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Best states for an education director
Quoted expert
Jann Pataray-Ching, Ph.D.
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Do you want to become an education director at Educate, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for education directors that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Although there are abundant education director jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. New Hampshire is the best state in the country for education director jobs.
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 education directors.We found that New Hampshire is the best state for education director jobs, whereas Georgia is the worst.
10 best states for education directors in 2025
1. New Hampshire
Total education director jobs: 99 Average annual salary: $73,758 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 1.132. Massachusetts
Total education director jobs: 508 Average annual salary: $74,271 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 1.113. District of Columbia
Total education director jobs: 185 Average annual salary: $76,750 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 2.214. Virginia
Total education director jobs: 390 Average annual salary: $75,784 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 0.835. New York
Total education director jobs: 867 Average annual salary: $72,225 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 1.366. California
Total education director jobs: 1,262 Average annual salary: $77,372 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 0.877. Nevada
Total education director jobs: 64 Average annual salary: $70,180 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 0.618. Connecticut
Total education director jobs: 253 Average annual salary: $65,091 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 1.539. Louisiana
Total education director jobs: 523 Average annual salary: $59,615 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 3.2810. Iowa
Total education director jobs: 585 Average annual salary: $59,266 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Location Quotient: 3.23
Education director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an education director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an education director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $73,758 | $49,000 | 1,342,795 | 99 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $74,271 | $49,000 | 6,859,819 | 508 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $76,750 | $49,000 | 693,972 | 185 |
| 4 | Virginia | $75,784 | $48,000 | 8,470,020 | 390 |
| 5 | New York | $72,225 | $47,000 | 19,849,399 | 867 |
| 6 | California | $77,372 | $48,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,262 |
| 7 | Nevada | $70,180 | $44,000 | 2,998,039 | 64 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $65,091 | $42,000 | 3,588,184 | 253 |
| 9 | Louisiana | $59,615 | $39,000 | 4,684,333 | 523 |
| 10 | Iowa | $59,266 | $39,000 | 3,145,711 | 585 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $64,661 | $42,000 | 9,005,644 | 482 |
| 12 | Maryland | $68,195 | $44,000 | 6,052,177 | 285 |
| 13 | Oregon | $65,651 | $40,000 | 4,142,776 | 171 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $60,158 | $39,000 | 579,315 | 30 |
| 15 | Maine | $62,471 | $42,000 | 1,335,907 | 53 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $61,674 | $40,000 | 5,795,483 | 169 |
| 17 | Delaware | $61,852 | $40,000 | 961,939 | 58 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $61,897 | $40,000 | 10,273,419 | 301 |
| 19 | Michigan | $60,452 | $38,000 | 9,962,311 | 316 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $61,496 | $40,000 | 1,059,639 | 48 |
| 21 | Vermont | $58,917 | $39,000 | 623,657 | 56 |
| 22 | Montana | $59,781 | $38,000 | 1,050,493 | 51 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $60,416 | $39,000 | 869,666 | 21 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $59,574 | $38,000 | 1,815,857 | 37 |
| 25 | Idaho | $61,389 | $38,000 | 1,716,943 | 44 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $57,802 | $37,000 | 12,805,537 | 527 |
| 27 | Colorado | $58,811 | $39,000 | 5,607,154 | 335 |
| 28 | Alabama | $54,356 | $35,000 | 4,874,747 | 541 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $59,477 | $38,000 | 4,454,189 | 88 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $57,991 | $37,000 | 5,576,606 | 363 |
| 31 | Arizona | $54,670 | $36,000 | 7,016,270 | 439 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $56,545 | $37,000 | 6,715,984 | 183 |
| 33 | Indiana | $57,736 | $37,000 | 6,666,818 | 190 |
| 34 | Illinois | $55,246 | $35,000 | 12,802,023 | 767 |
| 35 | Washington | $57,614 | $35,000 | 7,405,743 | 253 |
| 36 | Florida | $55,976 | $36,000 | 20,984,400 | 433 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $47,506 | $31,000 | 2,984,100 | 319 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $61,988 | $46,000 | 1,427,538 | 11 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $45,529 | $30,000 | 3,004,279 | 518 |
| 40 | Ohio | $54,268 | $34,000 | 11,658,609 | 249 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $45,715 | $30,000 | 3,930,864 | 493 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $49,041 | $32,000 | 2,088,070 | 81 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $51,066 | $33,000 | 5,024,369 | 154 |
| 44 | Utah | $53,158 | $34,000 | 3,101,833 | 79 |
| 45 | Missouri | $52,847 | $35,000 | 6,113,532 | 154 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $48,893 | $32,000 | 1,920,076 | 81 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $50,957 | $33,000 | 755,393 | 25 |
| 48 | Alaska | $45,995 | $34,000 | 739,795 | 32 |
| 49 | Texas | $48,171 | $31,000 | 28,304,596 | 659 |
| 50 | Kansas | $48,374 | $32,000 | 2,913,123 | 83 |
| 51 | Georgia | $45,729 | $30,000 | 10,429,379 | 331 |
Highest paying states for education directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Education Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $73,758 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $74,271 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $76,750 |
| 4 | Virginia | $75,784 |
| 5 | New York | $72,225 |
| 6 | California | $77,372 |
| 7 | Nevada | $70,180 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $65,091 |
| 9 | Louisiana | $59,615 |
| 10 | Iowa | $59,266 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $64,661 |
| 12 | Maryland | $68,195 |
| 13 | Oregon | $65,651 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $60,158 |
| 15 | Maine | $62,471 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $61,674 |
| 17 | Delaware | $61,852 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $61,897 |
| 19 | Michigan | $60,452 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $61,496 |
| 21 | Vermont | $58,917 |
| 22 | Montana | $59,781 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $60,416 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $59,574 |
| 25 | Idaho | $61,389 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $57,802 |
| 27 | Colorado | $58,811 |
| 28 | Alabama | $54,356 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $59,477 |
| 30 | Minnesota | $57,991 |
| 31 | Arizona | $54,670 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $56,545 |
| 33 | Indiana | $57,736 |
| 34 | Illinois | $55,246 |
| 35 | Washington | $57,614 |
| 36 | Florida | $55,976 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $47,506 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $61,988 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $45,529 |
| 40 | Ohio | $54,268 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $45,715 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $49,041 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $51,066 |
| 44 | Utah | $53,158 |
| 45 | Missouri | $52,847 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $48,893 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $50,957 |
| 48 | Alaska | $45,995 |
| 49 | Texas | $48,171 |
| 50 | Kansas | $48,374 |
| 51 | Georgia | $45,729 |
Expert opinions on the best states for education directors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for education directors to find work opportunities?
Jann Pataray-Ching, Ph.D.
Professor and Department Chair, Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction, Cal Poly Pomona
There are jobs available in pockets throughout the nation. In California, due to the post-recession teacher layoffs, many districts are in need of STEM, Special Education, and bilingual education teachers, especially in rural and low-income areas. The state has budgeted $70 million to get more qualified STEM teachers in the classroom.
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Updated January 8, 2025