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Best states for a residence life director
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for residence life directors in the United States. Residence life director positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for residence life directors.As residence life directors are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for residence life directors. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a residence life director, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
We figured that the best places for residence life 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 residence life director, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for residence life directors in 2025
1. Connecticut
Total residence life director jobs: 63 Average annual salary: $69,191 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Location Quotient: 0.65
2. Nevada
Total residence life director jobs: 56 Average annual salary: $59,575 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
3. District of Columbia
Total residence life director jobs: 66 Average annual salary: $66,170 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
4. New York
Total residence life director jobs: 494 Average annual salary: $62,413 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
5. South Dakota
Total residence life director jobs: 191 Average annual salary: $54,788 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 6.09
6. Arizona
Total residence life director jobs: 84 Average annual salary: $62,635 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 0.49
7. Louisiana
Total residence life director jobs: 505 Average annual salary: $54,781 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Location Quotient: 5.39
8. Massachusetts
Total residence life director jobs: 234 Average annual salary: $58,840 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
9. Oregon
Total residence life director jobs: 92 Average annual salary: $57,689 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000 Location Quotient: 0.76
10. New Jersey
Total residence life director jobs: 195 Average annual salary: $58,141 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 0.84
Residence life director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a residence life director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a residence life director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $69,191 | $41,000 | 3,588,184 | 63 |
| 2 | Nevada | $59,575 | $38,000 | 2,998,039 | 56 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $66,170 | $40,000 | 693,972 | 66 |
| 4 | New York | $62,413 | $37,000 | 19,849,399 | 494 |
| 5 | South Dakota | $54,788 | $39,000 | 869,666 | 191 |
| 6 | Arizona | $62,635 | $40,000 | 7,016,270 | 84 |
| 7 | Louisiana | $54,781 | $34,000 | 4,684,333 | 505 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $58,840 | $35,000 | 6,859,819 | 234 |
| 9 | Oregon | $57,689 | $38,000 | 4,142,776 | 92 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $58,141 | $35,000 | 9,005,644 | 195 |
| 11 | Indiana | $59,066 | $38,000 | 6,666,818 | 81 |
| 12 | Maryland | $63,682 | $39,000 | 6,052,177 | 84 |
| 13 | California | $59,407 | $37,000 | 39,536,653 | 740 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $53,922 | $32,000 | 1,059,639 | 38 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $52,306 | $35,000 | 5,795,483 | 126 |
| 16 | Idaho | $52,728 | $36,000 | 1,716,943 | 49 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $55,549 | $35,000 | 1,815,857 | 23 |
| 18 | Ohio | $56,209 | $36,000 | 11,658,609 | 148 |
| 19 | Montana | $55,308 | $41,000 | 1,050,493 | 21 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $54,581 | $33,000 | 12,805,537 | 212 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $54,391 | $39,000 | 579,315 | 9 |
| 22 | Michigan | $53,210 | $34,000 | 9,962,311 | 143 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $52,411 | $36,000 | 5,576,606 | 129 |
| 24 | Alabama | $48,840 | $31,000 | 4,874,747 | 505 |
| 25 | Maine | $55,039 | $32,000 | 1,335,907 | 16 |
| 26 | Vermont | $52,543 | $31,000 | 623,657 | 15 |
| 27 | Alaska | $50,018 | $40,000 | 739,795 | 31 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $51,565 | $33,000 | 4,454,189 | 55 |
| 29 | Iowa | $47,168 | $32,000 | 3,145,711 | 545 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $51,503 | $32,000 | 10,273,419 | 176 |
| 31 | Missouri | $50,437 | $34,000 | 6,113,532 | 109 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $47,418 | $35,000 | 755,393 | 18 |
| 33 | Texas | $48,798 | $31,000 | 28,304,596 | 392 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $47,478 | $33,000 | 1,920,076 | 46 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $52,230 | $31,000 | 1,342,795 | 20 |
| 36 | Delaware | $53,661 | $32,000 | 961,939 | 10 |
| 37 | Washington | $49,672 | $34,000 | 7,405,743 | 141 |
| 38 | Florida | $50,180 | $31,000 | 20,984,400 | 249 |
| 39 | Colorado | $47,433 | $34,000 | 5,607,154 | 128 |
| 40 | Georgia | $48,815 | $31,000 | 10,429,379 | 192 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $43,080 | $28,000 | 2,984,100 | 309 |
| 42 | Virginia | $48,232 | $29,000 | 8,470,020 | 182 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $40,847 | $27,000 | 3,004,279 | 488 |
| 44 | Kansas | $43,235 | $30,000 | 2,913,123 | 68 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $41,155 | $28,000 | 3,930,864 | 450 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $50,358 | $44,000 | 1,427,538 | 8 |
| 47 | Utah | $44,720 | $31,000 | 3,101,833 | 49 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $45,725 | $30,000 | 6,715,984 | 73 |
| 49 | Illinois | $43,982 | $29,000 | 12,802,023 | 233 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $47,291 | $30,000 | 5,024,369 | 59 |
| 51 | New Mexico | $43,714 | $29,000 | 2,088,070 | 27 |
Highest paying states for residence life directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Residence Life Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $69,191 |
| 2 | Nevada | $59,575 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $66,170 |
| 4 | New York | $62,413 |
| 5 | South Dakota | $54,788 |
| 6 | Arizona | $62,635 |
| 7 | Louisiana | $54,781 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $58,840 |
| 9 | Oregon | $57,689 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $58,141 |
| 11 | Indiana | $59,066 |
| 12 | Maryland | $63,682 |
| 13 | California | $59,407 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $53,922 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $52,306 |
| 16 | Idaho | $52,728 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $55,549 |
| 18 | Ohio | $56,209 |
| 19 | Montana | $55,308 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $54,581 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $54,391 |
| 22 | Michigan | $53,210 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $52,411 |
| 24 | Alabama | $48,840 |
| 25 | Maine | $55,039 |
| 26 | Vermont | $52,543 |
| 27 | Alaska | $50,018 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $51,565 |
| 29 | Iowa | $47,168 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $51,503 |
| 31 | Missouri | $50,437 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $47,418 |
| 33 | Texas | $48,798 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $47,478 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $52,230 |
| 36 | Delaware | $53,661 |
| 37 | Washington | $49,672 |
| 38 | Florida | $50,180 |
| 39 | Colorado | $47,433 |
| 40 | Georgia | $48,815 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $43,080 |
| 42 | Virginia | $48,232 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $40,847 |
| 44 | Kansas | $43,235 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $41,155 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $50,358 |
| 47 | Utah | $44,720 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $45,725 |
| 49 | Illinois | $43,982 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $47,291 |
| 51 | New Mexico | $43,714 |
Residence life director best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025