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Best states for a lead program manager
Quoted expert
Elisa Chan
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and executive management careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to lead program manager jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for lead program managers.Our research found that Rhode Island is the best state for lead program managers, while Rhode Island and Connecticut are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Rhode Island has a median salary of $147,928 and Rhode Island has the highest median salary among all 50 states for lead program managers.
In order to get you the best states for lead program managers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Rhode Island is the best state, and Cumberland is the city with the highest pay for lead program managers.
10 best states for lead program managers in 2025
1. Rhode Island
Total lead program manager jobs: 335 Average annual salary: $147,928 Lowest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $203,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
2. Connecticut
Total lead program manager jobs: 907 Average annual salary: $145,647 Lowest 10 percent earn: $106,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $199,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
3. Montana
Total lead program manager jobs: 431 Average annual salary: $127,564 Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $170,000 Location Quotient: 1.65
4. District of Columbia
Total lead program manager jobs: 918 Average annual salary: $142,128 Lowest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $191,000 Location Quotient: 2.41
5. Washington
Total lead program manager jobs: 3,349 Average annual salary: $129,238 Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 2.02
6. Virginia
Total lead program manager jobs: 2,561 Average annual salary: $132,858 Lowest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $177,000 Location Quotient: 1.2
7. New York
Total lead program manager jobs: 3,608 Average annual salary: $134,431 Lowest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $183,000 Location Quotient: 1.24
8. Delaware
Total lead program manager jobs: 296 Average annual salary: $132,191 Lowest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $178,000 Location Quotient: 1.04
9. Kansas
Total lead program manager jobs: 766 Average annual salary: $122,210 Lowest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $164,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
10. Alaska
Total lead program manager jobs: 229 Average annual salary: $125,778 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $166,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
Lead program manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a lead program manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a lead program manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $147,928 | $107,000 | 1,059,639 | 335 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $145,647 | $106,000 | 3,588,184 | 907 |
| 3 | Montana | $127,564 | $95,000 | 1,050,493 | 431 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $142,128 | $105,000 | 693,972 | 918 |
| 5 | Washington | $129,238 | $95,000 | 7,405,743 | 3,349 |
| 6 | Virginia | $132,858 | $99,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,561 |
| 7 | New York | $134,431 | $98,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,608 |
| 8 | Delaware | $132,191 | $97,000 | 961,939 | 296 |
| 9 | Kansas | $122,210 | $90,000 | 2,913,123 | 766 |
| 10 | Alaska | $125,778 | $94,000 | 739,795 | 229 |
| 11 | Oregon | $123,893 | $90,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,218 |
| 12 | Maryland | $135,065 | $100,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,501 |
| 13 | Iowa | $129,239 | $95,000 | 3,145,711 | 489 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $126,173 | $91,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,247 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $121,503 | $89,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,363 |
| 16 | California | $131,118 | $94,000 | 39,536,653 | 7,977 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $120,179 | $86,000 | 1,342,795 | 371 |
| 18 | South Dakota | $112,118 | $83,000 | 869,666 | 273 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $117,400 | $87,000 | 1,815,857 | 228 |
| 20 | Michigan | $117,620 | $86,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,355 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $123,110 | $90,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,966 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $116,179 | $87,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,896 |
| 23 | Idaho | $111,631 | $82,000 | 1,716,943 | 569 |
| 24 | Ohio | $112,428 | $83,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,723 |
| 25 | Texas | $114,014 | $83,000 | 28,304,596 | 4,339 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $114,978 | $84,000 | 5,795,483 | 904 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $113,590 | $85,000 | 6,715,984 | 904 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $109,298 | $81,000 | 3,004,279 | 735 |
| 29 | Indiana | $112,786 | $83,000 | 6,666,818 | 966 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $108,979 | $79,000 | 2,088,070 | 595 |
| 31 | Nevada | $108,630 | $78,000 | 2,998,039 | 714 |
| 32 | Alabama | $110,821 | $82,000 | 4,874,747 | 672 |
| 33 | Arizona | $110,683 | $80,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,342 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $106,226 | $78,000 | 1,920,076 | 643 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $112,068 | $82,000 | 4,684,333 | 420 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $110,218 | $82,000 | 4,454,189 | 506 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $105,062 | $78,000 | 3,930,864 | 731 |
| 38 | Missouri | $110,638 | $82,000 | 6,113,532 | 873 |
| 39 | Maine | $108,555 | $78,000 | 1,335,907 | 216 |
| 40 | Florida | $109,070 | $80,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,876 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $107,530 | $80,000 | 2,984,100 | 292 |
| 42 | Vermont | $108,555 | $78,000 | 623,657 | 115 |
| 43 | Georgia | $104,530 | $78,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,999 |
| 44 | Utah | $98,198 | $72,000 | 3,101,833 | 806 |
| 45 | Illinois | $102,357 | $75,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,731 |
| 46 | Colorado | $102,344 | $75,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,363 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $105,042 | $77,000 | 579,315 | 75 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $101,415 | $75,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,393 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $93,769 | $70,000 | 1,427,538 | 212 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $99,197 | $74,000 | 755,393 | 172 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $99,249 | $74,000 | 5,024,369 | 630 |
Highest paying states for lead program managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Lead Program Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $147,928 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $145,647 |
| 3 | Montana | $127,564 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $142,128 |
| 5 | Washington | $129,238 |
| 6 | Virginia | $132,858 |
| 7 | New York | $134,431 |
| 8 | Delaware | $132,191 |
| 9 | Kansas | $122,210 |
| 10 | Alaska | $125,778 |
| 11 | Oregon | $123,893 |
| 12 | Maryland | $135,065 |
| 13 | Iowa | $129,239 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $126,173 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $121,503 |
| 16 | California | $131,118 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $120,179 |
| 18 | South Dakota | $112,118 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $117,400 |
| 20 | Michigan | $117,620 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $123,110 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $116,179 |
| 23 | Idaho | $111,631 |
| 24 | Ohio | $112,428 |
| 25 | Texas | $114,014 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $114,978 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $113,590 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $109,298 |
| 29 | Indiana | $112,786 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $108,979 |
| 31 | Nevada | $108,630 |
| 32 | Alabama | $110,821 |
| 33 | Arizona | $110,683 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $106,226 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $112,068 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $110,218 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $105,062 |
| 38 | Missouri | $110,638 |
| 39 | Maine | $108,555 |
| 40 | Florida | $109,070 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $107,530 |
| 42 | Vermont | $108,555 |
| 43 | Georgia | $104,530 |
| 44 | Utah | $98,198 |
| 45 | Illinois | $102,357 |
| 46 | Colorado | $102,344 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $105,042 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $101,415 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $93,769 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $99,197 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $99,249 |
Expert opinions on the best states for lead program managers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for lead program managers to find work opportunities?
Elisa Chan
Assistant Professor of Marketing, New York Institute of Technology
Companies, big or small, will be looking for talents in e-commerce and digital marketing. But I think that there could be more demand from small/medium-sized companies looking for help in these areas.
Lead program manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025