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Best states for an external relations director
Quoted expert
Dr. Arsalan Memon
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
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- 41 - 51
Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for external relations directors? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for external relations director jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.We wanted to look at the best states for external relations directors -- where there are plenty of external relations director jobs to go around and external relations directors get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for external relations directors. Delaware is the best state for external relations directors, where the median salary is $142,140.We found that Delaware is the best state for external relations director jobs, whereas Hawaii is the worst.
10 best states for external relations directors in 2025
1. Delaware
Total external relations director jobs: 52 Average annual salary: $142,140 Lowest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $220,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
2. Nevada
Total external relations director jobs: 67 Average annual salary: $147,978 Lowest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $226,000 Location Quotient: 0.72
3. Connecticut
Total external relations director jobs: 151 Average annual salary: $141,987 Lowest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $220,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
4. New Jersey
Total external relations director jobs: 376 Average annual salary: $142,430 Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $220,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
5. Massachusetts
Total external relations director jobs: 536 Average annual salary: $138,549 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $216,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
6. Virginia
Total external relations director jobs: 348 Average annual salary: $142,399 Lowest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $221,000 Location Quotient: 0.82
7. New Mexico
Total external relations director jobs: 45 Average annual salary: $145,696 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $225,000 Location Quotient: 0.51
8. Georgia
Total external relations director jobs: 384 Average annual salary: $134,923 Lowest 10 percent earn: $84,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $214,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
9. California
Total external relations director jobs: 1,922 Average annual salary: $138,354 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $214,000 Location Quotient: 1.47
10. Michigan
Total external relations director jobs: 197 Average annual salary: $136,996 Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $215,000 Location Quotient: 0.57
External relations director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be an external relations director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for an external relations director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $142,140 | $91,000 | 961,939 | 52 |
| 2 | Nevada | $147,978 | $96,000 | 2,998,039 | 67 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $141,987 | $91,000 | 3,588,184 | 151 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $142,430 | $92,000 | 9,005,644 | 376 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $138,549 | $88,000 | 6,859,819 | 536 |
| 6 | Virginia | $142,399 | $91,000 | 8,470,020 | 348 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $145,696 | $94,000 | 2,088,070 | 45 |
| 8 | Georgia | $134,923 | $84,000 | 10,429,379 | 384 |
| 9 | California | $138,354 | $89,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,922 |
| 10 | Michigan | $136,996 | $87,000 | 9,962,311 | 197 |
| 11 | Vermont | $135,160 | $85,000 | 623,657 | 26 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $120,149 | $73,000 | 4,684,333 | 530 |
| 13 | Texas | $128,499 | $80,000 | 28,304,596 | 728 |
| 14 | Oregon | $128,006 | $80,000 | 4,142,776 | 240 |
| 15 | Arkansas | $133,733 | $84,000 | 3,004,279 | 64 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $131,610 | $83,000 | 693,972 | 292 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $126,808 | $79,000 | 869,666 | 25 |
| 18 | Kansas | $132,289 | $83,000 | 2,913,123 | 51 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $120,433 | $75,000 | 1,059,639 | 47 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | $113,814 | $69,000 | 3,930,864 | 475 |
| 21 | New York | $121,905 | $76,000 | 19,849,399 | 946 |
| 22 | Colorado | $121,705 | $75,000 | 5,607,154 | 235 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $126,430 | $79,000 | 755,393 | 18 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $114,750 | $70,000 | 10,273,419 | 373 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $116,253 | $71,000 | 5,795,483 | 152 |
| 26 | Indiana | $118,974 | $73,000 | 6,666,818 | 135 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $115,432 | $70,000 | 6,715,984 | 134 |
| 28 | Alabama | $108,839 | $65,000 | 4,874,747 | 543 |
| 29 | Arizona | $114,204 | $71,000 | 7,016,270 | 207 |
| 30 | Iowa | $115,215 | $70,000 | 3,145,711 | 76 |
| 31 | Florida | $113,150 | $67,000 | 20,984,400 | 472 |
| 32 | Idaho | $113,754 | $70,000 | 1,716,943 | 36 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $110,946 | $67,000 | 4,454,189 | 80 |
| 34 | Maryland | $111,949 | $69,000 | 6,052,177 | 226 |
| 35 | Maine | $108,188 | $66,000 | 1,335,907 | 44 |
| 36 | Utah | $107,234 | $66,000 | 3,101,833 | 110 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $102,589 | $61,000 | 2,984,100 | 317 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $107,008 | $66,000 | 12,805,537 | 367 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | $109,649 | $67,000 | 1,342,795 | 43 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $109,292 | $66,000 | 1,920,076 | 49 |
| 41 | Illinois | $105,411 | $64,000 | 12,802,023 | 509 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $107,758 | $66,000 | 1,815,857 | 18 |
| 43 | Alaska | $105,895 | $70,000 | 739,795 | 28 |
| 44 | Missouri | $107,469 | $65,000 | 6,113,532 | 154 |
| 45 | Ohio | $104,553 | $63,000 | 11,658,609 | 240 |
| 46 | Washington | $101,628 | $62,000 | 7,405,743 | 322 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $103,992 | $62,000 | 5,024,369 | 120 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $103,325 | $62,000 | 5,576,606 | 210 |
| 49 | Montana | $101,538 | $62,000 | 1,050,493 | 34 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $102,146 | $62,000 | 579,315 | 10 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $65,441 | $46,000 | 1,427,538 | 18 |
Highest paying states for external relations directors
| Rank | State | Avg. External Relations Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $142,140 |
| 2 | Nevada | $147,978 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $141,987 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $142,430 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $138,549 |
| 6 | Virginia | $142,399 |
| 7 | New Mexico | $145,696 |
| 8 | Georgia | $134,923 |
| 9 | California | $138,354 |
| 10 | Michigan | $136,996 |
| 11 | Vermont | $135,160 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $120,149 |
| 13 | Texas | $128,499 |
| 14 | Oregon | $128,006 |
| 15 | Arkansas | $133,733 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $131,610 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $126,808 |
| 18 | Kansas | $132,289 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $120,433 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | $113,814 |
| 21 | New York | $121,905 |
| 22 | Colorado | $121,705 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $126,430 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $114,750 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $116,253 |
| 26 | Indiana | $118,974 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $115,432 |
| 28 | Alabama | $108,839 |
| 29 | Arizona | $114,204 |
| 30 | Iowa | $115,215 |
| 31 | Florida | $113,150 |
| 32 | Idaho | $113,754 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $110,946 |
| 34 | Maryland | $111,949 |
| 35 | Maine | $108,188 |
| 36 | Utah | $107,234 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $102,589 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $107,008 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | $109,649 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $109,292 |
| 41 | Illinois | $105,411 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $107,758 |
| 43 | Alaska | $105,895 |
| 44 | Missouri | $107,469 |
| 45 | Ohio | $104,553 |
| 46 | Washington | $101,628 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $103,992 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $103,325 |
| 49 | Montana | $101,538 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $102,146 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $65,441 |
Expert opinions on the best states for external relations directors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for external relations directors to find work opportunities?
Dr. Arsalan Memon
Assistant Professor and Chair, Lewis University
With a BA in philosophy or philosophy of law, most students go to graduate school or law school. But students can do other things. There are many factors to consider in thinking about work opportunities (to name two): 1) some funding to pursue graduate work (e.g., grants, fellowships, scholarships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, etc.) and 2) the economic situation (e.g., because of the current pandemic, a lot of universities are no longer accepting new graduate students). A lot of our students go to John Marshall Law School. Very few students from Lewis continue graduate work in philosophy. I would also add: it ultimately depends on the student's interest.
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Updated January 8, 2025