Post Job

Best states for a Leader

  • Rank 1 - 10
  • 11 - 20
  • 21 - 30
  • 31 - 40
  • 41 - 51
It seems like leaders are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for leaders aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for leaders. We found that Maine is the best state in the nation for leaders, and people in South Portland earn the most in the field.
Maine is the best state for jobs for leaders, and Utah is the worst. The most common pay in Maine is $107,828, while the median pay in Utah is $53,190.If you are currently seeking employment as a leader, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.

10 best states for leaders in 2025

  1. Maine #1 best state for leaders

    1. Maine

    Total Leader Jobs:359
    Average Annual Salary:$107,828
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$69,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$167,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.04
  2. Connecticut #2 best state for leaders

    2. Connecticut

    Total Leader Jobs:882
    Average Annual Salary:$102,385
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$64,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$162,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.02
  3. Texas #3 best state for leaders

    3. Texas

    Total Leader Jobs:6,257
    Average Annual Salary:$85,680
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$45,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$162,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.19
  4. Delaware #4 best state for leaders

    4. Delaware

    Total Leader Jobs:324
    Average Annual Salary:$98,258
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$58,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$165,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.99
  5. New York #5 best state for leaders

    5. New York

    Total Leader Jobs:3,117
    Average Annual Salary:$103,282
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$64,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$165,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.93
  6. Michigan #6 best state for leaders

    6. Michigan

    Total Leader Jobs:2,040
    Average Annual Salary:$89,516
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$51,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$156,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.01
  7. Ohio #7 best state for leaders

    7. Ohio

    Total Leader Jobs:3,011
    Average Annual Salary:$82,488
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$45,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$150,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.13
  8. Louisiana #8 best state for leaders

    8. Louisiana

    Total Leader Jobs:950
    Average Annual Salary:$84,817
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$44,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$160,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.14
  9. Massachusetts #9 best state for leaders

    9. Massachusetts

    Total Leader Jobs:1,898
    Average Annual Salary:$104,599
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$66,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$163,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.79
  10. New Jersey #10 best state for leaders

    10. New Jersey

    Total Leader Jobs:1,805
    Average Annual Salary:$101,643
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$62,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$164,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.87

Leader JobsNear Ashburn, VA

How Zippia determines the best states to be a leader

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

Detailed list of the best states for a leader

RankStateAverage SalaryLowest 10% EarnPopulationJob Count
1Maine$107,828$69,0001,335,907359
2Connecticut$102,385$64,0003,588,184882
3Texas$85,680$45,00028,304,5966,257
4Delaware$98,258$58,000961,939324
5New York$103,282$64,00019,849,3993,117
6Michigan$89,516$51,0009,962,3112,040
7Ohio$82,488$45,00011,658,6093,011
8Louisiana$84,817$44,0004,684,333950
9Massachusetts$104,599$66,0006,859,8191,898
10New Jersey$101,643$62,0009,005,6441,805
11Rhode Island$98,747$62,0001,059,639267
12New Hampshire$94,283$60,0001,342,795426
13Wisconsin$80,183$43,0005,795,4831,716
14District of Columbia$104,361$60,000693,972315
15California$94,566$51,00039,536,6536,717
16Pennsylvania$88,157$52,00012,805,5372,673
17Virginia$82,458$45,0008,470,0202,750
18Maryland$89,752$51,0006,052,1771,604
19Illinois$83,416$44,00012,802,0233,085
20West Virginia$79,934$43,0001,815,857388
21Alabama$74,906$38,0004,874,7471,333
22Arizona$81,652$42,0007,016,2701,478
23North Carolina$74,207$38,00010,273,4192,880
24Minnesota$82,111$45,0005,576,6061,584
25Indiana$73,550$38,0006,666,8181,894
26South Carolina$73,588$38,0005,024,3691,311
27Vermont$80,545$51,000623,657216
28Georgia$76,227$39,00010,429,3792,761
29Alaska$93,599$67,000739,795150
30Washington$83,241$46,0007,405,7431,417
31Kentucky$70,285$35,0004,454,1891,084
32Hawaii$77,479$59,0001,427,538262
33Wyoming$69,711$34,000579,315175
34Mississippi$67,769$34,0002,984,100757
35South Dakota$76,793$39,000869,666175
36North Dakota$76,552$43,000755,393211
37Tennessee$66,743$33,0006,715,9842,083
38Nevada$70,220$35,0002,998,039571
39Florida$73,323$38,00020,984,4004,157
40Missouri$68,353$33,0006,113,5321,658
41Kansas$65,466$31,0002,913,123785
42Oklahoma$64,087$31,0003,930,864846
43Oregon$72,919$38,0004,142,776878
44New Mexico$68,797$34,0002,088,070409
45Iowa$62,998$31,0003,145,7111,027
46Arkansas$62,774$30,0003,004,279661
47Idaho$64,590$32,0001,716,943352
48Colorado$63,949$30,0005,607,1541,327
49Montana$60,758$31,0001,050,493220
50Nebraska$61,656$29,0001,920,076383
51Utah$53,190$25,0003,101,833696

Highest paying states for leaders

RankStateAvg. Leader Salary
1Maine$107,828
2Connecticut$102,385
3Texas$85,680
4Delaware$98,258
5New York$103,282
6Michigan$89,516
7Ohio$82,488
8Louisiana$84,817
9Massachusetts$104,599
10New Jersey$101,643
11Rhode Island$98,747
12New Hampshire$94,283
13Wisconsin$80,183
14District of Columbia$104,361
15California$94,566
16Pennsylvania$88,157
17Virginia$82,458
18Maryland$89,752
19Illinois$83,416
20West Virginia$79,934
21Alabama$74,906
22Arizona$81,652
23North Carolina$74,207
24Minnesota$82,111
25Indiana$73,550
26South Carolina$73,588
27Vermont$80,545
28Georgia$76,227
29Alaska$93,599
30Washington$83,241
31Kentucky$70,285
32Hawaii$77,479
33Wyoming$69,711
34Mississippi$67,769
35South Dakota$76,793
36North Dakota$76,552
37Tennessee$66,743
38Nevada$70,220
39Florida$73,323
40Missouri$68,353
41Kansas$65,466
42Oklahoma$64,087
43Oregon$72,919
44New Mexico$68,797
45Iowa$62,998
46Arkansas$62,774
47Idaho$64,590
48Colorado$63,949
49Montana$60,758
50Nebraska$61,656
51Utah$53,190

Leader best states FAQs

Search for leader jobs

Browse production and manufacturing jobs