Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a residence hall director
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like residence hall directors are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for residence hall directors aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. As residence hall directors are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for residence hall directors. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a residence hall director, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
The median salary for residence hall directors in Massachusetts is $57,404. Compare that to the median salary in South Carolina of $35,688, which ranked worst for residence hall directors, and you can see how your location is important for your career.Massachusetts is the best state, and Pittsfield is the city with the highest pay for residence hall directors.
10 best states for residence hall directors in 2025
1. Massachusetts
Total residence hall director jobs: 204 Average annual salary: $57,404 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Location Quotient: 1.152. Wisconsin
Total residence hall director jobs: 84 Average annual salary: $54,458 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Location Quotient: 0.783. New Jersey
Total residence hall director jobs: 153 Average annual salary: $57,112 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $88,000 Location Quotient: 0.994. Michigan
Total residence hall director jobs: 80 Average annual salary: $54,974 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Location Quotient: 0.535. Washington
Total residence hall director jobs: 108 Average annual salary: $53,075 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Location Quotient: 0.766. Connecticut
Total residence hall director jobs: 45 Average annual salary: $54,701 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 0.77. District of Columbia
Total residence hall director jobs: 54 Average annual salary: $54,597 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 1.668. Illinois
Total residence hall director jobs: 183 Average annual salary: $49,852 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Location Quotient: 0.799. Montana
Total residence hall director jobs: 11 Average annual salary: $51,557 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Location Quotient: 0.4910. Louisiana
Total residence hall director jobs: 495 Average annual salary: $46,917 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000 Location Quotient: 7.99
Residence hall director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a residence hall director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a residence hall director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $57,404 | $36,000 | 6,859,819 | 204 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | $54,458 | $40,000 | 5,795,483 | 84 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $57,112 | $36,000 | 9,005,644 | 153 |
| 4 | Michigan | $54,974 | $39,000 | 9,962,311 | 80 |
| 5 | Washington | $53,075 | $40,000 | 7,405,743 | 108 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $54,701 | $35,000 | 3,588,184 | 45 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $54,597 | $36,000 | 693,972 | 54 |
| 8 | Illinois | $49,852 | $36,000 | 12,802,023 | 183 |
| 9 | Montana | $51,557 | $41,000 | 1,050,493 | 11 |
| 10 | Louisiana | $46,917 | $34,000 | 4,684,333 | 495 |
| 11 | New York | $51,448 | $33,000 | 19,849,399 | 434 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $48,668 | $31,000 | 12,805,537 | 142 |
| 13 | California | $50,894 | $36,000 | 39,536,653 | 553 |
| 14 | Oregon | $48,452 | $36,000 | 4,142,776 | 69 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $50,668 | $39,000 | 869,666 | 7 |
| 16 | Alaska | $47,925 | $40,000 | 739,795 | 18 |
| 17 | Nevada | $49,605 | $36,000 | 2,998,039 | 14 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $49,543 | $39,000 | 579,315 | 4 |
| 19 | Iowa | $47,371 | $35,000 | 3,145,711 | 42 |
| 20 | Georgia | $47,077 | $34,000 | 10,429,379 | 160 |
| 21 | Maryland | $52,691 | $35,000 | 6,052,177 | 55 |
| 22 | Vermont | $47,312 | $30,000 | 623,657 | 11 |
| 23 | Florida | $49,046 | $35,000 | 20,984,400 | 140 |
| 24 | Maine | $49,687 | $31,000 | 1,335,907 | 8 |
| 25 | Alabama | $42,419 | $31,000 | 4,874,747 | 509 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $50,016 | $31,000 | 1,342,795 | 10 |
| 27 | Ohio | $44,747 | $31,000 | 11,658,609 | 101 |
| 28 | Idaho | $47,693 | $37,000 | 1,716,943 | 7 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $46,645 | $32,000 | 1,815,857 | 4 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $44,629 | $32,000 | 4,454,189 | 35 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $45,264 | $34,000 | 5,576,606 | 77 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $45,652 | $29,000 | 1,059,639 | 11 |
| 33 | Colorado | $42,708 | $33,000 | 5,607,154 | 86 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $44,631 | $35,000 | 755,393 | 4 |
| 35 | Texas | $41,884 | $30,000 | 28,304,596 | 252 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $48,400 | $42,000 | 1,427,538 | 5 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $37,258 | $27,000 | 2,984,100 | 302 |
| 38 | Delaware | $44,318 | $29,000 | 961,939 | 4 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $35,971 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 446 |
| 40 | Arizona | $40,398 | $29,000 | 7,016,270 | 60 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $39,525 | $30,000 | 1,920,076 | 25 |
| 42 | Utah | $40,452 | $31,000 | 3,101,833 | 24 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $39,564 | $29,000 | 6,715,984 | 42 |
| 44 | Virginia | $40,359 | $27,000 | 8,470,020 | 114 |
| 45 | Indiana | $38,465 | $28,000 | 6,666,818 | 55 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $36,630 | $26,000 | 10,273,419 | 123 |
| 47 | Kansas | $38,110 | $29,000 | 2,913,123 | 26 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $35,640 | $27,000 | 3,004,279 | 31 |
| 49 | Missouri | $36,791 | $28,000 | 6,113,532 | 66 |
| 50 | New Mexico | $38,069 | $28,000 | 2,088,070 | 10 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $35,688 | $25,000 | 5,024,369 | 35 |
Highest paying states for residence hall directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Residence Hall Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $57,404 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | $54,458 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $57,112 |
| 4 | Michigan | $54,974 |
| 5 | Washington | $53,075 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $54,701 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $54,597 |
| 8 | Illinois | $49,852 |
| 9 | Montana | $51,557 |
| 10 | Louisiana | $46,917 |
| 11 | New York | $51,448 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $48,668 |
| 13 | California | $50,894 |
| 14 | Oregon | $48,452 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $50,668 |
| 16 | Alaska | $47,925 |
| 17 | Nevada | $49,605 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $49,543 |
| 19 | Iowa | $47,371 |
| 20 | Georgia | $47,077 |
| 21 | Maryland | $52,691 |
| 22 | Vermont | $47,312 |
| 23 | Florida | $49,046 |
| 24 | Maine | $49,687 |
| 25 | Alabama | $42,419 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $50,016 |
| 27 | Ohio | $44,747 |
| 28 | Idaho | $47,693 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $46,645 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $44,629 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $45,264 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $45,652 |
| 33 | Colorado | $42,708 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $44,631 |
| 35 | Texas | $41,884 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $48,400 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $37,258 |
| 38 | Delaware | $44,318 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $35,971 |
| 40 | Arizona | $40,398 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $39,525 |
| 42 | Utah | $40,452 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $39,564 |
| 44 | Virginia | $40,359 |
| 45 | Indiana | $38,465 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $36,630 |
| 47 | Kansas | $38,110 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $35,640 |
| 49 | Missouri | $36,791 |
| 50 | New Mexico | $38,069 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $35,688 |
Residence hall director best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
Search for residence hall director jobs
Updated January 8, 2025