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Best states for a food service 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 food service 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. Our research shows that Alaska is the best state in the country for food service directors.
The median salary for food service directors in Alaska is $67,178. Compare that to the median salary in Nebraska of $41,479, which ranked worst for food service directors, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that Alaska is the best state for food service director jobs, whereas Nebraska is the worst.
10 best states for food service directors in 2026
1. Alaska
Total food service director jobs: 117 Average annual salary: $67,178 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
2. Nevada
Total food service director jobs: 286 Average annual salary: $64,536 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
3. Pennsylvania
Total food service director jobs: 1,612 Average annual salary: $63,568 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 0.9
4. Washington
Total food service director jobs: 893 Average annual salary: $67,103 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 0.8
5. Massachusetts
Total food service director jobs: 1,051 Average annual salary: $68,172 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
6. New Hampshire
Total food service director jobs: 217 Average annual salary: $63,802 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
7. California
Total food service director jobs: 3,337 Average annual salary: $72,062 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
8. New Jersey
Total food service director jobs: 1,099 Average annual salary: $63,895 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 0.9
9. Connecticut
Total food service director jobs: 391 Average annual salary: $64,424 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
10. Oregon
Total food service director jobs: 442 Average annual salary: $64,384 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
Food service director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a food service director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a food service director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $67,178 | $44,000 | 739,795 | 117 |
| 2 | Nevada | $64,536 | $39,000 | 2,998,039 | 286 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $63,568 | $39,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,612 |
| 4 | Washington | $67,103 | $42,000 | 7,405,743 | 893 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $68,172 | $43,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,051 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $63,802 | $40,000 | 1,342,795 | 217 |
| 7 | California | $72,062 | $43,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,337 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $63,895 | $39,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,099 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $64,424 | $40,000 | 3,588,184 | 391 |
| 10 | Oregon | $64,384 | $40,000 | 4,142,776 | 442 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $53,838 | $35,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,860 |
| 12 | Arizona | $60,347 | $37,000 | 7,016,270 | 782 |
| 13 | Ohio | $52,668 | $34,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,695 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $51,309 | $34,000 | 2,984,100 | 667 |
| 15 | Maine | $54,980 | $35,000 | 1,335,907 | 193 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | $51,035 | $34,000 | 3,930,864 | 903 |
| 17 | Utah | $56,449 | $35,000 | 3,101,833 | 429 |
| 18 | Delaware | $60,418 | $37,000 | 961,939 | 145 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $60,886 | $38,000 | 1,059,639 | 113 |
| 20 | New York | $61,454 | $38,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,570 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $54,495 | $34,000 | 2,088,070 | 281 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $50,982 | $32,000 | 1,815,857 | 238 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $64,618 | $40,000 | 1,427,538 | 74 |
| 24 | Indiana | $50,760 | $33,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,019 |
| 25 | Vermont | $57,581 | $37,000 | 623,657 | 86 |
| 26 | Montana | $52,357 | $33,000 | 1,050,493 | 167 |
| 27 | Michigan | $49,675 | $32,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,186 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $61,407 | $38,000 | 693,972 | 132 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $47,226 | $32,000 | 6,715,984 | 980 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $48,130 | $31,000 | 579,315 | 111 |
| 31 | Idaho | $52,151 | $32,000 | 1,716,943 | 213 |
| 32 | Maryland | $57,402 | $36,000 | 6,052,177 | 671 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $46,754 | $30,000 | 4,684,333 | 863 |
| 34 | Virginia | $50,887 | $32,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,407 |
| 35 | Texas | $46,694 | $30,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,584 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $45,123 | $29,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,478 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $44,561 | $29,000 | 4,454,189 | 703 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $43,228 | $29,000 | 3,004,279 | 729 |
| 39 | Alabama | $43,730 | $29,000 | 4,874,747 | 980 |
| 40 | Missouri | $47,364 | $32,000 | 6,113,532 | 791 |
| 41 | Iowa | $41,900 | $28,000 | 3,145,711 | 1,208 |
| 42 | Florida | $47,114 | $29,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,265 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $41,051 | $28,000 | 869,666 | 338 |
| 44 | Colorado | $49,639 | $33,000 | 5,607,154 | 726 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $40,009 | $26,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,064 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $45,671 | $31,000 | 755,393 | 102 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $40,924 | $27,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,144 |
| 48 | Georgia | $40,463 | $27,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,412 |
| 49 | Kansas | $37,834 | $26,000 | 2,913,123 | 437 |
| 50 | Illinois | $41,924 | $27,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,354 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $41,479 | $28,000 | 1,920,076 | 241 |
Highest paying states for food service directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Food Service Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $67,178 |
| 2 | Nevada | $64,536 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | $63,568 |
| 4 | Washington | $67,103 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $68,172 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $63,802 |
| 7 | California | $72,062 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $63,895 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $64,424 |
| 10 | Oregon | $64,384 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $53,838 |
| 12 | Arizona | $60,347 |
| 13 | Ohio | $52,668 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $51,309 |
| 15 | Maine | $54,980 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | $51,035 |
| 17 | Utah | $56,449 |
| 18 | Delaware | $60,418 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $60,886 |
| 20 | New York | $61,454 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $54,495 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $50,982 |
| 23 | Hawaii | $64,618 |
| 24 | Indiana | $50,760 |
| 25 | Vermont | $57,581 |
| 26 | Montana | $52,357 |
| 27 | Michigan | $49,675 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $61,407 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $47,226 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $48,130 |
| 31 | Idaho | $52,151 |
| 32 | Maryland | $57,402 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $46,754 |
| 34 | Virginia | $50,887 |
| 35 | Texas | $46,694 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $45,123 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $44,561 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $43,228 |
| 39 | Alabama | $43,730 |
| 40 | Missouri | $47,364 |
| 41 | Iowa | $41,900 |
| 42 | Florida | $47,114 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $41,051 |
| 44 | Colorado | $49,639 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $40,009 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $45,671 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $40,924 |
| 48 | Georgia | $40,463 |
| 49 | Kansas | $37,834 |
| 50 | Illinois | $41,924 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $41,479 |
Food service director best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025