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Best states for a group creative director
Quoted expert
Brian Pirman
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Group creative director opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for group creative directors, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for group creative directors.Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for group creative directors. We found that Illinois is the best state in the nation for group creative directors, and people in Rockford earn the most in the field.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for group creative directors. Illinois is the best state for group creative directors, where the median salary is $211,805.Illinois is the best state, and Rockford is the city with the highest pay for group creative directors.
10 best states for group creative directors in 2026
1. Illinois
Total group creative director jobs: 320 Average annual salary: $211,805 Lowest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $289,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
2. North Dakota
Total group creative director jobs: 18 Average annual salary: $201,463 Lowest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $283,000 Location Quotient: 0.64
3. Minnesota
Total group creative director jobs: 142 Average annual salary: $198,700 Lowest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $281,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
4. Kansas
Total group creative director jobs: 44 Average annual salary: $204,912 Lowest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $286,000 Location Quotient: 0.48
5. South Dakota
Total group creative director jobs: 185 Average annual salary: $185,330 Lowest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $273,000 Location Quotient: 5.75
6. Washington
Total group creative director jobs: 191 Average annual salary: $196,828 Lowest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $280,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
7. Iowa
Total group creative director jobs: 34 Average annual salary: $208,927 Lowest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $288,000 Location Quotient: 0.31
8. Wyoming
Total group creative director jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $188,310 Lowest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $275,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
9. Oregon
Total group creative director jobs: 103 Average annual salary: $195,012 Lowest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $279,000 Location Quotient: 0.83
10. New York
Total group creative director jobs: 702 Average annual salary: $195,366 Lowest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $276,000 Location Quotient: 1.82
Group creative director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a group creative director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a group creative director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $211,805 | $155,000 | 12,802,023 | 320 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $201,463 | $143,000 | 755,393 | 18 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $198,700 | $140,000 | 5,576,606 | 142 |
| 4 | Kansas | $204,912 | $146,000 | 2,913,123 | 44 |
| 5 | South Dakota | $185,330 | $125,000 | 869,666 | 185 |
| 6 | Washington | $196,828 | $138,000 | 7,405,743 | 191 |
| 7 | Iowa | $208,927 | $151,000 | 3,145,711 | 34 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $188,310 | $128,000 | 579,315 | 15 |
| 9 | Oregon | $195,012 | $136,000 | 4,142,776 | 103 |
| 10 | New York | $195,366 | $137,000 | 19,849,399 | 702 |
| 11 | Utah | $188,987 | $129,000 | 3,101,833 | 66 |
| 12 | Alabama | $183,581 | $124,000 | 4,874,747 | 545 |
| 13 | Alaska | $203,067 | $145,000 | 739,795 | 11 |
| 14 | Michigan | $192,033 | $133,000 | 9,962,311 | 104 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $190,879 | $133,000 | 6,859,819 | 317 |
| 16 | Idaho | $193,878 | $134,000 | 1,716,943 | 23 |
| 17 | Montana | $189,252 | $129,000 | 1,050,493 | 23 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $179,521 | $120,000 | 4,684,333 | 528 |
| 19 | California | $192,301 | $133,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,042 |
| 20 | Vermont | $190,980 | $132,000 | 623,657 | 14 |
| 21 | Maine | $195,373 | $137,000 | 1,335,907 | 11 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $175,380 | $116,000 | 5,024,369 | 704 |
| 23 | Georgia | $184,121 | $125,000 | 10,429,379 | 209 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $187,946 | $130,000 | 9,005,644 | 204 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $185,327 | $126,000 | 10,273,419 | 150 |
| 26 | Mississippi | $188,204 | $129,000 | 2,984,100 | 20 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $174,170 | $115,000 | 5,795,483 | 80 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $160,806 | $103,000 | 1,815,857 | 266 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $176,347 | $118,000 | 1,342,795 | 27 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $172,324 | $113,000 | 6,715,984 | 83 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $174,664 | $117,000 | 3,588,184 | 81 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $163,137 | $104,000 | 3,930,864 | 422 |
| 33 | Rhode Island | $168,231 | $111,000 | 1,059,639 | 39 |
| 34 | District of Columbia | $173,056 | $115,000 | 693,972 | 53 |
| 35 | Ohio | $173,576 | $114,000 | 11,658,609 | 128 |
| 36 | Missouri | $172,767 | $113,000 | 6,113,532 | 83 |
| 37 | Indiana | $163,734 | $105,000 | 6,666,818 | 109 |
| 38 | Virginia | $173,146 | $115,000 | 8,470,020 | 150 |
| 39 | Florida | $163,882 | $106,000 | 20,984,400 | 316 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $166,124 | $107,000 | 3,004,279 | 22 |
| 41 | Nevada | $167,248 | $109,000 | 2,998,039 | 28 |
| 42 | Delaware | $165,503 | $108,000 | 961,939 | 21 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $166,290 | $106,000 | 1,920,076 | 20 |
| 44 | Colorado | $155,880 | $97,000 | 5,607,154 | 114 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $160,316 | $102,000 | 4,454,189 | 49 |
| 46 | Pennsylvania | $155,340 | $99,000 | 12,805,537 | 191 |
| 47 | Texas | $154,585 | $97,000 | 28,304,596 | 346 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $157,920 | $100,000 | 2,088,070 | 27 |
| 49 | Maryland | $151,149 | $95,000 | 6,052,177 | 113 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $148,724 | $89,000 | 1,427,538 | 12 |
| 51 | Arizona | $141,726 | $87,000 | 7,016,270 | 80 |
Highest paying states for group creative directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Group Creative Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $211,805 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $201,463 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $198,700 |
| 4 | Kansas | $204,912 |
| 5 | South Dakota | $185,330 |
| 6 | Washington | $196,828 |
| 7 | Iowa | $208,927 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $188,310 |
| 9 | Oregon | $195,012 |
| 10 | New York | $195,366 |
| 11 | Utah | $188,987 |
| 12 | Alabama | $183,581 |
| 13 | Alaska | $203,067 |
| 14 | Michigan | $192,033 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $190,879 |
| 16 | Idaho | $193,878 |
| 17 | Montana | $189,252 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $179,521 |
| 19 | California | $192,301 |
| 20 | Vermont | $190,980 |
| 21 | Maine | $195,373 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $175,380 |
| 23 | Georgia | $184,121 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $187,946 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $185,327 |
| 26 | Mississippi | $188,204 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $174,170 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $160,806 |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $176,347 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $172,324 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $174,664 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $163,137 |
| 33 | Rhode Island | $168,231 |
| 34 | District of Columbia | $173,056 |
| 35 | Ohio | $173,576 |
| 36 | Missouri | $172,767 |
| 37 | Indiana | $163,734 |
| 38 | Virginia | $173,146 |
| 39 | Florida | $163,882 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $166,124 |
| 41 | Nevada | $167,248 |
| 42 | Delaware | $165,503 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $166,290 |
| 44 | Colorado | $155,880 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $160,316 |
| 46 | Pennsylvania | $155,340 |
| 47 | Texas | $154,585 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $157,920 |
| 49 | Maryland | $151,149 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $148,724 |
| 51 | Arizona | $141,726 |
Expert opinions on the best states for group creative directors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for group creative directors to find work opportunities?
Brian Pirman
Associate Professor, St. Norbert College
Traditionally, the best job markets have been larger metropolitan areas. That's mainly because there are more agencies and design firms in larger cities than there are in smaller cities. With that said, because of the internet and online communication, this is starting to change where one can pretty much do work for anybody, anywhere. Therefore, the opportunities are pretty much all-over, geographically speaking.
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Updated January 8, 2025