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Safety director salary
Average safety director salary
$85,687
Understanding Safety Director Salaries
The role of a Safety Director is critical in maintaining a safe working environment across various industries. As of October 2025, the average salary for a Safety Director is $85,687 annually or approximately $41 per hour. Factors such as years of experience, geographic location, and the specific industry significantly influence salary levels.
Salary Variations by State
In states like California and New York, Safety Directors tend to earn higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for safety compliance. For instance, the highest paying states for this role include:
- California: $95,000
- New York: $92,000
- Texas: $88,500
In addition, Safety Directors working in industries such as construction and manufacturing often see higher compensation packages. This role not only demands expertise in safety regulations but also requires leadership skills to effectively manage teams and cultivate a safety-first culture. For those seeking to advance in this career, gaining certifications and additional qualifications can be beneficial.
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Where can a Safety Director earn more?
Safety director salary estimates from across the web
Average safety director salary by state
The average safety director salary in California, Nevada, and Utah are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average safety director salary states are Hawaii, Nebraska, and Louisiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for safety directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $130,119 | $62.56 |
| 2 | Nevada | $124,894 | $60.05 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $110,642 | $53.19 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $112,636 | $54.15 |
| 5 | Utah | $112,530 | $54.10 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $99,642 | $47.90 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $106,355 | $51.13 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $96,156 | $46.23 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $99,268 | $47.73 |
| 10 | North Dakota | $97,663 | $46.95 |
| 11 | Michigan | $91,658 | $44.07 |
| 12 | Washington | $101,382 | $48.74 |
| 13 | Arkansas | $84,434 | $40.59 |
| 14 | Tennessee | $88,396 | $42.50 |
| 15 | Virginia | $94,362 | $45.37 |
| 16 | Oregon | $96,333 | $46.31 |
| 17 | Texas | $95,528 | $45.93 |
| 18 | West Virginia | $93,950 | $45.17 |
| 19 | Alabama | $82,159 | $39.50 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $82,922 | $39.87 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $87,136 | $41.89 |
| 22 | Vermont | $96,002 | $46.15 |
| 23 | Indiana | $85,333 | $41.03 |
| 24 | Ohio | $86,052 | $41.37 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $87,553 | $42.09 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $74,400 | $35.77 |
| 27 | New York | $88,078 | $42.35 |
| 28 | Colorado | $90,805 | $43.66 |
| 29 | Idaho | $82,721 | $39.77 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $76,134 | $36.60 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $86,518 | $41.60 |
| 32 | Iowa | $68,395 | $32.88 |
| 33 | North Carolina | $70,043 | $33.67 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | $73,070 | $35.13 |
| 35 | Alaska | $73,122 | $35.15 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $65,027 | $31.26 |
| 37 | Maine | $72,712 | $34.96 |
| 38 | Missouri | $70,341 | $33.82 |
| 39 | Georgia | $67,345 | $32.38 |
| 40 | Delaware | $76,944 | $36.99 |
| 41 | Arizona | $73,984 | $35.57 |
| 42 | Kansas | $71,109 | $34.19 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $60,529 | $29.10 |
| 44 | Maryland | $75,157 | $36.13 |
| 45 | Florida | $64,367 | $30.95 |
| 46 | Montana | $70,794 | $34.04 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $70,878 | $34.08 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $65,945 | $31.70 |
| 49 | Illinois | $68,212 | $32.79 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $65,299 | $31.39 |
| 51 | Wisconsin | $64,452 | $30.99 |
Highest paying cities for safety directors
The highest-paying cities for safety directors are South San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Salt Lake City, UT.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South San Francisco, CA | $144,567 | $69.50 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $112,642 | $54.15 |
| 3 | Salt Lake City, UT | $111,478 | $53.60 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $106,299 | $51.11 |
| 5 | Bellingham, WA | $101,967 | $49.02 |
| 6 | Midland, TX | $100,946 | $48.53 |
| 7 | Bristol, CT | $99,321 | $47.75 |
| 8 | West Fargo, ND | $97,739 | $46.99 |
| 9 | Midland, MI | $90,916 | $43.71 |
| 10 | Centennial, CO | $90,711 | $43.61 |
| 11 | Valley Stream, NY | $88,407 | $42.50 |
| 12 | Chattanooga, TN | $87,745 | $42.19 |
| 13 | Saint Paul, MN | $86,592 | $41.63 |
| 14 | Rockville, MD | $75,018 | $36.07 |
| 15 | Anchorage, AK | $73,465 | $35.32 |
| 16 | Philadelphia, PA | $73,299 | $35.24 |
| 17 | Raleigh, NC | $71,626 | $34.44 |
| 18 | Kansas City, MO | $70,309 | $33.80 |
| 19 | Chicago, IL | $68,533 | $32.95 |
| 20 | Atlanta, GA | $68,094 | $32.74 |
Safety director salary details
A safety director's salary ranges from $55,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $131,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a safety director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $131,000 | $10,917 | $63 |
| 75th Percentile | $107,000 | $8,917 | $51 |
| Average | $85,687 | $7,141 | $41 |
| 25th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
| 10th Percentile | $55,000 | $4,583 | $26 |
Highest paying safety director jobs
The highest paying types of safety directors are project safety manager, ehs manager, and environmental health and safety director.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Hygienist | $68,173 | $5,681 | $32.78 | 23,048 |
| Manager, Environmental And Safety | $87,111 | $7,259 | $41.88 | 32,473 |
| EHS Manager | $94,320 | $7,860 | $45.35 | 15,758 |
| Environmental Health Safety Manager | $85,594 | $7,133 | $41.15 | 76,277 |
| EHS Coordinator | $61,416 | $5,118 | $29.53 | 10,790 |
| Health And Safety Manager | $85,606 | $7,134 | $41.16 | 71,325 |
Top companies hiring safety directors now:
Which companies pay safety directors the most?
Safety director salaries at Genentech and AstraZeneca are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average safety director salary at companies like Instacart and Bristol-Myers Squibb are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genentech | $134,808 | $64.81 |
| 2 | AstraZeneca | $129,222 | $62.13 |
| 3 | Instacart | $126,736 | $60.93 |
| 4 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $122,755 | $59.02 |
| 5 | Ecolab | $117,236 | $56.36 |
| 6 | Rosendin Electric | $115,547 | $55.55 |
| 7 | Amgen | $114,598 | $55.10 |
| 8 | Regeneron | $111,764 | $53.73 |
| 9 | Daiichi Sankyo | $107,597 | $51.73 |
| 10 | Rockstar Games | $106,608 | $51.25 |
| 11 | Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.c. Or Aza | $104,630 | $50.30 |
| 12 | Johnson & Johnson | $104,198 | $50.10 |
| 13 | Nucor | $102,667 | $49.36 |
| 14 | Sysco | $102,273 | $49.17 |
| 15 | Lbj | $99,977 | $48.07 |
| 16 | Northrop Grumman | $99,498 | $47.84 |
| 17 | Medstar Health | $98,991 | $47.59 |
| 18 | Hilton Grand Vacations | $98,754 | $47.48 |
| 19 | Jacobs Engineering Group | $97,585 | $46.92 |
| 20 | EMCOR Group | $97,374 | $46.81 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Safety Director salary by industry
The average safety director salary varies across industries:
- The average safety director salary in the construction industry is $87,253, the highest of any industry.
- The average safety director salary in the finance industry is $85,250.
- Safety directors in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $71,669, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for safety directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction | $87,253 | $41.95 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $85,250 | $40.99 |
| 3 | Energy | $81,424 | $39.15 |
| 4 | Transportation | $78,164 | $37.58 |
| 5 | Health Care | $77,670 | $37.34 |
| 6 | Utilities | $76,199 | $36.63 |
| 7 | Hospitality | $71,669 | $34.46 |
High paying safety director jobs
Safety director salary trends
The average safety director salary has risen by $17,066 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average safety director earned $68,621 annually, but today, they earn $85,687 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for safety directors over the last decade.
Compare safety director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average safety director salary over time
Compare safety director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Safety director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $85,700 | $41.20 | +3.0% |
| 2025 | $83,100 | $39.96 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | $81,000 | $38.96 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | $80,500 | $38.69 | +2.0% |
| 2022 | $78,800 | $37.91 | +2.4% |
Recently added safety director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideaya Biosciences | Director, Safety Science | South San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $235,144 |
| Mortenson | Operating Group Safety Director-Civil | Minneapolis, MN | 06/27/2025 | $133,300 |
| Cookunity | Director of Workplace Safety | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $150,000 |
| Actalent | Safety Director | Phoenix, AZ | 06/27/2025 | $125,000 |
| Sitio de Experiencia de Candidatos | Director of Security and Safety | Houston, TX | 06/27/2025 | $74,000 |
| Marriott International | Director of Security and Safety | Houston, TX | 06/26/2025 | $74,000 |
| Community College of Allegheny County | Director of Security/Safety (REG | Pittsburgh, PA | 06/26/2025 | $67,530 |
| Alamo Heights Independent School District (Tx | Director of Safety and Security | San Antonio, TX | 06/26/2025 | $68,485 |
| Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company | Safety Director | McKinney, TX | 06/25/2025 | $145,000 |
| Interstate Waste Services, Inc. | Director of Safety | Chester, NY | 06/25/2025 | $140,000 |
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