How much does a finance director make?

The average finance director salary in the United States is $118,518. Finance director salaries typically range between $76,000 and $183,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for finance directors is $56.98 per hour. Finance director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Finance directors earn the highest average salary in California.

Finance director salary

Q: What state pays Finance Directors the most?

California pays Finance Directors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $137,128 per year, or $65.93 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a finance director?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a finance director if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Delaware you should be paid close to $131,884 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Finance Director?

A good starting salary for a finance director is $94,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a finance director in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for finance directors is $139,501, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a finance director can vary by state.

Q: How much do finance directors make per year?

Finance directors make around $90,000 in a year. The bottom 25% average around $60,000 while the top 25% make over $115,000 a year. This amount varies due to several factors, including experience level, industry, and company size.

Q: How much does a financial vice president make?

A financial vice president makes around $150,000 a year, on average. As an experienced and critical member of the executive team, a VP of Finance can expect to make between $90,000 and $200,000 per year. In addition, the compensation package will often include bonuses or profit-sharing as a perk of the executive position.

Q: What is the difference between a CFO and a VP of Finance?

The difference between a CFO and a VP of finance is that VPs often have a hands-on role in managing a company's finances, while CFOs are more involved in the strategic financial future of a firm. These roles are fairly similar but have different day-to-day tasks and levels of strategic involvement.

Quoted expert

Dr. William Wood Ph.D.

Average finance director salary

$118,518

$56.98 hourly rate

Entry-level finance director salary

$76,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average Finance Director Salary Overview

The salary for a Finance Director is influenced by various factors including geographic location, years of experience, and industry sector. As of October 2025, the average salary is $118,518 per year, with entry-level positions starting lower and senior roles commanding significantly higher pay. For instance, Finance Directors in the finance and insurance sectors often report some of the highest salaries.

Geographical disparities also play a crucial role. States such as New York and California consistently report higher salaries compared to the national average, reflecting the demand for skilled financial professionals in urban environments. Additionally, factors like company size and revenue can further impact compensation. For those aspiring to enter this field, gaining relevant experience and pursuing advanced degrees can enhance salary potential.

Salary by Experience Level

Experience significantly affects earnings. Entry-level Finance Directors might earn around $80,000, while those with over a decade of experience can exceed $150,000. As professionals advance, their responsibilities tend to increase, justifying the higher salaries. Understanding these trends can assist individuals in making informed career decisions and navigating their professional journeys effectively.

On this page

Finance director salary by:

Let Zippia find your next finance director job

Let Zippia find your next finance director job

Where can a Finance Director earn more?

Compare salary by location

170k

150k

130k

110k

90k

70k

Columbus, OH$144,203

Minneapolis, MN$100,307

Compare salary by company

230k

210k

190k

170k

150k

Meta$216,489

PVH$179,944

Finance director salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level finance director	$81,500	$39.18
Mid-level finance director	$126,000	$60.64
Senior-level finance director	$194,000	$93.20

Finance director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a finance director typically falls between $118,518 and $243,490.

zippia

$118,518yearly

glassdoor[1]

$243,490yearly

comparably[2]

$122,484yearly

Salary.com[3]

$196,580yearly

ZipRecruiter[4]

$124,750yearly

payscale[5]

$119,984yearly

Average finance director salary by state

The highest-paying states for finance directors are California, Delaware, and New York. The lowest average finance director salary states are Montana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for finance directors

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Delaware	$131,884	$63.41
2	California	$137,128	$65.93
3	New York	$129,953	$62.48
4	Massachusetts	$125,762	$60.46
5	Connecticut	$118,828	$57.13
6	New Jersey	$123,313	$59.29
7	Pennsylvania	$117,611	$56.54
8	Michigan	$114,064	$54.84
9	Texas	$107,090	$51.49
10	Utah	$103,510	$49.76
11	Nevada	$108,374	$52.10
12	North Dakota	$104,697	$50.34
13	Virginia	$109,941	$52.86
14	District of Columbia	$112,726	$54.20
15	Washington	$106,532	$51.22
16	Oregon	$109,404	$52.60
17	Arizona	$105,372	$50.66
18	North Carolina	$102,326	$49.20
19	Illinois	$102,741	$49.39
20	Maryland	$109,416	$52.60
21	Vermont	$105,556	$50.75
22	Arkansas	$93,096	$44.76
23	Rhode Island	$100,902	$48.51
24	Maine	$102,023	$49.05
25	Minnesota	$100,231	$48.19
26	New Hampshire	$102,349	$49.21
27	Indiana	$101,451	$48.77
28	Wisconsin	$95,035	$45.69
29	Ohio	$99,164	$47.67
30	Colorado	$97,666	$46.95
31	Hawaii	$99,247	$47.71
32	Louisiana	$90,191	$43.36
33	Alabama	$89,407	$42.98
34	Iowa	$88,768	$42.68
35	Nebraska	$95,376	$45.85
36	Wyoming	$88,968	$42.77
37	Georgia	$93,487	$44.95
38	West Virginia	$93,030	$44.73
39	Kentucky	$93,622	$45.01
40	Mississippi	$84,765	$40.75
41	Idaho	$94,267	$45.32
42	New Mexico	$94,500	$45.43
43	Tennessee	$89,727	$43.14
44	Kansas	$93,824	$45.11
45	Oklahoma	$84,579	$40.66
46	Missouri	$89,900	$43.22
47	Florida	$83,147	$39.97
48	South Carolina	$87,076	$41.86
49	South Dakota	$84,304	$40.53
50	Montana	$85,255	$40.99
51	Alaska	$74,182	$35.66

Top finance director jobs near you

Highest paying cities for finance directors

The highest-paying cities for finance directors are Palo Alto, CA, New York, NY, and Boston, MA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Palo Alto, CA	$144,203	$69.33
2	New York, NY	$131,112	$63.03
3	Boston, MA	$126,352	$60.75
4	Jersey City, NJ	$124,042	$59.64
5	Hartford, CT	$118,875	$57.15
6	Philadelphia, PA	$118,567	$57.00
7	Detroit, MI	$114,628	$55.11
8	Washington, DC	$112,965	$54.31
9	Reston, VA	$111,422	$53.57
10	Baltimore, MD	$109,842	$52.81
11	San Antonio, TX	$109,661	$52.72
12	Beaverton, OR	$108,939	$52.37
13	Las Vegas, NV	$108,708	$52.26
14	Seattle, WA	$106,813	$51.35
15	Phoenix, AZ	$105,622	$50.78
16	Raleigh, NC	$103,846	$49.93
17	Chicago, IL	$103,246	$49.64
18	Portland, ME	$102,930	$49.49
19	Indianapolis, IN	$101,144	$48.63
20	Minneapolis, MN	$100,307	$48.22

Finance Directors are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Finance director salary details

A finance director's salary ranges from $76,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $183,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average finance director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a finance director's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$183,000	$15,250	$88
75th Percentile	$149,000	$12,417	$72
Average	$118,518	$9,877	$57
25th Percentile	$94,000	$7,833	$45
10th Percentile	$76,000	$6,333	$37

Highest paying finance director jobs

The highest paying types of finance directors are chief finance and operating officer, controller, vice president, and finance vice president.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Director Of Administration & Finance	$109,366	$9,114	$52.58	80,486
Director Of Operations And Finance	$118,503	$9,875	$56.97	186,569
Controller, Vice President	$161,965	$13,497	$77.87	67,401
Manager Finance Planning And Analysis	$106,888	$8,907	$51.39	111,706
Director Of Business Operations	$111,945	$9,329	$53.82	202,032
Business Manager-Finance Manager	$106,036	$8,836	$50.98	180,161

How would you rate the starting salaries for finance directors, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. William Wood Ph.D.

Academic Unit Head, Economics; Director, Center for Economic Education, James Madison University

Starting salaries in economics are good -- better than for most college degrees -- and they get better as economics majors advance in their careers. Economics prepares people for leadership, and people with good leadership skills are often drawn to economics. Both effects operate to give us this observation that economics majors do well in their careers.

Top companies hiring finance directors now:

Which companies pay finance directors the most?

Finance director salaries at Meta and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average finance director salary at companies like Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners and Barclays are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Meta	$216,489	$104.08
2	Google	$207,286	$99.66
3	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$206,472	$99.27
4	Barclays	$202,314	$97.27
5	Proskauer Rose	$201,619	$96.93
6	Citi	$193,509	$93.03
7	Chegg	$193,445	$93.00
8	McKinsey & Company Inc	$192,051	$92.33
9	The Rockefeller Foundation	$191,802	$92.21
10	Deutsche Bank	$191,679	$92.15
11	Centerbridge Partners	$190,784	$91.72
12	Cohen & Steers	$189,274	$91.00
13	Genentech	$188,428	$90.59
14	Uber Technologies	$187,076	$89.94
15	BNY Mellon	$185,801	$89.33
16	MUFG EMEA	$183,039	$88.00
17	Boston Consulting Group	$182,660	$87.82
18	Archdiocese of Omaha	$182,081	$87.54
19	Cisco	$180,148	$86.61
20	PVH	$179,944	$86.51

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$125,000$122,200$119,400$116,600$113,800$111,000

MaleFemale

Finance Director salary by industry

The average finance director salary varies across industries:

The average finance director salary in the manufacturing industry is $128,738, the highest of any industry.
The average finance director salary in the finance industry is $126,115.
Finance directors in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $104,844, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for finance directors

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Manufacturing	$128,738	$61.89
2	Finance	$126,115	$60.63
3	Automotive	$125,942	$60.55
4	Media	$124,609	$59.91
5	Technology	$120,138	$57.76
6	Retail	$117,992	$56.73
7	Professional	$113,124	$54.39
8	Health Care	$112,140	$53.91
9	Hospitality	$104,844	$50.41

High paying finance director jobs

Finance director salary trends

The average finance director salary has risen by $23,866 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average finance director earned $94,652 annually, but today, they earn $118,518 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for finance directors over the last decade.

Compare finance director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average finance director salary over time

Compare finance director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Finance director salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$119,000	$56.98	+3.2%
2024	$115,000	$55.16	+1.5%
2023	$113,000	$54.35	+2.3%
2022	$110,000	$53.12	+2.7%
2021	$108,000	$51.70	+3.1%

Recently added finance director salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Wheels	Director, Financial Planning and Analysis	Schaumburg, IL	06/30/2025	$139,700
Blue Origin	New Glenn Finance Director	Seattle, WA	06/30/2025	$182,450
Aaamidatlantic	Director, Strategic Finance	Wilmington, DE	06/30/2025	$141,769
Envirovoters	Finance Director	Los Angeles, CA	06/30/2025	$145,000
Envirovoters	Finance Director	Noble, LA	06/30/2025	$145,000
Alliance Resource Group	Director of Finance	Downey, CA	06/29/2025	$160,000
Hub Group	Director, Finance	Oak Brook, IL	06/29/2025	$125,000
Rossstores	Director, Financial Planning and Analysis	Dublin, CA	06/29/2025	$128,300
MUFG Americas Holdings	Global Financial Crimes Governance & Oversight, Director	Irving, TX	06/29/2025	$180,000
Perspecta	Program Finance Director	Reston, VA	06/29/2025	$146,000