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Best states for a department lead
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for department leads? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for department lead jobs.Our research shows that Michigan is the best state in the country for department leads.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for department leads. Michigan is the best state for department leads, where the median salary is $56,649.We found that the West is best for department leads, and the Northeast is the worst. New Haven, CT is the best city in the country for department lead jobs, where as Michigan is the best state in the country.
10 best states for department leads in 2025
1. Michigan
Total department lead jobs: 3,264 Average annual salary: $56,649 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 1.68
2. New Jersey
Total department lead jobs: 1,899 Average annual salary: $78,228 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
3. New York
Total department lead jobs: 3,108 Average annual salary: $74,648 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
4. Connecticut
Total department lead jobs: 668 Average annual salary: $80,785 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
5. Louisiana
Total department lead jobs: 1,117 Average annual salary: $53,313 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
6. Pennsylvania
Total department lead jobs: 2,993 Average annual salary: $63,229 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
7. New Hampshire
Total department lead jobs: 401 Average annual salary: $68,453 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
8. Rhode Island
Total department lead jobs: 198 Average annual salary: $87,173 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 0.65
9. Nevada
Total department lead jobs: 724 Average annual salary: $52,440 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 1.39
10. Wisconsin
Total department lead jobs: 1,751 Average annual salary: $52,065 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
Department lead jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a department lead
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a department lead
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | $56,649 | $28,000 | 9,962,311 | 3,264 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $78,228 | $39,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,899 |
| 3 | New York | $74,648 | $37,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,108 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $80,785 | $41,000 | 3,588,184 | 668 |
| 5 | Louisiana | $53,313 | $27,000 | 4,684,333 | 1,117 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $63,229 | $30,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,993 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $68,453 | $35,000 | 1,342,795 | 401 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $87,173 | $45,000 | 1,059,639 | 198 |
| 9 | Nevada | $52,440 | $27,000 | 2,998,039 | 724 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $52,065 | $28,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,751 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $65,774 | $33,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,937 |
| 12 | Ohio | $54,796 | $27,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,631 |
| 13 | Delaware | $68,619 | $33,000 | 961,939 | 228 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $50,592 | $26,000 | 2,984,100 | 720 |
| 15 | Maryland | $64,177 | $31,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,337 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $72,519 | $35,000 | 693,972 | 215 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $56,876 | $33,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,528 |
| 18 | Vermont | $51,616 | $27,000 | 623,657 | 236 |
| 19 | South Carolina | $49,975 | $25,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,440 |
| 20 | Missouri | $51,507 | $28,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,746 |
| 21 | Virginia | $58,196 | $27,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,087 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $67,111 | $47,000 | 1,427,538 | 166 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $53,164 | $25,000 | 1,815,857 | 350 |
| 24 | Illinois | $55,002 | $29,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,329 |
| 25 | Texas | $50,084 | $26,000 | 28,304,596 | 5,589 |
| 26 | Alabama | $49,557 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,122 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $49,265 | $24,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,804 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $47,146 | $25,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,715 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $42,650 | $23,000 | 3,004,279 | 883 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $41,612 | $26,000 | 755,393 | 295 |
| 31 | Idaho | $43,453 | $25,000 | 1,716,943 | 488 |
| 32 | Maine | $49,336 | $26,000 | 1,335,907 | 289 |
| 33 | Georgia | $47,623 | $25,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,432 |
| 34 | Alaska | $42,861 | $29,000 | 739,795 | 241 |
| 35 | California | $51,145 | $27,000 | 39,536,653 | 5,794 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $45,768 | $23,000 | 4,454,189 | 1,011 |
| 37 | Florida | $47,807 | $24,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,726 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $40,920 | $25,000 | 869,666 | 297 |
| 39 | Indiana | $44,354 | $23,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,750 |
| 40 | Arizona | $48,143 | $25,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,145 |
| 41 | Kansas | $40,339 | $23,000 | 2,913,123 | 959 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $41,805 | $24,000 | 1,920,076 | 624 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $41,546 | $25,000 | 579,315 | 145 |
| 44 | Iowa | $41,195 | $23,000 | 3,145,711 | 988 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $38,488 | $21,000 | 2,088,070 | 650 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $37,156 | $20,000 | 3,930,864 | 1,163 |
| 47 | Montana | $35,334 | $22,000 | 1,050,493 | 375 |
| 48 | Colorado | $42,701 | $25,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,077 |
| 49 | Oregon | $43,195 | $24,000 | 4,142,776 | 746 |
| 50 | Utah | $38,646 | $22,000 | 3,101,833 | 764 |
| 51 | Washington | $41,968 | $24,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,231 |
Highest paying states for department leads
| Rank | State | Avg. Department Lead Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | $56,649 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $78,228 |
| 3 | New York | $74,648 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $80,785 |
| 5 | Louisiana | $53,313 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $63,229 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $68,453 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $87,173 |
| 9 | Nevada | $52,440 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | $52,065 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $65,774 |
| 12 | Ohio | $54,796 |
| 13 | Delaware | $68,619 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $50,592 |
| 15 | Maryland | $64,177 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $72,519 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $56,876 |
| 18 | Vermont | $51,616 |
| 19 | South Carolina | $49,975 |
| 20 | Missouri | $51,507 |
| 21 | Virginia | $58,196 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $67,111 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $53,164 |
| 24 | Illinois | $55,002 |
| 25 | Texas | $50,084 |
| 26 | Alabama | $49,557 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $49,265 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $47,146 |
| 29 | Arkansas | $42,650 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $41,612 |
| 31 | Idaho | $43,453 |
| 32 | Maine | $49,336 |
| 33 | Georgia | $47,623 |
| 34 | Alaska | $42,861 |
| 35 | California | $51,145 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $45,768 |
| 37 | Florida | $47,807 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $40,920 |
| 39 | Indiana | $44,354 |
| 40 | Arizona | $48,143 |
| 41 | Kansas | $40,339 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $41,805 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $41,546 |
| 44 | Iowa | $41,195 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $38,488 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $37,156 |
| 47 | Montana | $35,334 |
| 48 | Colorado | $42,701 |
| 49 | Oregon | $43,195 |
| 50 | Utah | $38,646 |
| 51 | Washington | $41,968 |
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Updated January 8, 2025