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Job outlook for directors of sustainability in the United States
Are director of sustainability jobs in demand?
Director of sustainability job and salary trends over time
Director of sustainability jobs over time
Director of sustainability job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 966 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 63 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 64 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 994 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 939 | 0.00% |
Average director of sustainability salary over time
Director of sustainability salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $120,649 | $58.00 | +4.0% |
| 2024 | $116,056 | $55.80 | +2.4% |
| 2023 | $113,337 | $54.49 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | $112,502 | $54.09 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | $110,943 | $53.34 | +1.3% |
Director of sustainability jobs by state
Most common states for directors of sustainability
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 514 | 11% |
| 2 | Louisiana | 4,684,333 | 493 | 11% |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 444 | 11% |
| 4 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 304 | 10% |
| 5 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 42 | 6% |
| 6 | New York | 19,849,399 | 131 | 1% |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 74 | 1% |
| 8 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 68 | 1% |
| 9 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 37 | 1% |
| 10 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 23 | 1% |
| 11 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 16 | 1% |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 10 | 1% |
| 13 | Delaware | 961,939 | 9 | 1% |
| 14 | Alaska | 739,795 | 8 | 1% |
| 15 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 8 | 1% |
| 16 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 7 | 1% |
| 17 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 6 | 1% |
| 18 | Vermont | 623,657 | 5 | 1% |
| 19 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 5 | 1% |
| 20 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 4 | 1% |
Most common cities for directors of sustainability
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bessemer | 1 | 4% | $102,535 |
| 2 | Burlington | 1 | 4% | $128,421 |
| 3 | East Palo Alto | 1 | 3% | $147,354 |
| 4 | Cambridge | 2 | 2% | $128,422 |
| 5 | Washington | 5 | 1% | $124,297 |
| 6 | Minneapolis | 3 | 1% | $101,802 |
| 7 | Tampa | 2 | 1% | $94,048 |
| 8 | Lawrence | 1 | 1% | $128,567 |
| 9 | Lowell | 1 | 1% | $128,406 |
| 10 | San Francisco | 4 | 0% | $147,923 |
| 11 | Baltimore | 3 | 0% | $137,503 |
| 12 | Atlanta | 2 | 0% | $94,646 |
| 13 | Miami | 2 | 0% | $90,582 |
| 14 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $128,467 |
| 15 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $122,903 |
| 16 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $136,612 |
| 17 | New York | 1 | 0% | $129,661 |
Director Of Sustainability job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of director of sustainability experts
University of Georgia
University of South Florida
What general advice would you give to a Director Of Sustainability?
Tyra Byers: The field is evolving, which means it's important to be flexible and stay on top of current trends. Also, sustainability challenges cannot be solved by any one person, unit or company. Collaboration is critical in this field.
Thomas Culhane
University of South Florida
Sustainability Studies
What Director Of Sustainability skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Thomas Culhane: Since the 'job market' is considered 'competitive' students often seek salary maximization without realizing that in the sustainability field the goal is not to focus on instantaneous maxima but long-term (i.e. sustainable) high averages. My advice for anybody in our field is to 'be the nexus', BE the change you wish to see (as Gandhi exhorted), BE the 'sustainabilitist' that the world needs so that your skills are not only always in demand but are actually truly needed.
What will help Directors Of Sustainability increase their earning potential?
Thomas Culhane: I would (and do) give graduates the same advice my journalist father gave to my graduating class when I was young: 'Only Connect'. Dad was certain, and I am now too, that the most important career skill in general and specifically for the sustainability field is to develop and constantly strengthen your ability to connect different ideas and fields. Our PCGS program is unabashedly interdisciplinary. I teach the 'Navigating the Food Energy Water Nexus' and 'Waste Not Want Not: Reconsidering Refuse as Resource' courses, as well as being the director of our Climate Mitigation and Adaptation program and teaching science communication and technical skills through our 'Envisioning Sustainability' and 'Sustainable Design Laboratory' Courses and they ALL overlap and they all demand 'Nexus Thinking' – the ability to see the rhizomal/neuronal connections between each area of study.