Best states for a general director

Q: What is the best state for general directors?

The best state to be a general director is California based on general director salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for general directors?

The highest paying state for general directors is Kansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for general directors?

The worst state for general directors is Iowa, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for general directors? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for general director jobs.Although there are abundant general director jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. California is the best state in the country for general director jobs.

In order to get you the best states for general directors, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.California is the best state, and Pacifica is the city with the highest pay for general directors.

10 best states for general directors in 2026

1. California
Total general director jobs: 4,712
Average annual salary: $145,513
Lowest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $225,000
Location Quotient:
1.32
General director jobs in California
2. Maine
Total general director jobs: 187
Average annual salary: $123,665
Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $190,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
General director jobs in Maine
3. Rhode Island
Total general director jobs: 170
Average annual salary: $123,229
Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $188,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
General director jobs in Rhode Island
4. Utah
Total general director jobs: 403
Average annual salary: $120,834
Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
General director jobs in Utah
5. West Virginia
Total general director jobs: 190
Average annual salary: $118,800
Lowest 10 percent earn: $76,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $185,000
Location Quotient:
1.02
General director jobs in West Virginia
6. Delaware
Total general director jobs: 173
Average annual salary: $121,117
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $186,000
Location Quotient:
1.13
General director jobs in Delaware
7. Idaho
Total general director jobs: 205
Average annual salary: $118,985
Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $191,000
Location Quotient:
1.02
General director jobs in Idaho
8. New Hampshire
Total general director jobs: 205
Average annual salary: $121,581
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $187,000
Location Quotient:
0.96
General director jobs in New Hampshire
9. Mississippi
Total general director jobs: 582
Average annual salary: $112,009
Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $182,000
Location Quotient:
2.24
General director jobs in Mississippi
10. Wisconsin
Total general director jobs: 701
Average annual salary: $116,122
Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $182,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
General director jobs in Wisconsin

General director jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a general director

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a general director

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	California	$145,513	$93,000	39,536,653	4,712
2	Maine	$123,665	$80,000	1,335,907	187
3	Rhode Island	$123,229	$80,000	1,059,639	170
4	Utah	$120,834	$75,000	3,101,833	403
5	West Virginia	$118,800	$76,000	1,815,857	190
6	Delaware	$121,117	$78,000	961,939	173
7	Idaho	$118,985	$73,000	1,716,943	205
8	New Hampshire	$121,581	$78,000	1,342,795	205
9	Mississippi	$112,009	$68,000	2,984,100	582
10	Wisconsin	$116,122	$73,000	5,795,483	701
11	Nevada	$128,819	$80,000	2,998,039	167
12	Connecticut	$122,559	$79,000	3,588,184	415
13	Kentucky	$112,279	$71,000	4,454,189	532
14	Indiana	$116,073	$73,000	6,666,818	811
15	Oklahoma	$111,873	$69,000	3,930,864	716
16	New Mexico	$115,749	$71,000	2,088,070	241
17	District of Columbia	$119,883	$77,000	693,972	237
18	Michigan	$112,155	$71,000	9,962,311	895
19	New Jersey	$113,064	$73,000	9,005,644	1,026
20	North Dakota	$108,344	$68,000	755,393	118
21	Massachusetts	$109,652	$70,000	6,859,819	1,189
22	Texas	$111,197	$66,000	28,304,596	2,216
23	Vermont	$117,748	$75,000	623,657	55
24	Nebraska	$105,975	$66,000	1,920,076	287
25	Missouri	$108,524	$68,000	6,113,532	659
26	Louisiana	$94,773	$55,000	4,684,333	945
27	Ohio	$98,130	$62,000	11,658,609	1,336
28	Georgia	$105,891	$65,000	10,429,379	1,087
29	New York	$101,133	$65,000	19,849,399	2,031
30	Arizona	$110,475	$67,000	7,016,270	427
31	Oregon	$97,225	$58,000	4,142,776	591
32	Washington	$103,973	$63,000	7,405,743	785
33	Colorado	$106,723	$65,000	5,607,154	529
34	Arkansas	$100,692	$62,000	3,004,279	255
35	Virginia	$106,640	$68,000	8,470,020	783
36	South Carolina	$91,559	$56,000	5,024,369	591
37	Maryland	$106,350	$68,000	6,052,177	617
38	Tennessee	$93,928	$58,000	6,715,984	575
39	Alabama	$81,631	$49,000	4,874,747	958
40	Pennsylvania	$94,471	$60,000	12,805,537	1,037
41	North Carolina	$88,669	$56,000	10,273,419	1,053
42	Alaska	$99,801	$59,000	739,795	57
43	Montana	$91,983	$55,000	1,050,493	101
44	Illinois	$88,372	$55,000	12,802,023	1,215
45	South Dakota	$85,936	$53,000	869,666	101
46	Hawaii	$98,038	$62,000	1,427,538	60
47	Florida	$79,368	$46,000	20,984,400	1,531
48	Wyoming	$82,808	$50,000	579,315	47
49	Minnesota	$83,680	$52,000	5,576,606	565
50	Kansas	$75,691	$47,000	2,913,123	266
51	Iowa	$77,578	$48,000	3,145,711	301

Highest paying states for general directors

Rank	State	Avg. General Director Salary
1	California	$145,513
2	Maine	$123,665
3	Rhode Island	$123,229
4	Utah	$120,834
5	West Virginia	$118,800
6	Delaware	$121,117
7	Idaho	$118,985
8	New Hampshire	$121,581
9	Mississippi	$112,009
10	Wisconsin	$116,122
11	Nevada	$128,819
12	Connecticut	$122,559
13	Kentucky	$112,279
14	Indiana	$116,073
15	Oklahoma	$111,873
16	New Mexico	$115,749
17	District of Columbia	$119,883
18	Michigan	$112,155
19	New Jersey	$113,064
20	North Dakota	$108,344
21	Massachusetts	$109,652
22	Texas	$111,197
23	Vermont	$117,748
24	Nebraska	$105,975
25	Missouri	$108,524
26	Louisiana	$94,773
27	Ohio	$98,130
28	Georgia	$105,891
29	New York	$101,133
30	Arizona	$110,475
31	Oregon	$97,225
32	Washington	$103,973
33	Colorado	$106,723
34	Arkansas	$100,692
35	Virginia	$106,640
36	South Carolina	$91,559
37	Maryland	$106,350
38	Tennessee	$93,928
39	Alabama	$81,631
40	Pennsylvania	$94,471
41	North Carolina	$88,669
42	Alaska	$99,801
43	Montana	$91,983
44	Illinois	$88,372
45	South Dakota	$85,936
46	Hawaii	$98,038
47	Florida	$79,368
48	Wyoming	$82,808
49	Minnesota	$83,680
50	Kansas	$75,691
51	Iowa	$77,578

General director best states FAQs

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What is the highest paying state for general directors?

What is the worst state for general directors?

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Search for general director jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total general director jobs:	4,712
Average annual salary:	$145,513
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$93,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$225,000
Location Quotient:	1.32

Best states for a general director

10 best states for general directors in 2026

1. California

2. Maine

3. Rhode Island

4. Utah

5. West Virginia

6. Delaware

7. Idaho

8. New Hampshire

9. Mississippi

10. Wisconsin