Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a foundation director
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like foundation directors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for foundation directors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Our research shows that New York is the best state in the country for foundation directors.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for foundation directors. New York is the best state for foundation directors, where the median salary is $119,473.New York is the best state, and Long Branch is the city with the highest pay for foundation directors.
10 best states for foundation directors in 2025
1. New York
Total foundation director jobs: 560 Average annual salary: $119,473 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $192,000 Location Quotient: 1.42
2. New Jersey
Total foundation director jobs: 233 Average annual salary: $119,559 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $192,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
3. Connecticut
Total foundation director jobs: 84 Average annual salary: $118,691 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $191,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
4. Delaware
Total foundation director jobs: 24 Average annual salary: $118,952 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $192,000 Location Quotient: 0.62
5. California
Total foundation director jobs: 1,032 Average annual salary: $118,964 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $192,000 Location Quotient: 1.15
6. South Dakota
Total foundation director jobs: 188 Average annual salary: $101,056 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $160,000 Location Quotient: 5.73
7. Massachusetts
Total foundation director jobs: 344 Average annual salary: $113,183 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $182,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
8. Virginia
Total foundation director jobs: 192 Average annual salary: $117,502 Lowest 10 percent earn: $72,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $191,000 Location Quotient: 0.66
9. District of Columbia
Total foundation director jobs: 165 Average annual salary: $116,241 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000 Location Quotient: 3.2
10. Nevada
Total foundation director jobs: 33 Average annual salary: $114,941 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $186,000 Location Quotient: 0.51
Foundation director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a foundation director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a foundation director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $119,473 | $74,000 | 19,849,399 | 560 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $119,559 | $74,000 | 9,005,644 | 233 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $118,691 | $73,000 | 3,588,184 | 84 |
| 4 | Delaware | $118,952 | $73,000 | 961,939 | 24 |
| 5 | California | $118,964 | $73,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,032 |
| 6 | South Dakota | $101,056 | $63,000 | 869,666 | 188 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $113,183 | $70,000 | 6,859,819 | 344 |
| 8 | Virginia | $117,502 | $72,000 | 8,470,020 | 192 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $116,241 | $71,000 | 693,972 | 165 |
| 10 | Nevada | $114,941 | $70,000 | 2,998,039 | 33 |
| 11 | Arkansas | $94,672 | $56,000 | 3,004,279 | 476 |
| 12 | Vermont | $105,118 | $64,000 | 623,657 | 16 |
| 13 | Michigan | $112,008 | $69,000 | 9,962,311 | 105 |
| 14 | Georgia | $99,365 | $59,000 | 10,429,379 | 225 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $108,568 | $65,000 | 2,088,070 | 27 |
| 16 | Texas | $96,976 | $57,000 | 28,304,596 | 401 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $98,756 | $60,000 | 1,059,639 | 22 |
| 18 | Oregon | $96,985 | $59,000 | 4,142,776 | 125 |
| 19 | Iowa | $90,774 | $55,000 | 3,145,711 | 507 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $90,133 | $52,000 | 4,684,333 | 487 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $100,928 | $63,000 | 755,393 | 6 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $92,251 | $56,000 | 5,795,483 | 95 |
| 23 | Kansas | $96,066 | $58,000 | 2,913,123 | 29 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $88,455 | $53,000 | 12,805,537 | 223 |
| 25 | Indiana | $93,920 | $56,000 | 6,666,818 | 70 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $89,360 | $52,000 | 10,273,419 | 188 |
| 27 | Maryland | $92,238 | $55,000 | 6,052,177 | 108 |
| 28 | Colorado | $85,264 | $53,000 | 5,607,154 | 126 |
| 29 | Illinois | $83,351 | $50,000 | 12,802,023 | 306 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $79,256 | $47,000 | 3,930,864 | 444 |
| 31 | Florida | $88,434 | $51,000 | 20,984,400 | 212 |
| 32 | Arizona | $84,875 | $50,000 | 7,016,270 | 99 |
| 33 | Alabama | $78,279 | $46,000 | 4,874,747 | 488 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $86,770 | $53,000 | 1,342,795 | 21 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $86,755 | $51,000 | 1,815,857 | 10 |
| 36 | Alaska | $86,302 | $56,000 | 739,795 | 13 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $84,119 | $50,000 | 6,715,984 | 79 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $82,758 | $51,000 | 1,920,076 | 34 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $84,848 | $50,000 | 4,454,189 | 46 |
| 40 | Ohio | $84,006 | $50,000 | 11,658,609 | 129 |
| 41 | Montana | $79,774 | $51,000 | 1,050,493 | 19 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $73,839 | $43,000 | 2,984,100 | 296 |
| 43 | Idaho | $83,383 | $51,000 | 1,716,943 | 16 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $81,271 | $50,000 | 5,576,606 | 105 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $74,727 | $53,000 | 1,427,538 | 14 |
| 46 | Washington | $78,717 | $49,000 | 7,405,743 | 151 |
| 47 | Maine | $82,087 | $50,000 | 1,335,907 | 10 |
| 48 | Missouri | $78,801 | $47,000 | 6,113,532 | 85 |
| 49 | Utah | $75,813 | $46,000 | 3,101,833 | 46 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $76,973 | $45,000 | 5,024,369 | 45 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $74,634 | $47,000 | 579,315 | 6 |
Highest paying states for foundation directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Foundation Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $119,473 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $119,559 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $118,691 |
| 4 | Delaware | $118,952 |
| 5 | California | $118,964 |
| 6 | South Dakota | $101,056 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $113,183 |
| 8 | Virginia | $117,502 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $116,241 |
| 10 | Nevada | $114,941 |
| 11 | Arkansas | $94,672 |
| 12 | Vermont | $105,118 |
| 13 | Michigan | $112,008 |
| 14 | Georgia | $99,365 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $108,568 |
| 16 | Texas | $96,976 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $98,756 |
| 18 | Oregon | $96,985 |
| 19 | Iowa | $90,774 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $90,133 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $100,928 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | $92,251 |
| 23 | Kansas | $96,066 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $88,455 |
| 25 | Indiana | $93,920 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $89,360 |
| 27 | Maryland | $92,238 |
| 28 | Colorado | $85,264 |
| 29 | Illinois | $83,351 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $79,256 |
| 31 | Florida | $88,434 |
| 32 | Arizona | $84,875 |
| 33 | Alabama | $78,279 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $86,770 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $86,755 |
| 36 | Alaska | $86,302 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $84,119 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $82,758 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $84,848 |
| 40 | Ohio | $84,006 |
| 41 | Montana | $79,774 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $73,839 |
| 43 | Idaho | $83,383 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $81,271 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $74,727 |
| 46 | Washington | $78,717 |
| 47 | Maine | $82,087 |
| 48 | Missouri | $78,801 |
| 49 | Utah | $75,813 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $76,973 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $74,634 |
Foundation director best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
Search for foundation director jobs
Updated January 8, 2025