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Best states for an executive 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 executive 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. We wanted to look at the best states for executive directors -- where there are plenty of executive director jobs to go around and executive directors get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
In order to get you the best states for executive 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 Connecticut is the best state for executive director jobs, whereas Alaska is the worst.
10 best states for executive directors in 2025
1. Connecticut
Total executive director jobs: 539 Average annual salary: $126,816 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $202,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
2. New Jersey
Total executive director jobs: 1,448 Average annual salary: $126,558 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $202,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
3. Delaware
Total executive director jobs: 191 Average annual salary: $120,413 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000 Location Quotient: 1.17
4. Texas
Total executive director jobs: 2,862 Average annual salary: $116,508 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
5. Arizona
Total executive director jobs: 879 Average annual salary: $117,149 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $193,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
6. Rhode Island
Total executive director jobs: 155 Average annual salary: $116,692 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $188,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
7. New York
Total executive director jobs: 1,248 Average annual salary: $145,940 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $226,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
8. Alabama
Total executive director jobs: 841 Average annual salary: $103,543 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $173,000 Location Quotient: 1.46
9. Georgia
Total executive director jobs: 1,445 Average annual salary: $111,151 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
10. West Virginia
Total executive director jobs: 355 Average annual salary: $98,874 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location Quotient: 1.78
Executive director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an executive director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an executive director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $126,816 | $79,000 | 3,588,184 | 539 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $126,558 | $79,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,448 |
| 3 | Delaware | $120,413 | $74,000 | 961,939 | 191 |
| 4 | Texas | $116,508 | $69,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,862 |
| 5 | Arizona | $117,149 | $70,000 | 7,016,270 | 879 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $116,692 | $72,000 | 1,059,639 | 155 |
| 7 | New York | $145,940 | $94,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,248 |
| 8 | Alabama | $103,543 | $61,000 | 4,874,747 | 841 |
| 9 | Georgia | $111,151 | $67,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,445 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $98,874 | $59,000 | 1,815,857 | 355 |
| 11 | Illinois | $105,049 | $63,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,184 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $104,966 | $64,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,991 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $116,516 | $71,000 | 693,972 | 287 |
| 14 | Florida | $108,310 | $64,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,015 |
| 15 | Hawaii | $125,620 | $80,000 | 1,427,538 | 93 |
| 16 | California | $129,291 | $79,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,192 |
| 17 | Nevada | $105,159 | $62,000 | 2,998,039 | 257 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $110,946 | $67,000 | 1,342,795 | 178 |
| 19 | Maryland | $108,396 | $66,000 | 6,052,177 | 786 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $93,366 | $55,000 | 5,024,369 | 976 |
| 21 | Ohio | $103,017 | $62,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,027 |
| 22 | Virginia | $101,956 | $61,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,356 |
| 23 | Vermont | $97,188 | $58,000 | 623,657 | 119 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $100,523 | $60,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,092 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $95,952 | $57,000 | 3,004,279 | 302 |
| 26 | Washington | $97,091 | $59,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,135 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $95,032 | $57,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,341 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $95,587 | $57,000 | 5,795,483 | 625 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $99,779 | $58,000 | 2,088,070 | 160 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $94,067 | $55,000 | 6,715,984 | 600 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $94,781 | $57,000 | 5,576,606 | 786 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $90,540 | $55,000 | 755,393 | 116 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $84,841 | $49,000 | 4,684,333 | 745 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $81,450 | $50,000 | 869,666 | 225 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $93,152 | $55,000 | 4,454,189 | 375 |
| 36 | Utah | $88,836 | $53,000 | 3,101,833 | 417 |
| 37 | Colorado | $87,792 | $52,000 | 5,607,154 | 931 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $81,366 | $47,000 | 2,984,100 | 387 |
| 39 | Michigan | $89,277 | $53,000 | 9,962,311 | 718 |
| 40 | Maine | $90,594 | $54,000 | 1,335,907 | 131 |
| 41 | Indiana | $86,093 | $51,000 | 6,666,818 | 710 |
| 42 | Montana | $79,966 | $50,000 | 1,050,493 | 169 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $71,605 | $42,000 | 3,930,864 | 598 |
| 44 | Missouri | $84,002 | $50,000 | 6,113,532 | 674 |
| 45 | Kansas | $79,838 | $47,000 | 2,913,123 | 366 |
| 46 | Iowa | $80,997 | $48,000 | 3,145,711 | 387 |
| 47 | Idaho | $72,772 | $44,000 | 1,716,943 | 209 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $67,978 | $41,000 | 579,315 | 81 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $77,935 | $47,000 | 1,920,076 | 232 |
| 50 | Oregon | $83,691 | $49,000 | 4,142,776 | 239 |
| 51 | Alaska | $77,434 | $46,000 | 739,795 | 86 |
Highest paying states for executive directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Executive Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $126,816 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $126,558 |
| 3 | Delaware | $120,413 |
| 4 | Texas | $116,508 |
| 5 | Arizona | $117,149 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $116,692 |
| 7 | New York | $145,940 |
| 8 | Alabama | $103,543 |
| 9 | Georgia | $111,151 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $98,874 |
| 11 | Illinois | $105,049 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $104,966 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $116,516 |
| 14 | Florida | $108,310 |
| 15 | Hawaii | $125,620 |
| 16 | California | $129,291 |
| 17 | Nevada | $105,159 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $110,946 |
| 19 | Maryland | $108,396 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $93,366 |
| 21 | Ohio | $103,017 |
| 22 | Virginia | $101,956 |
| 23 | Vermont | $97,188 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $100,523 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $95,952 |
| 26 | Washington | $97,091 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $95,032 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $95,587 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $99,779 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $94,067 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $94,781 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $90,540 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $84,841 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $81,450 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $93,152 |
| 36 | Utah | $88,836 |
| 37 | Colorado | $87,792 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $81,366 |
| 39 | Michigan | $89,277 |
| 40 | Maine | $90,594 |
| 41 | Indiana | $86,093 |
| 42 | Montana | $79,966 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $71,605 |
| 44 | Missouri | $84,002 |
| 45 | Kansas | $79,838 |
| 46 | Iowa | $80,997 |
| 47 | Idaho | $72,772 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $67,978 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $77,935 |
| 50 | Oregon | $83,691 |
| 51 | Alaska | $77,434 |
Executive director best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025