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Best states for a department manager
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to department manager jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. Our research found that New Jersey is the best state for department managers, while New Jersey and New York are ranked highest in terms of median salary. New Jersey has a median salary of $95,153 and New Jersey has the highest median salary among all 50 states for department managers.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for department managers.New Jersey is the best state, and Atlantic City is the city with the highest pay for department managers.
10 best states for department managers in 2025
1. New Jersey
Total department manager jobs: 3,153 Average annual salary: $95,153 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $170,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
2. New York
Total department manager jobs: 5,090 Average annual salary: $85,519 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
3. Virginia
Total department manager jobs: 3,444 Average annual salary: $79,162 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $148,000 Location Quotient: 1
4. Maryland
Total department manager jobs: 2,389 Average annual salary: $76,081 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
5. Texas
Total department manager jobs: 7,722 Average annual salary: $69,020 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
6. Wisconsin
Total department manager jobs: 1,952 Average annual salary: $73,016 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
7. Pennsylvania
Total department manager jobs: 4,636 Average annual salary: $65,201 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
8. California
Total department manager jobs: 10,346 Average annual salary: $79,584 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
9. Michigan
Total department manager jobs: 2,747 Average annual salary: $69,648 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
10. Ohio
Total department manager jobs: 3,559 Average annual salary: $70,387 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
Department manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a department manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a department manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $95,153 | $53,000 | 9,005,644 | 3,153 |
| 2 | New York | $85,519 | $47,000 | 19,849,399 | 5,090 |
| 3 | Virginia | $79,162 | $42,000 | 8,470,020 | 3,444 |
| 4 | Maryland | $76,081 | $40,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,389 |
| 5 | Texas | $69,020 | $36,000 | 28,304,596 | 7,722 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $73,016 | $39,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,952 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $65,201 | $34,000 | 12,805,537 | 4,636 |
| 8 | California | $79,584 | $41,000 | 39,536,653 | 10,346 |
| 9 | Michigan | $69,648 | $37,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,747 |
| 10 | Ohio | $70,387 | $37,000 | 11,658,609 | 3,559 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $66,108 | $36,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,304 |
| 12 | Delaware | $70,963 | $38,000 | 961,939 | 441 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $70,998 | $39,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,198 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $58,948 | $33,000 | 1,342,795 | 742 |
| 15 | Nevada | $60,930 | $31,000 | 2,998,039 | 826 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $87,617 | $47,000 | 693,972 | 283 |
| 17 | Florida | $58,806 | $32,000 | 20,984,400 | 7,030 |
| 18 | Georgia | $62,485 | $34,000 | 10,429,379 | 3,753 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $66,970 | $37,000 | 1,059,639 | 345 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $71,563 | $46,000 | 1,427,538 | 268 |
| 21 | Iowa | $55,290 | $30,000 | 3,145,711 | 1,319 |
| 22 | Montana | $53,579 | $31,000 | 1,050,493 | 462 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $52,645 | $28,000 | 6,715,984 | 2,215 |
| 24 | Oregon | $60,996 | $32,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,241 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $52,521 | $28,000 | 4,684,333 | 1,341 |
| 26 | Washington | $58,844 | $32,000 | 7,405,743 | 2,472 |
| 27 | Indiana | $54,590 | $29,000 | 6,666,818 | 2,316 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $54,392 | $28,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,481 |
| 29 | Arizona | $53,687 | $28,000 | 7,016,270 | 2,158 |
| 30 | Massachusetts | $58,990 | $32,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,882 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $55,880 | $31,000 | 869,666 | 294 |
| 32 | Illinois | $52,902 | $28,000 | 12,802,023 | 4,443 |
| 33 | Idaho | $54,661 | $30,000 | 1,716,943 | 524 |
| 34 | Colorado | $52,324 | $29,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,161 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $53,723 | $30,000 | 1,920,076 | 519 |
| 36 | Kansas | $53,161 | $29,000 | 2,913,123 | 843 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $46,810 | $25,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,919 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $51,452 | $29,000 | 755,393 | 271 |
| 39 | Missouri | $48,170 | $26,000 | 6,113,532 | 2,114 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $46,131 | $24,000 | 4,454,189 | 1,381 |
| 41 | Alabama | $48,369 | $26,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,471 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $48,894 | $26,000 | 3,004,279 | 842 |
| 43 | Maine | $45,439 | $26,000 | 1,335,907 | 506 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $50,437 | $26,000 | 2,088,070 | 549 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $46,024 | $24,000 | 1,815,857 | 502 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $47,061 | $25,000 | 3,930,864 | 1,049 |
| 47 | Vermont | $49,686 | $28,000 | 623,657 | 191 |
| 48 | Utah | $45,410 | $25,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,132 |
| 49 | Alaska | $50,318 | $30,000 | 739,795 | 225 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $43,881 | $25,000 | 579,315 | 205 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $45,480 | $24,000 | 2,984,100 | 695 |
Highest paying states for department managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Department Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $95,153 |
| 2 | New York | $85,519 |
| 3 | Virginia | $79,162 |
| 4 | Maryland | $76,081 |
| 5 | Texas | $69,020 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $73,016 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | $65,201 |
| 8 | California | $79,584 |
| 9 | Michigan | $69,648 |
| 10 | Ohio | $70,387 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $66,108 |
| 12 | Delaware | $70,963 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $70,998 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $58,948 |
| 15 | Nevada | $60,930 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $87,617 |
| 17 | Florida | $58,806 |
| 18 | Georgia | $62,485 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $66,970 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $71,563 |
| 21 | Iowa | $55,290 |
| 22 | Montana | $53,579 |
| 23 | Tennessee | $52,645 |
| 24 | Oregon | $60,996 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $52,521 |
| 26 | Washington | $58,844 |
| 27 | Indiana | $54,590 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $54,392 |
| 29 | Arizona | $53,687 |
| 30 | Massachusetts | $58,990 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $55,880 |
| 32 | Illinois | $52,902 |
| 33 | Idaho | $54,661 |
| 34 | Colorado | $52,324 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $53,723 |
| 36 | Kansas | $53,161 |
| 37 | South Carolina | $46,810 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $51,452 |
| 39 | Missouri | $48,170 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $46,131 |
| 41 | Alabama | $48,369 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $48,894 |
| 43 | Maine | $45,439 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $50,437 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $46,024 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $47,061 |
| 47 | Vermont | $49,686 |
| 48 | Utah | $45,410 |
| 49 | Alaska | $50,318 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $43,881 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $45,480 |
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Updated January 8, 2025