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Director of sales & business development salary

Quoted expert
Brian Bates

Average director of sales & business development salary

$82,585

$39.7 hourly rate

Entry-level director of sales & business development salary
$38,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding the Salary of a Director of Sales & Business Development

The average salary for a Director of Sales & Business Development is approximately $82,585 annually. This figure can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the industry in which one works.

Salary by State

For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the increased cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. In contrast, states with a lower cost of living may provide salaries that are more modest.

Highest Paying Cities

Cities such as San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles are known for offering competitive compensation packages, making them attractive locations for job seekers in this field. Additionally, industries like technology and finance typically offer higher salaries compared to others.

Career Advancement Opportunities

As professionals gain experience, they can expect salary increases and opportunities to advance to higher-level positions, further impacting their earning potential. Understanding these dynamics can aid candidates in negotiating their salaries effectively and making informed career decisions.

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Where can a Director Of Sales & Business Development earn more?

Compare salary by location
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136k
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36k
Columbus, OH$118,270
Atlanta, GA$65,648
Compare salary by company
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206k
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86k
Mastercard$185,405
BioDuro-Sundia$115,505

Average director of sales & business development salary by state

The average director of sales & business development salary in Oregon, Washington, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average director of sales & business development salary states are Mississippi, Arkansas, and Georgia.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for directors of sales & business development

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Oregon$115,254$55.41
2North Dakota$106,526$51.21
3Vermont$113,182$54.41
4Michigan$100,000$48.08
5Pennsylvania$105,830$50.88
6New Jersey$113,810$54.72
7Washington$113,957$54.79
8Minnesota$96,809$46.54
9Maine$112,788$54.23
10Ohio$96,727$46.50
11Montana$95,358$45.85
12Virginia$110,149$52.96
13District of Columbia$108,636$52.23
14Wisconsin$96,440$46.37
15Massachusetts$108,160$52.00
16Connecticut$107,512$51.69
17Rhode Island$100,855$48.49
18New York$106,025$50.97
19Maryland$110,124$52.94
20Nevada$89,400$42.98
21West Virginia$92,368$44.41
22Arizona$93,435$44.92
23Missouri$89,393$42.98
24South Dakota$84,126$40.45
25Delaware$98,583$47.40
26Iowa$80,745$38.82
27New Hampshire$96,113$46.21
28California$98,160$47.19
29Wyoming$82,244$39.54
30Indiana$84,403$40.58
31Nebraska$80,034$38.48
32Kentucky$82,704$39.76
33Idaho$90,133$43.33
34New Mexico$77,939$37.47
35North Carolina$87,754$42.19
36Illinois$86,062$41.38
37Tennessee$76,786$36.92
38Arkansas$66,127$31.79
39Kansas$70,227$33.76
40Alaska$75,376$36.24
41Colorado$88,680$42.63
42Mississippi$66,934$32.18
43Alabama$67,001$32.21
44Hawaii$79,273$38.11
45Oklahoma$62,013$29.81
46Louisiana$60,910$29.28
47South Carolina$67,863$32.63
48Utah$77,366$37.20
49Florida$67,612$32.51
50Georgia$65,623$31.55
51Texas$63,998$30.77
Top director of sales & business development jobs near you

Highest paying cities for directors of sales & business development

The highest-paying cities for directors of sales & business development are Arlington, VA, Seattle, WA, and Piscataway, NJ.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Arlington, VA$118,270$56.86
2Seattle, WA$116,436$55.98
3Piscataway, NJ$116,373$55.95
4Baltimore, MD$113,530$54.58
5Washington, DC$111,127$53.43
6Albany, NY$110,552$53.15
7Cambridge, MA$109,874$52.82
8San Francisco, CA$109,700$52.74
9Philadelphia, PA$108,387$52.11
10Akron, OH$102,006$49.04
11Ann Arbor, MI$100,202$48.17
12Minneapolis, MN$97,422$46.84
13Madison, WI$95,638$45.98
14Scottsdale, AZ$95,245$45.79
15Durham, NC$90,962$43.73
16Broomfield, CO$89,531$43.04
17Chicago, IL$87,120$41.88
18Indianapolis, IN$83,623$40.20
19Albuquerque, NM$78,619$37.80
20Atlanta, GA$65,648$31.56

Director of sales & business development salary details

A director of sales & business development's salary ranges from $38,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $176,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average director of sales & business development salary graph
Average director of sales & business development salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a director of sales & business development's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$176,000$14,667$85
75th Percentile$123,000$10,250$59
Average$82,585$6,882$40
25th Percentile$55,000$4,583$26
10th Percentile$38,000$3,167$18

Highest paying director of sales & business development jobs

The highest paying types of directors of sales & business development are head of sales, vice president, business development, and director of product development.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
National Sales Director$99,665$8,305$47.9299,107
Regional Sales Director$117,369$9,781$56.4397,379
Head Of Sales$166,100$13,842$79.86112,592
Business Director$124,563$10,380$59.89137,880
Director, Inside Sales$57,509$4,792$27.65105,811
Business Development Account Manager$99,209$8,267$47.70222,573

How would you rate the starting salaries for Directors of sales & business development, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Brian Bates

Professor, Longwood University

Many of our graduates who go directly into the workforce (instead of going to graduate school) will start a cultural resource management job doing compliance archaeology as a field technician. These positions typically have a starting pay between $14 and $18 per hour, which averages $28,000 - $36,000 per year. This is consistent with most liberal arts majors in their first year out of college. Without a doubt, these numbers are lower than, say, starting salaries for a business major. However, several recent studies have shown that people with liberal arts and sciences degrees see their earnings catch up to their peers with professional or engineering degrees over time.

Further salary growth in our field, though, ultimately requires a graduate degree, so I encourage my students to think about that as a component of their career strategy.

While money is essential; we cannot live without it; it is not the only measure of success. I tell my students that they will be working for a long time, perhaps 40 or more years. With that in mind, it is equally, if not more important, that you enjoy what you do. Happiness in life - your work, home, relationships - is directly related to longevity. The key to living a happy life is not just money, but in doing those things that bring you fulfillment and a sense of purpose.

Top companies hiring directors of sales & business development now:

  1. Cisco jobs (5)
  2. Commvault jobs (2)
  3. Avanade jobs (3)
  4. Lucent jobs (3)
  5. Ericsson jobs (8)

Which companies pay directors of sales & business development the most?

Director of sales & business development salaries at Mastercard and Commvault are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average director of sales & business development salary at companies like Avanade and Proton OnSite are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Mastercard$185,405$89.14
2Commvault$178,367$85.75
3Avanade$178,062$85.61
4Proton OnSite$178,058$85.60
5AmerisourceBergen$166,660$80.13
6Routematch$163,988$78.84
7QuintilesIMS$157,827$75.88
8Persistent Systems$153,879$73.98
9QuinStreet$150,371$72.29
10Cengage Learning$143,299$68.89
11Reinsurance Group of America$134,131$64.49
12MaCher$132,522$63.71
13Korn Ferry$127,601$61.35
14Samsung Next$127,360$61.23
15Tivix$122,423$58.86
16Acacia Communications$119,742$57.57
17BI WORLDWIDE$118,615$57.03
18May Mobility$116,176$55.85
19Markit North America, Inc.$115,505$55.53
20BioDuro-Sundia$115,505$55.53

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$83,000$79,400$75,800$72,200$68,600$65,000
MaleFemale

Director Of Sales & Business Development salary by industry

The average director of sales & business development salary varies across industries:

  • The average director of sales & business development salary in the technology industry is $127,443, the highest of any industry.
  • The average director of sales & business development salary in the finance industry is $114,860.
  • Directors of sales & business development in the professional industry earn an average salary of $74,465, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for directors of sales & business development

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Technology$127,443$61.27
2Start-up$114,860$55.22
3Manufacturing$108,667$52.24
4Media$108,438$52.13
5Retail$108,109$51.98
6Health Care$102,609$49.33
7Professional$74,465$35.80

High paying director of sales & business development jobs

Director of sales & business development salary trends

The average director of sales & business development salary has risen by $19,134 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average director of sales & business development earned $63,451 annually, but today, they earn $82,585 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for directors of sales & business development over the last decade.

Compare director of sales & business development salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average director of sales & business development salary over time

Compare director of sales & business development salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Director of sales & business development salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$82,600$39.70+4.3%
2025$79,100$38.01+1.9%
2024$77,500$37.28+2.5%
2023$75,600$36.33+2.6%
2022$73,600$35.40+3.5%

Recently added director of sales & business development salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Mac's ListSales-Business Development DirectorSeattle, WA06/24/2025$135,000
Dimensional Fund AdvisorsSales & Business Development-Regional DirectorCharlotte, NC06/20/2025$155,000
Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (Semiconductor & DisplayDirector, Foundry Sales and Business DevelopmentSan Jose, CA06/18/2025$200,200
Siemens CorporationDirector of Sales and Business Development-MobilityNew York, NY06/18/2025$184,900
GreenslateDirector, Sales & New Business DevelopmentNew York, NY06/08/2025$175,000
XpansivDirector, Power Sales and Business DevelopmentNew York, NY05/21/2025$155,000
Dimensional Fund AdvisorsSales & Business Development-Regional DirectorCharlotte, NC05/15/2025$155,000
MillimanDirector of Sales and Business DevelopmentTampa, FL05/05/2025$104,900
The Jackson LaboratorySenior Director, Sales & Business DevelopmentBar Harbor, ME05/05/2025$157,688
MillimanDirector of Sales and Business DevelopmentBerwyn, PA05/04/2025$104,900

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