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Best states for a design manager
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a design manager at Salesforce, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for design managers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. In fact, our research shows that California is the best state for design managers in America. The best city in America for design managers with the highest pay is San Francisco, CA.
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 design managers.We found that California is the best state for design manager jobs, whereas Mississippi is the worst.
10 best states for design managers in 2025
1. California
Total design manager jobs: 4,618 Average annual salary: $129,024 Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $202,000 Location Quotient: 1.89
2. Washington
Total design manager jobs: 1,038 Average annual salary: $116,596 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $182,000 Location Quotient: 1.7
3. Arizona
Total design manager jobs: 518 Average annual salary: $117,883 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $185,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
4. New Hampshire
Total design manager jobs: 135 Average annual salary: $114,038 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 0.92
5. Oregon
Total design manager jobs: 587 Average annual salary: $106,349 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 1.7
6. Texas
Total design manager jobs: 1,758 Average annual salary: $106,131 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
7. Massachusetts
Total design manager jobs: 944 Average annual salary: $104,715 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
8. Michigan
Total design manager jobs: 667 Average annual salary: $100,678 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
9. Nevada
Total design manager jobs: 123 Average annual salary: $106,536 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
10. Pennsylvania
Total design manager jobs: 752 Average annual salary: $101,186 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
Design manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a design manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a design manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $129,024 | $82,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,618 |
| 2 | Washington | $116,596 | $74,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,038 |
| 3 | Arizona | $117,883 | $74,000 | 7,016,270 | 518 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $114,038 | $79,000 | 1,342,795 | 135 |
| 5 | Oregon | $106,349 | $66,000 | 4,142,776 | 587 |
| 6 | Texas | $106,131 | $67,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,758 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $104,715 | $73,000 | 6,859,819 | 944 |
| 8 | Michigan | $100,678 | $69,000 | 9,962,311 | 667 |
| 9 | Nevada | $106,536 | $66,000 | 2,998,039 | 123 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $101,186 | $70,000 | 12,805,537 | 752 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $105,942 | $73,000 | 693,972 | 179 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $99,029 | $68,000 | 1,059,639 | 92 |
| 13 | Idaho | $102,039 | $64,000 | 1,716,943 | 122 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $96,569 | $66,000 | 5,795,483 | 407 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $107,218 | $68,000 | 4,684,333 | 101 |
| 16 | New York | $98,521 | $68,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,244 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $104,273 | $72,000 | 9,005,644 | 483 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $95,326 | $66,000 | 3,588,184 | 301 |
| 19 | Montana | $95,871 | $63,000 | 1,050,493 | 81 |
| 20 | Ohio | $94,024 | $65,000 | 11,658,609 | 632 |
| 21 | Illinois | $95,065 | $65,000 | 12,802,023 | 830 |
| 22 | Delaware | $93,750 | $65,000 | 961,939 | 98 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $92,439 | $63,000 | 10,273,419 | 696 |
| 24 | Virginia | $93,447 | $64,000 | 8,470,020 | 846 |
| 25 | Maryland | $95,735 | $66,000 | 6,052,177 | 505 |
| 26 | Alaska | $94,677 | $59,000 | 739,795 | 56 |
| 27 | Maine | $91,268 | $63,000 | 1,335,907 | 93 |
| 28 | Utah | $87,431 | $55,000 | 3,101,833 | 281 |
| 29 | Alabama | $91,877 | $61,000 | 4,874,747 | 253 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $89,766 | $61,000 | 5,576,606 | 551 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $91,552 | $62,000 | 5,024,369 | 246 |
| 32 | Georgia | $89,808 | $60,000 | 10,429,379 | 680 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $89,203 | $61,000 | 1,815,857 | 76 |
| 34 | Vermont | $85,527 | $59,000 | 623,657 | 70 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $86,027 | $59,000 | 755,393 | 58 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $88,361 | $60,000 | 4,454,189 | 189 |
| 37 | Indiana | $86,207 | $59,000 | 6,666,818 | 395 |
| 38 | Iowa | $85,094 | $58,000 | 3,145,711 | 225 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $85,509 | $58,000 | 6,715,984 | 289 |
| 40 | Colorado | $81,374 | $53,000 | 5,607,154 | 510 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $84,830 | $57,000 | 1,920,076 | 114 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $83,277 | $53,000 | 2,088,070 | 105 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $76,676 | $50,000 | 579,315 | 45 |
| 44 | Kansas | $78,548 | $53,000 | 2,913,123 | 191 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $82,444 | $54,000 | 3,930,864 | 117 |
| 46 | Missouri | $82,971 | $56,000 | 6,113,532 | 320 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $75,780 | $51,000 | 1,427,538 | 55 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $77,402 | $53,000 | 869,666 | 53 |
| 49 | Florida | $77,517 | $49,000 | 20,984,400 | 952 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $77,055 | $51,000 | 3,004,279 | 119 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $77,859 | $51,000 | 2,984,100 | 72 |
Highest paying states for design managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Design Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $129,024 |
| 2 | Washington | $116,596 |
| 3 | Arizona | $117,883 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $114,038 |
| 5 | Oregon | $106,349 |
| 6 | Texas | $106,131 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $104,715 |
| 8 | Michigan | $100,678 |
| 9 | Nevada | $106,536 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $101,186 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $105,942 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $99,029 |
| 13 | Idaho | $102,039 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $96,569 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $107,218 |
| 16 | New York | $98,521 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $104,273 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $95,326 |
| 19 | Montana | $95,871 |
| 20 | Ohio | $94,024 |
| 21 | Illinois | $95,065 |
| 22 | Delaware | $93,750 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $92,439 |
| 24 | Virginia | $93,447 |
| 25 | Maryland | $95,735 |
| 26 | Alaska | $94,677 |
| 27 | Maine | $91,268 |
| 28 | Utah | $87,431 |
| 29 | Alabama | $91,877 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $89,766 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $91,552 |
| 32 | Georgia | $89,808 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $89,203 |
| 34 | Vermont | $85,527 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $86,027 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $88,361 |
| 37 | Indiana | $86,207 |
| 38 | Iowa | $85,094 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $85,509 |
| 40 | Colorado | $81,374 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $84,830 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $83,277 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $76,676 |
| 44 | Kansas | $78,548 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $82,444 |
| 46 | Missouri | $82,971 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $75,780 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $77,402 |
| 49 | Florida | $77,517 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $77,055 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $77,859 |
Design manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025