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Best states for a research/program director
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to research/program director jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. In order to help you decide which state is the best for research/program directors, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for research/program director jobs.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for research/program directors.If you are currently seeking employment as a research/program director, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for research/program directors in 2025
1. New Jersey
Total research/program director jobs: 1,736 Average annual salary: $88,063 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
2. Georgia
Total research/program director jobs: 1,700 Average annual salary: $94,021 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
3. Connecticut
Total research/program director jobs: 754 Average annual salary: $80,534 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 1.42
4. New Hampshire
Total research/program director jobs: 390 Average annual salary: $75,944 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 1.39
5. New York
Total research/program director jobs: 1,980 Average annual salary: $97,386 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
6. California
Total research/program director jobs: 4,569 Average annual salary: $92,543 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
7. Massachusetts
Total research/program director jobs: 583 Average annual salary: $92,785 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 0.4
8. Wyoming
Total research/program director jobs: 150 Average annual salary: $68,986 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Location Quotient: 1.56
9. Delaware
Total research/program director jobs: 259 Average annual salary: $72,968 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
10. South Dakota
Total research/program director jobs: 344 Average annual salary: $67,479 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 2
Research/program director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a research/program director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a research/program director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $88,063 | $59,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,736 |
| 2 | Georgia | $94,021 | $62,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,700 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $80,534 | $54,000 | 3,588,184 | 754 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $75,944 | $50,000 | 1,342,795 | 390 |
| 5 | New York | $97,386 | $65,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,980 |
| 6 | California | $92,543 | $57,000 | 39,536,653 | 4,569 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $92,785 | $62,000 | 6,859,819 | 583 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $68,986 | $47,000 | 579,315 | 150 |
| 9 | Delaware | $72,968 | $49,000 | 961,939 | 259 |
| 10 | South Dakota | $67,479 | $47,000 | 869,666 | 344 |
| 11 | Washington | $91,450 | $57,000 | 7,405,743 | 193 |
| 12 | Michigan | $70,706 | $47,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,458 |
| 13 | Nevada | $78,886 | $49,000 | 2,998,039 | 272 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $72,303 | $48,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,563 |
| 15 | Illinois | $72,585 | $49,000 | 12,802,023 | 2,263 |
| 16 | Idaho | $71,245 | $45,000 | 1,716,943 | 288 |
| 17 | Vermont | $74,981 | $49,000 | 623,657 | 102 |
| 18 | Colorado | $70,696 | $48,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,386 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $69,304 | $46,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,933 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $86,478 | $58,000 | 693,972 | 167 |
| 21 | Texas | $70,494 | $45,000 | 28,304,596 | 3,198 |
| 22 | Alabama | $65,314 | $43,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,020 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $67,381 | $44,000 | 2,088,070 | 377 |
| 24 | Ohio | $67,320 | $45,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,487 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $64,374 | $43,000 | 3,930,864 | 809 |
| 26 | Montana | $66,394 | $45,000 | 1,050,493 | 246 |
| 27 | Maryland | $76,380 | $51,000 | 6,052,177 | 285 |
| 28 | Maine | $66,482 | $44,000 | 1,335,907 | 250 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $64,402 | $42,000 | 1,815,857 | 268 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $68,736 | $46,000 | 1,059,639 | 137 |
| 31 | Indiana | $65,965 | $44,000 | 6,666,818 | 955 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $63,809 | $44,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,370 |
| 33 | Oregon | $62,281 | $38,000 | 4,142,776 | 997 |
| 34 | Missouri | $65,692 | $45,000 | 6,113,532 | 921 |
| 35 | Arizona | $61,501 | $40,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,180 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $57,522 | $37,000 | 2,984,100 | 582 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $62,594 | $41,000 | 6,715,984 | 883 |
| 38 | Alaska | $66,661 | $47,000 | 739,795 | 18 |
| 39 | Kansas | $63,292 | $43,000 | 2,913,123 | 419 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $62,282 | $42,000 | 4,454,189 | 470 |
| 41 | Florida | $60,733 | $40,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,645 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $56,881 | $39,000 | 1,920,076 | 411 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $48,742 | $31,000 | 4,684,333 | 875 |
| 44 | Utah | $54,106 | $35,000 | 3,101,833 | 630 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $60,998 | $43,000 | 755,393 | 65 |
| 46 | Iowa | $58,687 | $40,000 | 3,145,711 | 487 |
| 47 | Virginia | $61,823 | $41,000 | 8,470,020 | 917 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $52,231 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 401 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $51,445 | $34,000 | 5,795,483 | 901 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $54,253 | $35,000 | 5,024,369 | 477 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $45,919 | $32,000 | 1,427,538 | 75 |
Highest paying states for research/program directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Research/Program Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $88,063 |
| 2 | Georgia | $94,021 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $80,534 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $75,944 |
| 5 | New York | $97,386 |
| 6 | California | $92,543 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $92,785 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $68,986 |
| 9 | Delaware | $72,968 |
| 10 | South Dakota | $67,479 |
| 11 | Washington | $91,450 |
| 12 | Michigan | $70,706 |
| 13 | Nevada | $78,886 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $72,303 |
| 15 | Illinois | $72,585 |
| 16 | Idaho | $71,245 |
| 17 | Vermont | $74,981 |
| 18 | Colorado | $70,696 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $69,304 |
| 20 | District of Columbia | $86,478 |
| 21 | Texas | $70,494 |
| 22 | Alabama | $65,314 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $67,381 |
| 24 | Ohio | $67,320 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $64,374 |
| 26 | Montana | $66,394 |
| 27 | Maryland | $76,380 |
| 28 | Maine | $66,482 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $64,402 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $68,736 |
| 31 | Indiana | $65,965 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $63,809 |
| 33 | Oregon | $62,281 |
| 34 | Missouri | $65,692 |
| 35 | Arizona | $61,501 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $57,522 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $62,594 |
| 38 | Alaska | $66,661 |
| 39 | Kansas | $63,292 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $62,282 |
| 41 | Florida | $60,733 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $56,881 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $48,742 |
| 44 | Utah | $54,106 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $60,998 |
| 46 | Iowa | $58,687 |
| 47 | Virginia | $61,823 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $52,231 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $51,445 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $54,253 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $45,919 |
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Updated January 8, 2025