Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a museum director
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like museum directors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for museum directors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Our research found that California is the best state for museum directors, while California and Alaska are ranked highest in terms of median salary. California has a median salary of $120,023 and California has the highest median salary among all 50 states for museum directors.
We figured that the best places for museum director 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.If you are currently seeking employment as a museum director, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for museum directors in 2025
1. California
Total museum director jobs: 278 Average annual salary: $120,023 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000 Location Quotient: 0.65
2. Delaware
Total museum director jobs: 18 Average annual salary: $95,481 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
3. Alaska
Total museum director jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $103,635 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 0.49
4. District of Columbia
Total museum director jobs: 26 Average annual salary: $101,451 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
5. West Virginia
Total museum director jobs: 257 Average annual salary: $83,513 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 11.47
6. Connecticut
Total museum director jobs: 22 Average annual salary: $97,696 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.45
7. Rhode Island
Total museum director jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $98,500 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.34
8. New Hampshire
Total museum director jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $96,995 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 0.16
9. Nevada
Total museum director jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $92,815 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $151,000 Location Quotient: 0.29
10. Oregon
Total museum director jobs: 19 Average annual salary: $95,068 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $147,000 Location Quotient: 0.31
Museum director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a museum director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a museum director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $120,023 | $75,000 | 39,536,653 | 278 |
| 2 | Delaware | $95,481 | $59,000 | 961,939 | 18 |
| 3 | Alaska | $103,635 | $73,000 | 739,795 | 6 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $101,451 | $62,000 | 693,972 | 26 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $83,513 | $51,000 | 1,815,857 | 257 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $97,696 | $62,000 | 3,588,184 | 22 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $98,500 | $62,000 | 1,059,639 | 6 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $96,995 | $62,000 | 1,342,795 | 4 |
| 9 | Nevada | $92,815 | $56,000 | 2,998,039 | 9 |
| 10 | Oregon | $95,068 | $61,000 | 4,142,776 | 19 |
| 11 | Maine | $89,489 | $57,000 | 1,335,907 | 5 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $83,803 | $56,000 | 755,393 | 5 |
| 13 | Vermont | $82,052 | $52,000 | 623,657 | 7 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | $76,115 | $44,000 | 3,930,864 | 408 |
| 15 | Virginia | $89,789 | $54,000 | 8,470,020 | 42 |
| 16 | Washington | $84,194 | $54,000 | 7,405,743 | 51 |
| 17 | Arizona | $87,134 | $52,000 | 7,016,270 | 23 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $80,581 | $51,000 | 5,795,483 | 37 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $80,251 | $51,000 | 6,859,819 | 100 |
| 20 | New York | $81,147 | $51,000 | 19,849,399 | 138 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $77,000 | $46,000 | 4,454,189 | 20 |
| 22 | Idaho | $78,222 | $48,000 | 1,716,943 | 17 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $82,474 | $53,000 | 5,576,606 | 31 |
| 24 | Ohio | $81,120 | $50,000 | 11,658,609 | 23 |
| 25 | Utah | $79,257 | $48,000 | 3,101,833 | 14 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $77,417 | $48,000 | 12,805,537 | 72 |
| 27 | Indiana | $77,089 | $47,000 | 6,666,818 | 31 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $75,415 | $44,000 | 6,715,984 | 26 |
| 29 | Texas | $80,283 | $45,000 | 28,304,596 | 73 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $75,540 | $46,000 | 1,920,076 | 15 |
| 31 | Georgia | $73,427 | $41,000 | 10,429,379 | 76 |
| 32 | Alabama | $66,034 | $37,000 | 4,874,747 | 508 |
| 33 | New Jersey | $73,427 | $46,000 | 9,005,644 | 73 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $65,038 | $41,000 | 869,666 | 172 |
| 35 | Kansas | $72,103 | $43,000 | 2,913,123 | 17 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $63,814 | $35,000 | 4,684,333 | 497 |
| 37 | Maryland | $75,796 | $47,000 | 6,052,177 | 39 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $73,198 | $41,000 | 2,984,100 | 4 |
| 39 | Illinois | $68,544 | $43,000 | 12,802,023 | 88 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $74,301 | $44,000 | 2,088,070 | 4 |
| 41 | Colorado | $75,674 | $46,000 | 5,607,154 | 23 |
| 42 | Montana | $66,536 | $43,000 | 1,050,493 | 10 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $60,934 | $34,000 | 5,024,369 | 678 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $57,740 | $35,000 | 579,315 | 8 |
| 45 | Missouri | $64,857 | $39,000 | 6,113,532 | 31 |
| 46 | Florida | $63,003 | $35,000 | 20,984,400 | 96 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $64,233 | $37,000 | 3,004,279 | 10 |
| 48 | Michigan | $65,346 | $41,000 | 9,962,311 | 21 |
| 49 | North Carolina | $61,497 | $35,000 | 10,273,419 | 45 |
| 50 | Iowa | $65,650 | $41,000 | 3,145,711 | 7 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $61,113 | $41,000 | 1,427,538 | 3 |
Highest paying states for museum directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Museum Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $120,023 |
| 2 | Delaware | $95,481 |
| 3 | Alaska | $103,635 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $101,451 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $83,513 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $97,696 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $98,500 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $96,995 |
| 9 | Nevada | $92,815 |
| 10 | Oregon | $95,068 |
| 11 | Maine | $89,489 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $83,803 |
| 13 | Vermont | $82,052 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | $76,115 |
| 15 | Virginia | $89,789 |
| 16 | Washington | $84,194 |
| 17 | Arizona | $87,134 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $80,581 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $80,251 |
| 20 | New York | $81,147 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $77,000 |
| 22 | Idaho | $78,222 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $82,474 |
| 24 | Ohio | $81,120 |
| 25 | Utah | $79,257 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $77,417 |
| 27 | Indiana | $77,089 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $75,415 |
| 29 | Texas | $80,283 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $75,540 |
| 31 | Georgia | $73,427 |
| 32 | Alabama | $66,034 |
| 33 | New Jersey | $73,427 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $65,038 |
| 35 | Kansas | $72,103 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $63,814 |
| 37 | Maryland | $75,796 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $73,198 |
| 39 | Illinois | $68,544 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $74,301 |
| 41 | Colorado | $75,674 |
| 42 | Montana | $66,536 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $60,934 |
| 44 | Wyoming | $57,740 |
| 45 | Missouri | $64,857 |
| 46 | Florida | $63,003 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $64,233 |
| 48 | Michigan | $65,346 |
| 49 | North Carolina | $61,497 |
| 50 | Iowa | $65,650 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $61,113 |
Museum director best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
Search for museum director jobs
Updated January 8, 2025