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Job outlook for directors of client relations in the United States
Director of client relations job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected director of client relations job growth rate is 8% from 2018-2028.
About 6,300 new jobs for directors of client relations are projected over the next decade.
Director of client relations salaries have increased 14% for directors of client relations in the last 5 years.
There are over 4,647 directors of client relations currently employed in the United States.
There are 63,226 active director of client relations job openings in the US.
The average director of client relations salary is $116,480.
Are director of client relations jobs in demand?
Director of client relations job and salary trends over time
Director of client relations jobs over time
Director of client relations job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,647 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 4,259 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 4,272 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 3,966 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 3,785 | 0.00% |
Average director of client relations salary over time
Director of client relations salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $116,480 | $56.00 | +4.1% |
| 2025 | $111,921 | $53.81 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | $109,645 | $52.71 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | $106,283 | $51.10 | +3.7% |
| 2022 | $102,501 | $49.28 | +3.1% |
Director of client relations jobs by state
Most common states for directors of client relations
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 390 | 56% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 998 | 15% |
| 3 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 607 | 15% |
| 4 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,660 | 13% |
| 5 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 628 | 13% |
| 6 | Louisiana | 4,684,333 | 588 | 13% |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 504 | 13% |
| 8 | California | 39,536,653 | 4,331 | 11% |
| 9 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 594 | 11% |
| 10 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 315 | 11% |
| 11 | New York | 19,849,399 | 2,007 | 10% |
| 12 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 551 | 10% |
| 13 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 102 | 10% |
| 14 | Delaware | 961,939 | 98 | 10% |
| 15 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 970 | 9% |
| 16 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 766 | 9% |
| 17 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 329 | 9% |
| 18 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 162 | 9% |
| 19 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 568 | 8% |
| 20 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 63 | 8% |
Most common cities for directors of client relations
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walnut Creek | 2 | 3% | $145,761 |
| 2 | Dover | 1 | 3% | $132,678 |
| 3 | Juneau | 1 | 3% | $108,607 |
| 4 | El Dorado Hills | 1 | 2% | $145,233 |
| 5 | Atlanta | 3 | 1% | $107,516 |
| 6 | Sacramento | 3 | 1% | $145,669 |
| 7 | Burbank | 1 | 1% | $133,255 |
| 8 | Hollywood | 1 | 1% | $107,500 |
| 9 | Knoxville | 1 | 1% | $102,859 |
| 10 | Boston | 2 | 0% | $100,613 |
| 11 | Indianapolis | 2 | 0% | $98,122 |
| 12 | Phoenix | 2 | 0% | $136,331 |
| 13 | San Jose | 2 | 0% | $144,692 |
| 14 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $95,811 |
| 15 | Jacksonville | 1 | 0% | $108,752 |
| 16 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $133,045 |
| 17 | Montgomery | 1 | 0% | $99,507 |
Director Of Client Relations job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of director of client relations experts
University of Missouri-St. Louis
Luther College
Morehouse College
The University of West Florida
Christopher Newport University
Indiana University Southeast
Vicki Sauter Ph.D.
Professor of Information Systems and TechnologyUniversity of Missouri-St. Louis
Information Systems Department
What soft skills should all Directors Of Client Relations possess?
Vicki Sauter Ph.D.: The major soft skill needed by all graduates is communication, and net etiquette (netiquette), especially by younger workers. These workers are on the computer or the phone at all times. They don't distinguish between professional communication and personal communication. That combined with most communication happening in text, in Zoom, etc. They need to understand that you cannot rely upon emoticons and abbreviations to get your points across to the boss or the customer.
Associated with this is a need for comfort with computers, software, and fast changes in both.
How have salaries changed over time for Directors Of Client Relations?
Vicki Sauter Ph.D.: Students in IST and cybersecurity are increasing. Supply is low, and demand is high.
Sarah Wilder Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorLuther College
Communication Studies Department
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Directors Of Client Relations?
Sarah Wilder Ph.D.: That's an interesting question for a degree like Communication Studies that doesn't have a designated career like other fields. Some positions of our recent graduates include anchor, producer, occupational therapist, director of career development, attorney at law, librarian, graduate student, social worker, marketing manager, and director of training, to name a few. So really what certifications or licenses are helpful will be position/career specific. As far as courses, I recommend a breadth of courses that prepare individuals to interact and communicate competently as well as think critically. This could mean taking an interpersonal communication course to better understand the nuances of truly empathic, competent communication with others, particularly in a diverse workforce, to taking a course on argumentation to better understand how to effectively present ideas and critically interact with a larger society's positions on complicated ideologies.
What will help Directors Of Client Relations increase their earning potential?
Sarah Wilder Ph.D.: Honestly, it's probably the Communication Studies degree itself. Research indicates as much as 70% plus of long-term success in a career is tied to soft skills and that's where graduates of Communication Studies excel. Individuals with this degree are critical thinkers, adaptable, have strong people skills, and obviously, are excellent communicators. Hard skills are necessary. A person has to be able to do the "job" at hand. That being said, if you and another employee can both perform the basic job duties, but you are also adaptable, able to interact with coworkers, train others, make clients feel comfortable and confident etc., you are going to be the one that is promoted, offered new career opportunities, brought into important decision-making positions, and so on. I just had a conversation with an optometrist and she said almost none of her technicians have science or medical backgrounds. She's ready to train the hard skills of the equipment and exam procedures, but she needs to hire people who are excellent communicators, intelligent, and work well with others. The benefits of being able to communicate effectively are never-ending.
What will help Directors Of Client Relations increase their earning potential?
Matthew Lange Ph.D.: Several articles over the past few years have noted the salary bump for employees with second-language skills. A 2014 report in The Economist entitled "What is a language worth?" indicated, for example, that German proficiency can add a 3.8% bump to your earnings, as calculated by MIT economist Albert Saiz. This increase can come directly from employers who pay a premium for language skills, or the employee can benefit from a larger pool of opportunities that are simply inaccessible to monolingual speakers.
But while many graduates increasingly like to consider return-on-investment (ROI) of a course of study or set of skills, let us not forget that quality of life is important as well, even if it is difficult to quantify. Learning another language and its culture exposes one to another value system that might prefer, for example, more vacation time over increased salary.
Eric Bostwick Ph.D.
Professor of AccountingThe University of West Florida
Department of Accounting and Finance
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Directors Of Client Relations?
Eric Bostwick Ph.D.: In a word, yes. The adjustments that both individuals and businesses have made during this time have shifted our expectations for life and work. For a generation of students who were already tech-natives, the shift to more technology-enabled interactions has reinforced the "click-to-do" mentality. And for non-tech-natives, the roll-out of intuitive, easy-to-use apps has overcome much of their resistance to these types of interactions. These shifts have affected everything from business meetings to family reunions and from buying lunch to meeting with your doctor. However, graduates will need to grow beyond being technology consumers. They must be able to effectively use technology to deliver a company's value proposition, especially in service-oriented fields such as accounting, finance, law, medicine, and consulting.
Todd Lee Goen
Instructor & Internship DirectorChristopher Newport University
Department of Communication
What's a good job out of college for Directors Of Client Relations?
Todd Lee Goen: Pandemic or no pandemic, the best job out of college is one that sets you on the path to achieve your ultimate career goal(s). Reflect on where you want to be in five or ten years or even twenty-five years. Then consider positions that will set you on the path to achieve that goal. Very few people land their dream job upon graduation - dream jobs are typically those we're not qualified to do without some additional work experience and training. A good job is one that will help you achieve your goal(s) - just don't frame it that way in the interview.
Good jobs pay a livable salary for the location, offer benefits (health insurance and retirement at minimum), and provide professional development opportunities (these can take a variety of forms). Too often, college grads overlook professional development. If an employer isn't willing to invest in you, there's no guarantee you will succeed in the job. Good employers understand they need qualified employees who continually develop their skills and abilities, and good employers will make sure employees have the resources they need to succeed.
What technical skills for a Director Of Client Relations stand out to employers?
Todd Lee Goen: Technical skills are often industry and/or position specific. Applicants should highlight any technical skills related to the position advertisement and those that add value to the position/organization. Most importantly, requirements for technical skills change with time and technological advances. This means employers value workers capable of adapting to change and continually improving and acquiring new technical skills. Thus, it's usually more important to demonstrate you are capable of learning and developing technical skills than it is to have a specific skill set upon hire (although this is not true for some positions/industries).
That said, technical skills related to online presentations, virtual meetings, virtual networking, remote working and the like are hot commodities right now. While most organizations were in the process of adopting many of these technologies and ways of doing business pre-pandemic, the pandemic accelerated the process. Organizations are making it work, but they often don't know best practices or the most efficient means of working in the largely virtual, pandemic environment. Post-pandemic, many of the remote/virtual changes the pandemic brought will stay in some form. Technical skills that support this type of workplace will make applicants stand out to many employers because they need/want to do virtual/remote business better.
What Director Of Client Relations skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Uric Dufrene: First, I would not recommend a gap year. One of the skills that is critically important, regardless of the time period, is adaptability. Learning how to adapt to the circumstances around you is a skill that is valued in the workplace, regardless of the year. This is a key part of problem solving. Solving problems with the conditions and resources on hand will prepare you for a lifelong success in any field. As a graduate develops a reputation for problem solving, they emerge as a "go to" employee and will be seen by others as a leader, in their department or company.