Best states for a managing director

Q: What is the best state for managing directors?

The best state to be a managing director is New York based on managing director salaries and job opportunities.

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

The highest paying state for managing directors is Kentucky based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for managing directors?

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

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It seems like managing directors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for managing directors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Our research found that New York is the best state for managing directors, while New York and Connecticut are ranked highest in terms of median salary. New York has a median salary of $166,113 and New York has the highest median salary among all 50 states for managing directors.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for managing directors. New York is the best state for managing directors, where the median salary is $166,113.We found that the West is best for managing directors, and the Northeast is the worst. New York, NY is the best city in the country for managing director jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.

10 best states for managing directors in 2025

1. New York
Total managing director jobs: 3,115
Average annual salary: $166,113
Lowest 10 percent earn: $109,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $252,000
Location Quotient:
2.06
Managing director jobs in New York
2. Connecticut
Total managing director jobs: 467
Average annual salary: $153,104
Lowest 10 percent earn: $97,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $239,000
Location Quotient:
1.2
Managing director jobs in Connecticut
3. Delaware
Total managing director jobs: 264
Average annual salary: $140,200
Lowest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $225,000
Location Quotient:
1.79
Managing director jobs in Delaware
4. New Jersey
Total managing director jobs: 1,449
Average annual salary: $147,835
Lowest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $233,000
Location Quotient:
1.55
Managing director jobs in New Jersey
5. Massachusetts
Total managing director jobs: 1,638
Average annual salary: $142,536
Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $228,000
Location Quotient:
1.51
Managing director jobs in Massachusetts
6. District of Columbia
Total managing director jobs: 514
Average annual salary: $148,131
Lowest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $234,000
Location Quotient:
2.6
Managing director jobs in District of Columbia
7. Louisiana
Total managing director jobs: 547
Average annual salary: $130,354
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $216,000
Location Quotient:
1.45
Managing director jobs in Louisiana
8. South Dakota
Total managing director jobs: 201
Average annual salary: $124,974
Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $207,000
Location Quotient:
1.59
Managing director jobs in South Dakota
9. Rhode Island
Total managing director jobs: 152
Average annual salary: $134,195
Lowest 10 percent earn: $82,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $218,000
Location Quotient:
1.06
Managing director jobs in Rhode Island
10. North Carolina
Total managing director jobs: 944
Average annual salary: $129,906
Lowest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $214,000
Location Quotient:
0.83
Managing director jobs in North Carolina

Managing director jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a managing director

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

Detailed list of the best states for a managing director

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$166,113	$109,000	19,849,399	3,115
2	Connecticut	$153,104	$97,000	3,588,184	467
3	Delaware	$140,200	$87,000	961,939	264
4	New Jersey	$147,835	$93,000	9,005,644	1,449
5	Massachusetts	$142,536	$88,000	6,859,819	1,638
6	District of Columbia	$148,131	$93,000	693,972	514
7	Louisiana	$130,354	$78,000	4,684,333	547
8	South Dakota	$124,974	$75,000	869,666	201
9	Rhode Island	$134,195	$82,000	1,059,639	152
10	North Carolina	$129,906	$78,000	10,273,419	944
11	California	$133,285	$80,000	39,536,653	4,674
12	Virginia	$132,993	$81,000	8,470,020	961
13	Illinois	$120,339	$71,000	12,802,023	1,629
14	Wisconsin	$122,626	$72,000	5,795,483	451
15	Washington	$122,606	$73,000	7,405,743	770
16	Ohio	$121,307	$72,000	11,658,609	752
17	Colorado	$123,872	$73,000	5,607,154	518
18	Alabama	$114,257	$66,000	4,874,747	607
19	Texas	$116,464	$68,000	28,304,596	2,195
20	Pennsylvania	$118,631	$70,000	12,805,537	1,098
21	Maryland	$127,037	$77,000	6,052,177	538
22	Maine	$117,967	$69,000	1,335,907	106
23	Michigan	$122,159	$72,000	9,962,311	435
24	New Hampshire	$118,701	$70,000	1,342,795	122
25	Nevada	$115,963	$67,000	2,998,039	166
26	Vermont	$111,597	$64,000	623,657	90
27	Tennessee	$115,829	$67,000	6,715,984	399
28	West Virginia	$103,195	$59,000	1,815,857	308
29	South Carolina	$105,613	$61,000	5,024,369	778
30	Georgia	$109,827	$63,000	10,429,379	980
31	Oregon	$107,925	$63,000	4,142,776	554
32	Wyoming	$105,545	$61,000	579,315	57
33	Arkansas	$105,183	$60,000	3,004,279	224
34	Oklahoma	$102,858	$58,000	3,930,864	484
35	Arizona	$105,242	$60,000	7,016,270	644
36	Minnesota	$107,861	$62,000	5,576,606	528
37	Nebraska	$104,632	$60,000	1,920,076	156
38	New Mexico	$106,118	$61,000	2,088,070	115
39	Kansas	$103,683	$59,000	2,913,123	207
40	Florida	$101,927	$58,000	20,984,400	1,555
41	Mississippi	$94,292	$53,000	2,984,100	310
42	Alaska	$104,597	$61,000	739,795	66
43	Utah	$99,081	$56,000	3,101,833	322
44	Indiana	$102,350	$58,000	6,666,818	383
45	Hawaii	$103,486	$60,000	1,427,538	57
46	North Dakota	$99,540	$57,000	755,393	63
47	Montana	$90,784	$52,000	1,050,493	100
48	Iowa	$96,246	$54,000	3,145,711	231
49	Missouri	$95,871	$54,000	6,113,532	397
50	Idaho	$93,206	$53,000	1,716,943	113
51	Kentucky	$88,229	$49,000	4,454,189	229

Highest paying states for managing directors

Rank	State	Avg. Managing Director Salary
1	New York	$166,113
2	Connecticut	$153,104
3	Delaware	$140,200
4	New Jersey	$147,835
5	Massachusetts	$142,536
6	District of Columbia	$148,131
7	Louisiana	$130,354
8	South Dakota	$124,974
9	Rhode Island	$134,195
10	North Carolina	$129,906
11	California	$133,285
12	Virginia	$132,993
13	Illinois	$120,339
14	Wisconsin	$122,626
15	Washington	$122,606
16	Ohio	$121,307
17	Colorado	$123,872
18	Alabama	$114,257
19	Texas	$116,464
20	Pennsylvania	$118,631
21	Maryland	$127,037
22	Maine	$117,967
23	Michigan	$122,159
24	New Hampshire	$118,701
25	Nevada	$115,963
26	Vermont	$111,597
27	Tennessee	$115,829
28	West Virginia	$103,195
29	South Carolina	$105,613
30	Georgia	$109,827
31	Oregon	$107,925
32	Wyoming	$105,545
33	Arkansas	$105,183
34	Oklahoma	$102,858
35	Arizona	$105,242
36	Minnesota	$107,861
37	Nebraska	$104,632
38	New Mexico	$106,118
39	Kansas	$103,683
40	Florida	$101,927
41	Mississippi	$94,292
42	Alaska	$104,597
43	Utah	$99,081
44	Indiana	$102,350
45	Hawaii	$103,486
46	North Dakota	$99,540
47	Montana	$90,784
48	Iowa	$96,246
49	Missouri	$95,871
50	Idaho	$93,206
51	Kentucky	$88,229

Best states for a managing director

10 best states for managing directors in 2025

1. New York

2. Connecticut

3. Delaware

4. New Jersey

5. Massachusetts

6. District of Columbia

7. Louisiana

8. South Dakota

9. Rhode Island

10. North Carolina

Managing director jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a managing director

Detailed list of the best states for a managing director

Highest paying states for managing directors

Managing director best states FAQs

What is the best state for managing directors?

What is the highest paying state for managing directors?

What is the worst state for managing directors?

Search for managing director jobs

Total managing director jobs:	3,115
Average annual salary:	$166,113
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$109,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$252,000
Location Quotient:	2.06