Best states for a general manager

Q: What is the best state for general managers?

The best state to be a general manager is Hawaii based on general manager salaries and job opportunities.

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

The highest paying state for general managers is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for general managers?

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

Quoted expert

Patrick Scott Ph.D.

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Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for general managers? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for general manager 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 general managers -- where there are plenty of general manager jobs to go around and general managers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.

We figured that the best places for general manager jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that the Midwest is best for general managers, and the Northeast is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for general manager jobs, where as Hawaii is the best state in the country.

10 best states for general managers in 2026

1. Hawaii
Total general manager jobs: 398
Average annual salary: $95,591
Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
General manager jobs in Hawaii
2. New York
Total general manager jobs: 5,931
Average annual salary: $90,157
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000
Location Quotient:
0.96
General manager jobs in New York
3. California
Total general manager jobs: 13,137
Average annual salary: $92,259
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $167,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
General manager jobs in California
4. New Jersey
Total general manager jobs: 3,478
Average annual salary: $92,019
Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000
Location Quotient:
0.91
General manager jobs in New Jersey
5. Connecticut
Total general manager jobs: 1,389
Average annual salary: $90,471
Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000
Location Quotient:
0.87
General manager jobs in Connecticut
6. Washington
Total general manager jobs: 2,789
Average annual salary: $91,758
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $161,000
Location Quotient:
0.79
General manager jobs in Washington
7. Nevada
Total general manager jobs: 931
Average annual salary: $79,007
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
General manager jobs in Nevada
8. North Carolina
Total general manager jobs: 5,159
Average annual salary: $63,122
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
General manager jobs in North Carolina
9. Alaska
Total general manager jobs: 272
Average annual salary: $87,142
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000
Location Quotient:
0.68
General manager jobs in Alaska
10. Delaware
Total general manager jobs: 561
Average annual salary: $74,659
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
General manager jobs in Delaware

General manager jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a general manager

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

Detailed list of the best states for a general manager

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Hawaii	$95,591	$59,000	1,427,538	398
2	New York	$90,157	$50,000	19,849,399	5,931
3	California	$92,259	$50,000	39,536,653	13,137
4	New Jersey	$92,019	$51,000	9,005,644	3,478
5	Connecticut	$90,471	$50,000	3,588,184	1,389
6	Washington	$91,758	$52,000	7,405,743	2,789
7	Nevada	$79,007	$42,000	2,998,039	931
8	North Carolina	$63,122	$35,000	10,273,419	5,159
9	Alaska	$87,142	$52,000	739,795	272
10	Delaware	$74,659	$41,000	961,939	561
11	District of Columbia	$90,433	$50,000	693,972	531
12	Pennsylvania	$67,353	$36,000	12,805,537	5,243
13	Massachusetts	$81,767	$45,000	6,859,819	3,365
14	Virginia	$69,783	$38,000	8,470,020	4,296
15	Maryland	$69,927	$38,000	6,052,177	2,953
16	Texas	$59,105	$33,000	28,304,596	11,340
17	Wisconsin	$60,591	$35,000	5,795,483	2,768
18	Michigan	$59,071	$33,000	9,962,311	4,087
19	Rhode Island	$73,099	$40,000	1,059,639	493
20	Alabama	$57,627	$33,000	4,874,747	2,520
21	Ohio	$56,892	$31,000	11,658,609	5,823
22	New Hampshire	$63,577	$35,000	1,342,795	758
23	Tennessee	$54,522	$31,000	6,715,984	3,347
24	Oregon	$67,572	$37,000	4,142,776	1,631
25	Louisiana	$54,753	$31,000	4,684,333	1,985
26	Illinois	$59,334	$34,000	12,802,023	5,456
27	Maine	$58,393	$32,000	1,335,907	570
28	Indiana	$52,897	$30,000	6,666,818	3,560
29	Colorado	$61,035	$36,000	5,607,154	2,529
30	Florida	$56,483	$32,000	20,984,400	7,587
31	South Dakota	$58,600	$36,000	869,666	321
32	South Carolina	$51,063	$28,000	5,024,369	2,791
33	Georgia	$53,419	$30,000	10,429,379	5,227
34	Kentucky	$48,777	$28,000	4,454,189	2,317
35	West Virginia	$51,089	$28,000	1,815,857	771
36	Minnesota	$56,162	$34,000	5,576,606	2,964
37	New Mexico	$56,980	$32,000	2,088,070	799
38	Arizona	$55,772	$30,000	7,016,270	2,527
39	Utah	$50,614	$29,000	3,101,833	1,504
40	Oklahoma	$46,895	$27,000	3,930,864	1,576
41	Idaho	$54,168	$30,000	1,716,943	599
42	Missouri	$44,623	$26,000	6,113,532	3,194
43	Wyoming	$44,767	$27,000	579,315	303
44	Kansas	$44,521	$26,000	2,913,123	1,559
45	Montana	$46,694	$28,000	1,050,493	505
46	Mississippi	$40,819	$23,000	2,984,100	1,069
47	Iowa	$45,231	$27,000	3,145,711	1,559
48	Arkansas	$40,623	$23,000	3,004,279	1,317
49	Vermont	$50,305	$27,000	623,657	238
50	North Dakota	$44,255	$28,000	755,393	372
51	Nebraska	$45,451	$27,000	1,920,076	879

Highest paying states for general managers

Rank	State	Avg. General Manager Salary
1	Hawaii	$95,591
2	New York	$90,157
3	California	$92,259
4	New Jersey	$92,019
5	Connecticut	$90,471
6	Washington	$91,758
7	Nevada	$79,007
8	North Carolina	$63,122
9	Alaska	$87,142
10	Delaware	$74,659
11	District of Columbia	$90,433
12	Pennsylvania	$67,353
13	Massachusetts	$81,767
14	Virginia	$69,783
15	Maryland	$69,927
16	Texas	$59,105
17	Wisconsin	$60,591
18	Michigan	$59,071
19	Rhode Island	$73,099
20	Alabama	$57,627
21	Ohio	$56,892
22	New Hampshire	$63,577
23	Tennessee	$54,522
24	Oregon	$67,572
25	Louisiana	$54,753
26	Illinois	$59,334
27	Maine	$58,393
28	Indiana	$52,897
29	Colorado	$61,035
30	Florida	$56,483
31	South Dakota	$58,600
32	South Carolina	$51,063
33	Georgia	$53,419
34	Kentucky	$48,777
35	West Virginia	$51,089
36	Minnesota	$56,162
37	New Mexico	$56,980
38	Arizona	$55,772
39	Utah	$50,614
40	Oklahoma	$46,895
41	Idaho	$54,168
42	Missouri	$44,623
43	Wyoming	$44,767
44	Kansas	$44,521
45	Montana	$46,694
46	Mississippi	$40,819
47	Iowa	$45,231
48	Arkansas	$40,623
49	Vermont	$50,305
50	North Dakota	$44,255
51	Nebraska	$45,451

Expert opinions on the best states for general managers

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for general managers to find work opportunities?
Patrick Scott Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Economics, Louisiana Tech University
We have had success in placing our candidates from the College of Business at Louisiana Tech University in all portions of the country. Small towns, to large cities, to graduate programs, and beyond are all able to benefit from the skills learned by these majors.

Best states for a general manager

10 best states for general managers in 2026

1. Hawaii

2. New York

3. California

4. New Jersey

5. Connecticut

6. Washington

7. Nevada

8. North Carolina

9. Alaska

10. Delaware

General manager jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a general manager

Detailed list of the best states for a general manager

Highest paying states for general managers

Expert opinions on the best states for general managers

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for general managers to find work opportunities?

General manager best states FAQs

What is the best state for general managers?

What is the highest paying state for general managers?

What is the worst state for general managers?

Search for general manager jobs

Total general manager jobs:	398
Average annual salary:	$95,591
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$59,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$152,000
Location Quotient:	0.99