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Best states for a design director
Quoted expert
Brian Pirman
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and arts, entertainment, sports, and media careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to design director jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for design directors.We wanted to look at the best states for design directors -- where there are plenty of design director jobs to go around and design directors get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
Washington is the best state for jobs for design directors, and South Dakota is the worst. The most common pay in Washington is $158,354, while the median pay in South Dakota is $70,644.Washington is the best state, and Vancouver is the city with the highest pay for design directors.
10 best states for design directors in 2025
1. Washington
Total design director jobs: 666 Average annual salary: $158,354 Lowest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $239,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
2. California
Total design director jobs: 3,541 Average annual salary: $148,635 Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $231,000 Location Quotient: 1.57
3. Massachusetts
Total design director jobs: 778 Average annual salary: $141,338 Lowest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $214,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
4. Arizona
Total design director jobs: 439 Average annual salary: $131,310 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $212,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
5. Oregon
Total design director jobs: 515 Average annual salary: $127,105 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $203,000 Location Quotient: 1.61
6. Alaska
Total design director jobs: 52 Average annual salary: $134,259 Lowest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $208,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
7. New York
Total design director jobs: 1,315 Average annual salary: $127,951 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $197,000 Location Quotient: 1.33
8. Rhode Island
Total design director jobs: 71 Average annual salary: $129,837 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $199,000 Location Quotient: 0.76
9. Texas
Total design director jobs: 1,499 Average annual salary: $119,540 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $197,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
10. District of Columbia
Total design director jobs: 169 Average annual salary: $128,885 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $199,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
Design director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a design director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a design director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $158,354 | $104,000 | 7,405,743 | 666 |
| 2 | California | $148,635 | $95,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,541 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $141,338 | $93,000 | 6,859,819 | 778 |
| 4 | Arizona | $131,310 | $81,000 | 7,016,270 | 439 |
| 5 | Oregon | $127,105 | $79,000 | 4,142,776 | 515 |
| 6 | Alaska | $134,259 | $86,000 | 739,795 | 52 |
| 7 | New York | $127,951 | $83,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,315 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $129,837 | $84,000 | 1,059,639 | 71 |
| 9 | Texas | $119,540 | $72,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,499 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $128,885 | $83,000 | 693,972 | 169 |
| 11 | Michigan | $112,585 | $71,000 | 9,962,311 | 586 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $107,255 | $64,000 | 4,684,333 | 553 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $119,589 | $76,000 | 12,805,537 | 613 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $114,310 | $73,000 | 1,342,795 | 102 |
| 15 | Nevada | $120,887 | $73,000 | 2,998,039 | 90 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $122,363 | $78,000 | 9,005,644 | 455 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $111,234 | $69,000 | 10,273,419 | 576 |
| 18 | Illinois | $112,882 | $71,000 | 12,802,023 | 727 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $116,639 | $73,000 | 1,815,857 | 37 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $111,233 | $71,000 | 3,588,184 | 255 |
| 21 | Virginia | $112,533 | $71,000 | 8,470,020 | 592 |
| 22 | Vermont | $108,275 | $68,000 | 623,657 | 63 |
| 23 | Colorado | $109,361 | $67,000 | 5,607,154 | 402 |
| 24 | Maine | $109,782 | $69,000 | 1,335,907 | 70 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $106,718 | $69,000 | 755,393 | 51 |
| 26 | Delaware | $110,735 | $70,000 | 961,939 | 69 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $94,442 | $56,000 | 3,004,279 | 562 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $122,502 | $72,000 | 1,427,538 | 34 |
| 29 | Alabama | $94,304 | $56,000 | 4,874,747 | 691 |
| 30 | Ohio | $102,409 | $64,000 | 11,658,609 | 509 |
| 31 | Georgia | $100,531 | $61,000 | 10,429,379 | 640 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $97,639 | $60,000 | 579,315 | 36 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $100,676 | $64,000 | 5,576,606 | 441 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $105,194 | $62,000 | 2,088,070 | 78 |
| 35 | Utah | $98,024 | $58,000 | 3,101,833 | 201 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $94,318 | $60,000 | 5,795,483 | 354 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $90,412 | $53,000 | 2,984,100 | 350 |
| 38 | Maryland | $107,083 | $68,000 | 6,052,177 | 325 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $89,913 | $53,000 | 3,930,864 | 525 |
| 40 | Iowa | $86,898 | $54,000 | 3,145,711 | 696 |
| 41 | Montana | $96,470 | $60,000 | 1,050,493 | 67 |
| 42 | Florida | $98,241 | $59,000 | 20,984,400 | 791 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $96,823 | $59,000 | 4,454,189 | 139 |
| 44 | Missouri | $96,823 | $59,000 | 6,113,532 | 286 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $95,438 | $58,000 | 6,715,984 | 205 |
| 46 | Idaho | $93,151 | $55,000 | 1,716,943 | 79 |
| 47 | Indiana | $90,610 | $56,000 | 6,666,818 | 261 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $87,902 | $55,000 | 1,920,076 | 94 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $87,602 | $53,000 | 5,024,369 | 205 |
| 50 | Kansas | $84,681 | $51,000 | 2,913,123 | 152 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $70,644 | $45,000 | 869,666 | 49 |
Highest paying states for design directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Design Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $158,354 |
| 2 | California | $148,635 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $141,338 |
| 4 | Arizona | $131,310 |
| 5 | Oregon | $127,105 |
| 6 | Alaska | $134,259 |
| 7 | New York | $127,951 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $129,837 |
| 9 | Texas | $119,540 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $128,885 |
| 11 | Michigan | $112,585 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $107,255 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $119,589 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $114,310 |
| 15 | Nevada | $120,887 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $122,363 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $111,234 |
| 18 | Illinois | $112,882 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $116,639 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $111,233 |
| 21 | Virginia | $112,533 |
| 22 | Vermont | $108,275 |
| 23 | Colorado | $109,361 |
| 24 | Maine | $109,782 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $106,718 |
| 26 | Delaware | $110,735 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $94,442 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $122,502 |
| 29 | Alabama | $94,304 |
| 30 | Ohio | $102,409 |
| 31 | Georgia | $100,531 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $97,639 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $100,676 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $105,194 |
| 35 | Utah | $98,024 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $94,318 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $90,412 |
| 38 | Maryland | $107,083 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $89,913 |
| 40 | Iowa | $86,898 |
| 41 | Montana | $96,470 |
| 42 | Florida | $98,241 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $96,823 |
| 44 | Missouri | $96,823 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $95,438 |
| 46 | Idaho | $93,151 |
| 47 | Indiana | $90,610 |
| 48 | Nebraska | $87,902 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $87,602 |
| 50 | Kansas | $84,681 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $70,644 |
Expert opinions on the best states for design directors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for design directors to find work opportunities?
Brian Pirman
Associate Professor, St. Norbert College
Traditionally, the best job markets have been larger metropolitan areas. That's mainly because there are more agencies and design firms in larger cities than there are in smaller cities. With that said, because of the internet and online communication, this is starting to change where one can pretty much do work for anybody, anywhere. Therefore, the opportunities are pretty much all-over, geographically speaking.
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Updated January 8, 2025