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Best states for an event manager
Quoted expert
Dr. Jokima Hiller
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
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- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and business and financial careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to event manager jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for event managers.In fact, our research shows that New Jersey is the best state for event managers in America. The best city in America for event managers with the highest pay is New York, NY.
We figured that the best places for event manager jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.New Jersey is the best state, and Long Branch is the city with the highest pay for event managers.
10 best states for event managers in 2025
1. New Jersey
Total event manager jobs: 138 Average annual salary: $68,100 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 1.992. Connecticut
Total event manager jobs: 41 Average annual salary: $64,032 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.413. Pennsylvania
Total event manager jobs: 124 Average annual salary: $59,004 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 1.224. New York
Total event manager jobs: 102 Average annual salary: $66,773 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 0.915. District of Columbia
Total event manager jobs: 21 Average annual salary: $61,391 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 1.436. Virginia
Total event manager jobs: 168 Average annual salary: $54,053 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 2.047. Vermont
Total event manager jobs: 11 Average annual salary: $52,501 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Location Quotient: 1.648. Washington
Total event manager jobs: 73 Average annual salary: $56,231 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Location Quotient: 1.149. Massachusetts
Total event manager jobs: 71 Average annual salary: $60,483 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 0.8810. Maine
Total event manager jobs: 8 Average annual salary: $61,191 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 0.69
Event manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an event manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an event manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $68,100 | $41,000 | 9,005,644 | 138 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $64,032 | $38,000 | 3,588,184 | 41 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $59,004 | $35,000 | 12,805,537 | 124 |
| 4 | New York | $66,773 | $40,000 | 19,849,399 | 102 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $61,391 | $37,000 | 693,972 | 21 |
| 6 | Virginia | $54,053 | $32,000 | 8,470,020 | 168 |
| 7 | Vermont | $52,501 | $32,000 | 623,657 | 11 |
| 8 | Washington | $56,231 | $39,000 | 7,405,743 | 73 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $60,483 | $37,000 | 6,859,819 | 71 |
| 10 | Maine | $61,191 | $38,000 | 1,335,907 | 8 |
| 11 | California | $57,126 | $36,000 | 39,536,653 | 270 |
| 12 | Maryland | $49,850 | $30,000 | 6,052,177 | 122 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $51,075 | $33,000 | 6,715,984 | 43 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $54,491 | $35,000 | 2,088,070 | 10 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $53,607 | $33,000 | 1,342,795 | 10 |
| 16 | Texas | $52,285 | $33,000 | 28,304,596 | 122 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $47,285 | $28,000 | 1,059,639 | 12 |
| 18 | Delaware | $45,559 | $27,000 | 961,939 | 19 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $49,970 | $31,000 | 1,815,857 | 6 |
| 20 | Ohio | $45,335 | $28,000 | 11,658,609 | 89 |
| 21 | Michigan | $44,810 | $28,000 | 9,962,311 | 82 |
| 22 | Arizona | $48,633 | $31,000 | 7,016,270 | 42 |
| 23 | Mississippi | $42,645 | $27,000 | 2,984,100 | 31 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $42,842 | $28,000 | 5,795,483 | 61 |
| 25 | Nevada | $46,769 | $30,000 | 2,998,039 | 15 |
| 26 | Oregon | $46,085 | $31,000 | 4,142,776 | 33 |
| 27 | Hawaii | $53,940 | $43,000 | 1,427,538 | 5 |
| 28 | Georgia | $47,923 | $30,000 | 10,429,379 | 42 |
| 29 | Illinois | $44,111 | $29,000 | 12,802,023 | 107 |
| 30 | Alabama | $46,067 | $29,000 | 4,874,747 | 14 |
| 31 | Florida | $43,265 | $26,000 | 20,984,400 | 140 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $40,331 | $29,000 | 755,393 | 7 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $42,921 | $26,000 | 10,273,419 | 62 |
| 34 | Colorado | $40,511 | $28,000 | 5,607,154 | 50 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $41,845 | $29,000 | 5,576,606 | 47 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $42,377 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 10 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $37,570 | $24,000 | 4,454,189 | 38 |
| 38 | Utah | $33,480 | $23,000 | 3,101,833 | 42 |
| 39 | Montana | $35,176 | $25,000 | 1,050,493 | 11 |
| 40 | Idaho | $34,739 | $24,000 | 1,716,943 | 16 |
| 41 | Kansas | $39,975 | $27,000 | 2,913,123 | 11 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $35,746 | $25,000 | 869,666 | 8 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $40,009 | $25,000 | 5,024,369 | 21 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $32,957 | $23,000 | 579,315 | 6 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $40,645 | $25,000 | 4,684,333 | 10 |
| 46 | Indiana | $36,389 | $23,000 | 6,666,818 | 48 |
| 47 | Alaska | $33,295 | $25,000 | 739,795 | 7 |
| 48 | Iowa | $34,705 | $23,000 | 3,145,711 | 25 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $31,439 | $20,000 | 3,004,279 | 20 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $33,365 | $23,000 | 1,920,076 | 14 |
| 51 | Missouri | $29,935 | $20,000 | 6,113,532 | 13 |
Highest paying states for event managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Event Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $68,100 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $64,032 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $59,004 |
| 4 | New York | $66,773 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $61,391 |
| 6 | Virginia | $54,053 |
| 7 | Vermont | $52,501 |
| 8 | Washington | $56,231 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $60,483 |
| 10 | Maine | $61,191 |
| 11 | California | $57,126 |
| 12 | Maryland | $49,850 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $51,075 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $54,491 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $53,607 |
| 16 | Texas | $52,285 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $47,285 |
| 18 | Delaware | $45,559 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $49,970 |
| 20 | Ohio | $45,335 |
| 21 | Michigan | $44,810 |
| 22 | Arizona | $48,633 |
| 23 | Mississippi | $42,645 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $42,842 |
| 25 | Nevada | $46,769 |
| 26 | Oregon | $46,085 |
| 27 | Hawaii | $53,940 |
| 28 | Georgia | $47,923 |
| 29 | Illinois | $44,111 |
| 30 | Alabama | $46,067 |
| 31 | Florida | $43,265 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $40,331 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $42,921 |
| 34 | Colorado | $40,511 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $41,845 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $42,377 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $37,570 |
| 38 | Utah | $33,480 |
| 39 | Montana | $35,176 |
| 40 | Idaho | $34,739 |
| 41 | Kansas | $39,975 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $35,746 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $40,009 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $32,957 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $40,645 |
| 46 | Indiana | $36,389 |
| 47 | Alaska | $33,295 |
| 48 | Iowa | $34,705 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $31,439 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $33,365 |
| 51 | Missouri | $29,935 |
Expert opinions on the best states for event managers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for event managers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Jokima Hiller
Assistant Professor, Missouri State University
Look at secondary markets for opportunities. Unfortunately, many of your major markets have been hit hard resulting in closings or in closings, reopenings, and then closings again because there hasn't been enough business to sustain them. But, you will find that the next town over had hospitality businesses that scaled back but never closed thereby meeting the needs of their regulars and attracting displaced business from the larger markets. For example, Indianapolis is a major market where their downtown area was greatly impacted. However, some hotels in Fishers remained open and are now actively seeking candidates as they ramp back up.
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Updated January 8, 2025