Best states for a development director

Q: What is the best state for development directors?

The best state to be a development director is Iowa based on development director salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for development directors?

The highest paying state for development directors is Hawaii based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for development directors?

The worst state for development directors is Idaho, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for development directors in the United States. Development director positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for development directors.Although there are abundant development director jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the West. Iowa is the best state in the country for development director jobs.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for development directors. Iowa is the best state for development directors, where the median salary is $112,183.If you are currently seeking employment as a development director, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for development directors in 2025

1. Iowa
Total development director jobs: 785
Average annual salary: $112,183
Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000
Location Quotient:
2.11
Development director jobs in Iowa
2. New Mexico
Total development director jobs: 304
Average annual salary: $113,131
Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000
Location Quotient:
1.51
Development director jobs in New Mexico
3. Arizona
Total development director jobs: 845
Average annual salary: $113,286
Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000
Location Quotient:
1.41
Development director jobs in Arizona
4. Massachusetts
Total development director jobs: 726
Average annual salary: $123,780
Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $197,000
Location Quotient:
0.77
Development director jobs in Massachusetts
5. Michigan
Total development director jobs: 939
Average annual salary: $111,273
Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $182,000
Location Quotient:
1.18
Development director jobs in Michigan
6. New Jersey
Total development director jobs: 576
Average annual salary: $127,210
Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $202,000
Location Quotient:
0.71
Development director jobs in New Jersey
7. Texas
Total development director jobs: 3,070
Average annual salary: $108,688
Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $182,000
Location Quotient:
1.48
Development director jobs in Texas
8. Rhode Island
Total development director jobs: 74
Average annual salary: $116,490
Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $187,000
Location Quotient:
0.59
Development director jobs in Rhode Island
9. New Hampshire
Total development director jobs: 46
Average annual salary: $118,373
Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $190,000
Location Quotient:
0.26
Development director jobs in New Hampshire
10. Nevada
Total development director jobs: 244
Average annual salary: $108,586
Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $183,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Development director jobs in Nevada

Development director jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a development director

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a development director

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Iowa	$112,183	$68,000	3,145,711	785
2	New Mexico	$113,131	$67,000	2,088,070	304
3	Arizona	$113,286	$67,000	7,016,270	845
4	Massachusetts	$123,780	$77,000	6,859,819	726
5	Michigan	$111,273	$67,000	9,962,311	939
6	New Jersey	$127,210	$80,000	9,005,644	576
7	Texas	$108,688	$64,000	28,304,596	3,070
8	Rhode Island	$116,490	$72,000	1,059,639	74
9	New Hampshire	$118,373	$73,000	1,342,795	46
10	Nevada	$108,586	$64,000	2,998,039	244
11	New York	$117,766	$73,000	19,849,399	969
12	California	$119,766	$71,000	39,536,653	2,250
13	Pennsylvania	$102,839	$62,000	12,805,537	1,560
14	Ohio	$106,773	$64,000	11,658,609	1,045
15	Vermont	$113,295	$69,000	623,657	31
16	Kansas	$101,048	$61,000	2,913,123	339
17	North Dakota	$98,156	$59,000	755,393	131
18	District of Columbia	$111,925	$68,000	693,972	199
19	Arkansas	$94,244	$56,000	3,004,279	760
20	Connecticut	$113,419	$70,000	3,588,184	148
21	Wisconsin	$99,906	$59,000	5,795,483	665
22	Louisiana	$94,789	$55,000	4,684,333	697
23	South Dakota	$91,397	$54,000	869,666	316
24	Virginia	$109,052	$66,000	8,470,020	504
25	Kentucky	$96,996	$58,000	4,454,189	383
26	Georgia	$96,667	$57,000	10,429,379	1,315
27	Maryland	$111,585	$68,000	6,052,177	206
28	West Virginia	$94,400	$56,000	1,815,857	143
29	Illinois	$102,679	$61,000	12,802,023	638
30	North Carolina	$100,994	$60,000	10,273,419	361
31	Minnesota	$90,333	$53,000	5,576,606	1,022
32	Alabama	$85,111	$50,000	4,874,747	844
33	Delaware	$100,525	$61,000	961,939	39
34	Florida	$90,986	$53,000	20,984,400	1,867
35	Mississippi	$78,834	$46,000	2,984,100	467
36	Indiana	$89,738	$53,000	6,666,818	659
37	Washington	$93,742	$55,000	7,405,743	331
38	South Carolina	$87,323	$52,000	5,024,369	395
39	Tennessee	$81,348	$48,000	6,715,984	616
40	Oklahoma	$74,239	$44,000	3,930,864	673
41	Wyoming	$75,083	$45,000	579,315	113
42	Nebraska	$76,948	$46,000	1,920,076	292
43	Maine	$90,748	$54,000	1,335,907	22
44	Alaska	$75,278	$44,000	739,795	126
45	Missouri	$79,090	$47,000	6,113,532	625
46	Montana	$72,860	$44,000	1,050,493	193
47	Oregon	$86,306	$50,000	4,142,776	223
48	Hawaii	$69,122	$43,000	1,427,538	112
49	Utah	$75,380	$44,000	3,101,833	144
50	Colorado	$75,459	$45,000	5,607,154	213
51	Idaho	$75,307	$44,000	1,716,943	35

Highest paying states for development directors

Rank	State	Avg. Development Director Salary
1	Iowa	$112,183
2	New Mexico	$113,131
3	Arizona	$113,286
4	Massachusetts	$123,780
5	Michigan	$111,273
6	New Jersey	$127,210
7	Texas	$108,688
8	Rhode Island	$116,490
9	New Hampshire	$118,373
10	Nevada	$108,586
11	New York	$117,766
12	California	$119,766
13	Pennsylvania	$102,839
14	Ohio	$106,773
15	Vermont	$113,295
16	Kansas	$101,048
17	North Dakota	$98,156
18	District of Columbia	$111,925
19	Arkansas	$94,244
20	Connecticut	$113,419
21	Wisconsin	$99,906
22	Louisiana	$94,789
23	South Dakota	$91,397
24	Virginia	$109,052
25	Kentucky	$96,996
26	Georgia	$96,667
27	Maryland	$111,585
28	West Virginia	$94,400
29	Illinois	$102,679
30	North Carolina	$100,994
31	Minnesota	$90,333
32	Alabama	$85,111
33	Delaware	$100,525
34	Florida	$90,986
35	Mississippi	$78,834
36	Indiana	$89,738
37	Washington	$93,742
38	South Carolina	$87,323
39	Tennessee	$81,348
40	Oklahoma	$74,239
41	Wyoming	$75,083
42	Nebraska	$76,948
43	Maine	$90,748
44	Alaska	$75,278
45	Missouri	$79,090
46	Montana	$72,860
47	Oregon	$86,306
48	Hawaii	$69,122
49	Utah	$75,380
50	Colorado	$75,459
51	Idaho	$75,307

Best states for a development director

10 best states for development directors in 2025

1. Iowa

2. New Mexico

3. Arizona

4. Massachusetts

5. Michigan

6. New Jersey

7. Texas

8. Rhode Island

9. New Hampshire

10. Nevada

Development director jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a development director

Detailed list of the best states for a development director

Highest paying states for development directors

Development director best states FAQs

What is the best state for development directors?

What is the highest paying state for development directors?

What is the worst state for development directors?

Search for development director jobs

Total development director jobs:	785
Average annual salary:	$112,183
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$68,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$184,000
Location Quotient:	2.11