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Best states for a director
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to director 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. In order to help you decide which state is the best for directors, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for director jobs.
In order to get you the best states for directors, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that the Midwest is best for directors, and the Northeast is the worst. New York, NY is the best city in the country for director jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.
10 best states for directors in 2026
1. New York
Total director jobs: 9,033 Average annual salary: $135,344 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $215,000 Location Quotient: 1.83
2. California
Total director jobs: 16,220 Average annual salary: $131,748 Lowest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $214,000 Location Quotient: 1.44
3. Connecticut
Total director jobs: 1,489 Average annual salary: $122,159 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $199,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
4. New Jersey
Total director jobs: 5,270 Average annual salary: $109,188 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000 Location Quotient: 1.72
5. District of Columbia
Total director jobs: 1,473 Average annual salary: $113,852 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $186,000 Location Quotient: 2.28
6. Massachusetts
Total director jobs: 5,842 Average annual salary: $104,675 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.65
7. Georgia
Total director jobs: 3,305 Average annual salary: $109,902 Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $181,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
8. Texas
Total director jobs: 7,261 Average annual salary: $100,310 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $171,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
9. Illinois
Total director jobs: 5,599 Average annual salary: $96,039 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
10. Washington
Total director jobs: 2,740 Average annual salary: $97,159 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
Director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $135,344 | $84,000 | 19,849,399 | 9,033 |
| 2 | California | $131,748 | $81,000 | 39,536,653 | 16,220 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $122,159 | $74,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,489 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $109,188 | $65,000 | 9,005,644 | 5,270 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $113,852 | $69,000 | 693,972 | 1,473 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $104,675 | $62,000 | 6,859,819 | 5,842 |
| 7 | Georgia | $109,902 | $66,000 | 10,429,379 | 3,305 |
| 8 | Texas | $100,310 | $58,000 | 28,304,596 | 7,261 |
| 9 | Illinois | $96,039 | $56,000 | 12,802,023 | 5,599 |
| 10 | Washington | $97,159 | $57,000 | 7,405,743 | 2,740 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $90,887 | $53,000 | 1,059,639 | 638 |
| 12 | Virginia | $97,075 | $58,000 | 8,470,020 | 3,489 |
| 13 | Nevada | $92,123 | $53,000 | 2,998,039 | 705 |
| 14 | Delaware | $92,963 | $55,000 | 961,939 | 518 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $103,465 | $62,000 | 1,815,857 | 328 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $91,048 | $53,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,534 |
| 17 | Florida | $91,455 | $53,000 | 20,984,400 | 5,248 |
| 18 | Vermont | $87,042 | $50,000 | 623,657 | 348 |
| 19 | Maryland | $96,004 | $57,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,078 |
| 20 | Oregon | $86,486 | $50,000 | 4,142,776 | 2,145 |
| 21 | Arizona | $87,154 | $50,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,950 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $100,633 | $62,000 | 1,427,538 | 225 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $83,557 | $49,000 | 12,805,537 | 4,551 |
| 24 | Michigan | $90,763 | $53,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,680 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $85,460 | $50,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,148 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $84,174 | $48,000 | 1,342,795 | 577 |
| 27 | Colorado | $85,569 | $50,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,892 |
| 28 | Maine | $76,641 | $44,000 | 1,335,907 | 396 |
| 29 | Ohio | $76,333 | $44,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,715 |
| 30 | Idaho | $76,110 | $45,000 | 1,716,943 | 488 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $77,396 | $45,000 | 4,454,189 | 909 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $75,391 | $44,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,574 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $79,223 | $46,000 | 2,984,100 | 366 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $75,041 | $44,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,471 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $73,025 | $43,000 | 579,315 | 189 |
| 36 | Utah | $68,049 | $40,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,272 |
| 37 | Montana | $69,926 | $42,000 | 1,050,493 | 427 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $73,599 | $42,000 | 2,088,070 | 553 |
| 39 | Missouri | $73,563 | $43,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,482 |
| 40 | Alaska | $68,099 | $39,000 | 739,795 | 246 |
| 41 | Alabama | $71,484 | $42,000 | 4,874,747 | 634 |
| 42 | Indiana | $66,872 | $39,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,600 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $65,553 | $39,000 | 1,920,076 | 616 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $67,685 | $39,000 | 3,930,864 | 574 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $66,539 | $39,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,000 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $64,637 | $38,000 | 755,393 | 239 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $64,476 | $38,000 | 869,666 | 231 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $63,773 | $37,000 | 3,004,279 | 627 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $65,507 | $38,000 | 4,684,333 | 622 |
| 50 | Kansas | $61,347 | $36,000 | 2,913,123 | 784 |
| 51 | Iowa | $59,877 | $35,000 | 3,145,711 | 647 |
Highest paying states for directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $135,344 |
| 2 | California | $131,748 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $122,159 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $109,188 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $113,852 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $104,675 |
| 7 | Georgia | $109,902 |
| 8 | Texas | $100,310 |
| 9 | Illinois | $96,039 |
| 10 | Washington | $97,159 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $90,887 |
| 12 | Virginia | $97,075 |
| 13 | Nevada | $92,123 |
| 14 | Delaware | $92,963 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $103,465 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $91,048 |
| 17 | Florida | $91,455 |
| 18 | Vermont | $87,042 |
| 19 | Maryland | $96,004 |
| 20 | Oregon | $86,486 |
| 21 | Arizona | $87,154 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $100,633 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $83,557 |
| 24 | Michigan | $90,763 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $85,460 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $84,174 |
| 27 | Colorado | $85,569 |
| 28 | Maine | $76,641 |
| 29 | Ohio | $76,333 |
| 30 | Idaho | $76,110 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $77,396 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $75,391 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $79,223 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $75,041 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $73,025 |
| 36 | Utah | $68,049 |
| 37 | Montana | $69,926 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $73,599 |
| 39 | Missouri | $73,563 |
| 40 | Alaska | $68,099 |
| 41 | Alabama | $71,484 |
| 42 | Indiana | $66,872 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $65,553 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $67,685 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $66,539 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $64,637 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $64,476 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $63,773 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $65,507 |
| 50 | Kansas | $61,347 |
| 51 | Iowa | $59,877 |
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Updated January 8, 2025