Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a project executive
Quoted expert
Elisa Chan
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you thinking of becoming a project executive and really want to work at IBM? Turns out, your chances to become a project executive are better in some states than others.In order to help you decide which state is the best for project executives, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for project executive jobs.
The median salary for project executives in Washington is $148,265. Compare that to the median salary in South Carolina of $96,808, which ranked worst for project executives, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that Washington is the best state for project executive jobs, whereas South Carolina is the worst.
10 best states for project executives in 2025
1. Washington
Total project executive jobs: 1,890 Average annual salary: $148,265 Lowest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $227,000 Location Quotient: 1.42. Rhode Island
Total project executive jobs: 256 Average annual salary: $145,254 Lowest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $217,000 Location Quotient: 1.143. Minnesota
Total project executive jobs: 1,720 Average annual salary: $135,246 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $204,000 Location Quotient: 1.44. Massachusetts
Total project executive jobs: 2,143 Average annual salary: $140,042 Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $211,000 Location Quotient: 1.265. Michigan
Total project executive jobs: 1,604 Average annual salary: $140,486 Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $213,000 Location Quotient: 1.126. Wisconsin
Total project executive jobs: 1,230 Average annual salary: $136,863 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $208,000 Location Quotient: 1.27. Ohio
Total project executive jobs: 2,345 Average annual salary: $135,636 Lowest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $206,000 Location Quotient: 1.248. New Jersey
Total project executive jobs: 1,655 Average annual salary: $140,527 Lowest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $211,000 Location Quotient: 1.139. Montana
Total project executive jobs: 223 Average annual salary: $137,696 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $210,000 Location Quotient: 1.0510. Alaska
Total project executive jobs: 109 Average annual salary: $168,598 Lowest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $248,000 Location Quotient: 0.71
Project executive jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a project executive
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a project executive
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $148,265 | $96,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,890 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $145,254 | $97,000 | 1,059,639 | 256 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $135,246 | $89,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,720 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $140,042 | $92,000 | 6,859,819 | 2,143 |
| 5 | Michigan | $140,486 | $92,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,604 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $136,863 | $89,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,230 |
| 7 | Ohio | $135,636 | $88,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,345 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $140,527 | $93,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,655 |
| 9 | Montana | $137,696 | $89,000 | 1,050,493 | 223 |
| 10 | Alaska | $168,598 | $114,000 | 739,795 | 109 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $144,141 | $96,000 | 3,588,184 | 596 |
| 12 | Missouri | $122,842 | $78,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,378 |
| 13 | Texas | $126,211 | $79,000 | 28,304,596 | 4,003 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $135,244 | $89,000 | 693,972 | 397 |
| 15 | Georgia | $121,859 | $77,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,486 |
| 16 | Maryland | $135,989 | $89,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,264 |
| 17 | Iowa | $125,111 | $80,000 | 3,145,711 | 646 |
| 18 | Idaho | $119,707 | $74,000 | 1,716,943 | 380 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $147,434 | $105,000 | 1,427,538 | 144 |
| 20 | Kansas | $119,940 | $75,000 | 2,913,123 | 654 |
| 21 | Arizona | $124,951 | $78,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,122 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $125,905 | $82,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,935 |
| 23 | Nevada | $117,575 | $73,000 | 2,998,039 | 525 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | $120,636 | $78,000 | 1,342,795 | 366 |
| 25 | Delaware | $126,699 | $83,000 | 961,939 | 208 |
| 26 | California | $138,255 | $88,000 | 39,536,653 | 2,769 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $119,180 | $75,000 | 4,684,333 | 549 |
| 28 | Virginia | $118,314 | $76,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,087 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $107,998 | $67,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,316 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $112,068 | $69,000 | 2,088,070 | 423 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $113,509 | $72,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,771 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $113,247 | $72,000 | 1,815,857 | 227 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $112,245 | $72,000 | 869,666 | 162 |
| 34 | New York | $123,916 | $80,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,126 |
| 35 | Oregon | $119,402 | $74,000 | 4,142,776 | 463 |
| 36 | Illinois | $110,129 | $70,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,439 |
| 37 | Maine | $108,077 | $68,000 | 1,335,907 | 257 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $100,104 | $65,000 | 755,393 | 232 |
| 39 | Alabama | $109,317 | $68,000 | 4,874,747 | 706 |
| 40 | Indiana | $106,808 | $67,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,215 |
| 41 | Vermont | $110,481 | $70,000 | 623,657 | 134 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $108,849 | $67,000 | 2,984,100 | 287 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $103,360 | $64,000 | 3,004,279 | 501 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $99,696 | $62,000 | 1,920,076 | 492 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $105,322 | $66,000 | 4,454,189 | 627 |
| 46 | Utah | $95,899 | $58,000 | 3,101,833 | 642 |
| 47 | Colorado | $99,760 | $61,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,113 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $100,568 | $62,000 | 579,315 | 98 |
| 49 | Florida | $104,808 | $66,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,513 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $99,590 | $61,000 | 3,930,864 | 525 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $96,808 | $61,000 | 5,024,369 | 834 |
Highest paying states for project executives
| Rank | State | Avg. Project Executive Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $148,265 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $145,254 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $135,246 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $140,042 |
| 5 | Michigan | $140,486 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $136,863 |
| 7 | Ohio | $135,636 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $140,527 |
| 9 | Montana | $137,696 |
| 10 | Alaska | $168,598 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $144,141 |
| 12 | Missouri | $122,842 |
| 13 | Texas | $126,211 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $135,244 |
| 15 | Georgia | $121,859 |
| 16 | Maryland | $135,989 |
| 17 | Iowa | $125,111 |
| 18 | Idaho | $119,707 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $147,434 |
| 20 | Kansas | $119,940 |
| 21 | Arizona | $124,951 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $125,905 |
| 23 | Nevada | $117,575 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | $120,636 |
| 25 | Delaware | $126,699 |
| 26 | California | $138,255 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $119,180 |
| 28 | Virginia | $118,314 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $107,998 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $112,068 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $113,509 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $113,247 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $112,245 |
| 34 | New York | $123,916 |
| 35 | Oregon | $119,402 |
| 36 | Illinois | $110,129 |
| 37 | Maine | $108,077 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $100,104 |
| 39 | Alabama | $109,317 |
| 40 | Indiana | $106,808 |
| 41 | Vermont | $110,481 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $108,849 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $103,360 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $99,696 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $105,322 |
| 46 | Utah | $95,899 |
| 47 | Colorado | $99,760 |
| 48 | Wyoming | $100,568 |
| 49 | Florida | $104,808 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $99,590 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $96,808 |
Expert opinions on the best states for project executives
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for project executives 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.
Project executive best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
Search for project executive jobs
Updated January 8, 2025