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Best states for a production manager
Quoted expert
Lara Teeter
- Rank 1 - 10
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Production manager opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for production managers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for production managers.Although there are abundant production manager jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. New Hampshire is the best state in the country for production manager jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for production managers. New Hampshire is the best state for production managers, where the median salary is $84,101.We found that New Hampshire is the best state for production manager jobs, whereas North Carolina is the worst.
10 best states for production managers in 2026
1. New Hampshire
Total production manager jobs: 253 Average annual salary: $84,101 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
2. Washington
Total production manager jobs: 807 Average annual salary: $90,522 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
3. California
Total production manager jobs: 3,888 Average annual salary: $88,069 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
4. Rhode Island
Total production manager jobs: 125 Average annual salary: $93,747 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $153,000 Location Quotient: 0.79
5. Maine
Total production manager jobs: 181 Average annual salary: $80,534 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
6. Nevada
Total production manager jobs: 278 Average annual salary: $80,685 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
7. Utah
Total production manager jobs: 438 Average annual salary: $79,617 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
8. Connecticut
Total production manager jobs: 384 Average annual salary: $84,064 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
9. Arizona
Total production manager jobs: 724 Average annual salary: $81,246 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
10. Massachusetts
Total production manager jobs: 1,058 Average annual salary: $84,033 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $137,000 Location Quotient: 0.89
Production manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a production manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a production manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $84,101 | $51,000 | 1,342,795 | 253 |
| 2 | Washington | $90,522 | $56,000 | 7,405,743 | 807 |
| 3 | California | $88,069 | $54,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,888 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $93,747 | $57,000 | 1,059,639 | 125 |
| 5 | Maine | $80,534 | $49,000 | 1,335,907 | 181 |
| 6 | Nevada | $80,685 | $49,000 | 2,998,039 | 278 |
| 7 | Utah | $79,617 | $49,000 | 3,101,833 | 438 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $84,064 | $51,000 | 3,588,184 | 384 |
| 9 | Arizona | $81,246 | $51,000 | 7,016,270 | 724 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $84,033 | $51,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,058 |
| 11 | Michigan | $68,665 | $43,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,259 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $80,930 | $49,000 | 4,684,333 | 224 |
| 13 | Idaho | $78,690 | $48,000 | 1,716,943 | 171 |
| 14 | Texas | $73,288 | $45,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,413 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $78,685 | $47,000 | 9,005,644 | 907 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $66,139 | $39,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,815 |
| 17 | New York | $80,417 | $48,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,300 |
| 18 | Oregon | $73,380 | $45,000 | 4,142,776 | 533 |
| 19 | Vermont | $66,378 | $41,000 | 623,657 | 104 |
| 20 | Delaware | $75,077 | $45,000 | 961,939 | 122 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $59,369 | $39,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,175 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $61,516 | $41,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,041 |
| 23 | Ohio | $58,185 | $36,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,886 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $68,986 | $45,000 | 579,315 | 39 |
| 25 | Colorado | $69,501 | $45,000 | 5,607,154 | 585 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $56,996 | $37,000 | 6,715,984 | 882 |
| 27 | Kansas | $58,657 | $39,000 | 2,913,123 | 424 |
| 28 | Maryland | $66,802 | $40,000 | 6,052,177 | 740 |
| 29 | Illinois | $59,065 | $39,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,846 |
| 30 | Alabama | $59,850 | $37,000 | 4,874,747 | 465 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $64,128 | $40,000 | 2,088,070 | 131 |
| 32 | Indiana | $55,173 | $36,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,270 |
| 33 | District of Columbia | $72,492 | $44,000 | 693,972 | 109 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $58,481 | $36,000 | 5,024,369 | 545 |
| 35 | Hawaii | $71,525 | $49,000 | 1,427,538 | 48 |
| 36 | Alaska | $64,101 | $42,000 | 739,795 | 60 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $59,915 | $40,000 | 869,666 | 87 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $58,088 | $36,000 | 1,815,857 | 153 |
| 39 | Montana | $60,872 | $39,000 | 1,050,493 | 96 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $57,224 | $37,000 | 3,004,279 | 281 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $52,121 | $33,000 | 4,454,189 | 718 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $54,188 | $33,000 | 2,984,100 | 279 |
| 43 | Georgia | $55,340 | $35,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,331 |
| 44 | Florida | $58,866 | $35,000 | 20,984,400 | 1,594 |
| 45 | Missouri | $52,483 | $34,000 | 6,113,532 | 853 |
| 46 | Iowa | $48,980 | $32,000 | 3,145,711 | 664 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $50,537 | $34,000 | 1,920,076 | 306 |
| 48 | North Dakota | $54,405 | $37,000 | 755,393 | 91 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $56,317 | $36,000 | 3,930,864 | 253 |
| 50 | Virginia | $52,039 | $31,000 | 8,470,020 | 1,067 |
| 51 | North Carolina | $46,158 | $28,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,096 |
Highest paying states for production managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Production Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $84,101 |
| 2 | Washington | $90,522 |
| 3 | California | $88,069 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $93,747 |
| 5 | Maine | $80,534 |
| 6 | Nevada | $80,685 |
| 7 | Utah | $79,617 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $84,064 |
| 9 | Arizona | $81,246 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $84,033 |
| 11 | Michigan | $68,665 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $80,930 |
| 13 | Idaho | $78,690 |
| 14 | Texas | $73,288 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $78,685 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $66,139 |
| 17 | New York | $80,417 |
| 18 | Oregon | $73,380 |
| 19 | Vermont | $66,378 |
| 20 | Delaware | $75,077 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $59,369 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $61,516 |
| 23 | Ohio | $58,185 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $68,986 |
| 25 | Colorado | $69,501 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $56,996 |
| 27 | Kansas | $58,657 |
| 28 | Maryland | $66,802 |
| 29 | Illinois | $59,065 |
| 30 | Alabama | $59,850 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $64,128 |
| 32 | Indiana | $55,173 |
| 33 | District of Columbia | $72,492 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $58,481 |
| 35 | Hawaii | $71,525 |
| 36 | Alaska | $64,101 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $59,915 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $58,088 |
| 39 | Montana | $60,872 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $57,224 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $52,121 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $54,188 |
| 43 | Georgia | $55,340 |
| 44 | Florida | $58,866 |
| 45 | Missouri | $52,483 |
| 46 | Iowa | $48,980 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $50,537 |
| 48 | North Dakota | $54,405 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $56,317 |
| 50 | Virginia | $52,039 |
| 51 | North Carolina | $46,158 |
Expert opinions on the best states for production managers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for production managers to find work opportunities?
Lara Teeter
Professor, Head of Musical Theatre, Webster University
Throw a rock over your shoulder and hit 20 in one throw! Literally, everywhere you turn, if you are hungry and smart, there is a place to find work. I like to use "Everything was Possible - the birth of the musical FOLLIES" by Ted Chapin as an example. He was in a position to fetch coffee for Hal Prince and Stephen Sondheim, and Michael Bennett. After so many years, he was chosen by the Rodgers and Hammerstein families to run their business. He's also the co-founder of ENCORES. There are many "good places" to find work. There are also some "not so good" places to work. A young actor's journey must encounter both so that as they mature in the business, they can, hopefully, begin to choose what places/directors/organizations that they prefer to work with as well as those they don't. Until that day, however, a job is a job. The MUNY, The Glimmerglass Opera, Goodspeed, Pittsburg Civic Light Opera, Wichita Summer Musicals, Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City (these last two is where I got my start in the 1970s!), Barrington Stage, American Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Alabama Shakespeare, Seattle Reparatory Theatre, Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, TX, Broadway Sacramento (formally California Musical Theatre)....the list goes on and on!
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Updated January 8, 2025