29
6	WestEd	$129,450	$62.24
7	Kaiser Permanente	$121,911	$58.61
8	The Aerospace Corporation	$117,965	$56.71
9	Mercy Health	$117,905	$56.69
10	Henry County Medical Center	$112,156	$53.92
11	Stephens College	$111,498	$53.60
12	University of Massachusetts Boston	$111,448	$53.58
13	Guidehouse	$110,437	$53.09
14	St. Bernard Hospital	$109,947	$52.86
15	Tenet Healthcare	$108,615	$52.22
16	The American Musical and Dramatic Academy	$108,490	$52.16
17	CHRISTUS Health	$107,534	$51.70
18	Tucson Medical Center	$105,604	$50.77
19	Sutter Health	$105,553	$50.75
20	North Country Hospital	$104,549	$50.26

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$103,000$101,400$99,800$98,200$96,600$95,000

MaleFemale

Department Director salary by industry

The average department director salary varies across industries:

The average department director salary in the finance industry is $106,846, the highest of any industry.
The average department director salary in the finance industry is $104,277.
Department directors in the professional industry earn an average salary of $81,774, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for department directors

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Finance	$106,846	$51.37
2	Health Care	$104,277	$50.13
3	Transportation	$96,365	$46.33
4	Non Profits	$89,482	$43.02
5	Education	$88,477	$42.54
6	Professional	$81,774	$39.31

High paying department director jobs

Department director salary trends

The average department director salary has risen by $16,769 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average department director earned $81,035 annually, but today, they earn $97,804 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for department directors over the last decade.

Compare department director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average department director salary over time

Compare department director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Department director salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$97,800	$47.02	+3.2%
2024	$94,700	$45.53	+1.2%
2023	$93,500	$44.97	+1.4%
2022	$92,200	$44.35	+1.8%
2021	$90,500	$43.53	+2.1%

Recently added department director salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Argonne National Laboratory	Department Director, Energy Resources and Demand	Lemont, IL	06/20/2025	$157,940
Fort Worth ISD	Director-Jrotc Department	Nome, TX	06/18/2025	$101,054
Fort Worth Independent School District	Director-Jrotc Department	Fort Worth, TX	06/17/2025	$101,054
Activision	Art Department Director-Raven Software	Middleton, WI	06/13/2025	$134,000
Rutgers University	Department of Medicine: Opat/Copat Director (Infectious Diseases)	New Brunswick, NJ	06/02/2025	$144,413
Argonne National Laboratory	Department Director, Energy Resources and Demand	Lemont, IL	05/30/2025	$157,940
Sak Builders	Shotcrete Department Director	Sumner, WA	05/26/2025	$180,000
Ohio Department of Education	Directors Secretary, Summit ESC, Curriculum Department	Cuyahoga Falls, OH	05/17/2025	$35,000
Marymount Manhattan College	Director, Judith Mara Carson Center for Visual Arts and Chair, Department of Art & Art History	New York, NY	05/13/2025	$120,000
Alief Independent School District	Secretary, Director of Nutrition @ Nutrition Department	Houston, TX	05/13/2025	$34,935

Department director salary FAQs

What state pays Department Directors the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a department director?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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