How much does a legislative director make?

The average legislative director salary in the United States is $65,139. Legislative director salaries typically range between $30,000 and $141,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for legislative directors is $31.32 per hour. Legislative director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Legislative directors earn the highest average salary in Alaska.

Legislative director salary

Q: What state pays Legislative Directors the most?

Alaska pays Legislative Directors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $110,317 per year, or $53.04 per hour.

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

You know if you are being paid fairly as a legislative director if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Connecticut you should be paid close to $105,703 per year.

Average legislative director salary

$65,139

$31.32 hourly rate

Entry-level legislative director salary

$30,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Average Legislative Director Salary

The average salary for a Legislative Director is approximately $65,139 annually or around $31 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on geographic location, years of experience, and specific organizational roles. For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher compensation compared to others, reflecting the demand and cost of living in these areas.

Salary Insights by Experience

Entry-level legislative directors may start at lower salaries, while those with significant experience can command higher wages. Positions in larger cities or government offices generally provide better pay and benefits, making them attractive options for candidates looking to advance their careers.

Job Opportunities

Job seekers interested in this field should explore various opportunities at federal, state, and local levels. Networking within political circles and advocacy groups can also lead to valuable positions. As legislative priorities evolve, the demand for skilled directors continues to grow, presenting a positive outlook for future job seekers.

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Where can a Legislative Director earn more?

Compare salary by location

132k

112k

92k

72k

52k

32k

Columbus, OH$103,418

Lincoln, NE$61,846

Compare salary by company

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118k

98k

78k

58k

38k

18k

Ashland Hospital Corporation$124,280

Good Foods LLC$48,128

Legislative director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for a legislative director typically falls between $65,139 and $158,498.

zippia

$65,139yearly

glassdoor[1]

$158,498yearly

Salary.com[2]

$92,615yearly

ZipRecruiter[3]

$116,250yearly

payscale[4]

$93,067yearly

Average legislative director salary by state

The average legislative director salary in Alaska, Connecticut, and Delaware are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average legislative director salary states are Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Alabama.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for legislative directors

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Connecticut	$105,703	$50.82
2	Delaware	$105,433	$50.69
3	New Jersey	$102,164	$49.12
4	District of Columbia	$102,749	$49.40
5	New York	$93,649	$45.02
6	Massachusetts	$92,578	$44.51
7	Alaska	$110,317	$53.04
8	Vermont	$96,273	$46.29
9	California	$94,512	$45.44
10	Michigan	$94,051	$45.22
11	Illinois	$87,380	$42.01
12	Pennsylvania	$89,031	$42.80
13	Oregon	$85,872	$41.28
14	Nevada	$96,197	$46.25
15	Rhode Island	$88,155	$42.38
16	New Mexico	$86,251	$41.47
17	Virginia	$83,986	$40.38
18	Washington	$83,894	$40.33
19	North Dakota	$86,980	$41.82
20	Arkansas	$69,544	$33.43
21	Maryland	$80,845	$38.87
22	New Hampshire	$78,608	$37.79
23	South Dakota	$79,350	$38.15
24	Arizona	$73,579	$35.37
25	Wisconsin	$78,632	$37.80
26	Iowa	$66,522	$31.98
27	North Carolina	$75,244	$36.17
28	Louisiana	$66,273	$31.86
29	Maine	$75,431	$36.26
30	Indiana	$75,150	$36.13
31	Georgia	$70,265	$33.78
32	Hawaii	$85,618	$41.16
33	Ohio	$70,446	$33.87
34	Montana	$65,579	$31.53
35	West Virginia	$71,150	$34.21
36	Utah	$63,626	$30.59
37	Kansas	$71,034	$34.15
38	Oklahoma	$57,933	$27.85
39	Kentucky	$64,618	$31.07
40	Idaho	$66,685	$32.06
41	Minnesota	$65,465	$31.47
42	Alabama	$55,910	$26.88
43	Texas	$59,403	$28.56
44	Mississippi	$52,939	$25.45
45	Tennessee	$61,535	$29.58
46	Colorado	$63,430	$30.50
47	Nebraska	$62,470	$30.03
48	Missouri	$58,543	$28.15
49	Wyoming	$56,484	$27.16
50	Florida	$52,067	$25.03
51	South Carolina	$54,330	$26.12

Top legislative director jobs near you

Highest paying cities for legislative directors

The highest-paying cities for legislative directors are Washington, DC, Oakland, CA, and New York, NY.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Washington, DC	$103,418	$49.72
2	Oakland, CA	$100,431	$48.28
3	New York, NY	$94,073	$45.23
4	Boston, MA	$92,755	$44.59
5	Philadelphia, PA	$89,853	$43.20
6	Chicago, IL	$88,471	$42.53
7	Olympia, WA	$85,935	$41.31
8	Baltimore, MD	$81,192	$39.03
9	Indianapolis, IN	$74,320	$35.73
10	Saint Paul, MN	$65,606	$31.54
11	Denver, CO	$63,197	$30.38
12	Lincoln, NE	$61,846	$29.73

Legislative director salary details

A legislative director's salary ranges from $30,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $141,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average legislative director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a legislative director's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$141,000	$11,750	$68
75th Percentile	$97,000	$8,083	$47
Average	$65,139	$5,428	$31
25th Percentile	$43,000	$3,583	$21
10th Percentile	$30,000	$2,500	$14

Highest paying legislative director jobs

The highest paying types of legislative directors are vice president of communication, vice president of public relations, and director, customer relations.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Campaign Manager	$78,890	$6,574	$37.93	12,293
Vice President Of Communication	$156,662	$13,055	$75.32	43,726
Director Of Marketing And Public Relations	$86,626	$7,219	$41.65	94,651
Vice President Of Public Relations	$143,172	$11,931	$68.83	55,300
Manager Of Special Events	$56,716	$4,726	$27.27	15,818
Communications Officer	$40,161	$3,347	$19.31	73,260

Top companies hiring legislative directors now:

Which companies pay legislative directors the most?

Legislative director salaries at Ashland Hospital Corporation and Earthjustice are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average legislative director salary at companies like Chicago Public Schools and National Conference of State Legislatures are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Ashland Hospital Corporation	$124,280	$59.75
2	Earthjustice	$124,181	$59.70
3	Chicago Public Schools	$98,350	$47.28
4	National Conference of State Legislatures	$90,780	$43.64
5	ACLU of Wisconsin	$88,965	$42.77
6	New York State Restaurant Association	$85,463	$41.09
7	Service Employees International Union Local 205	$84,906	$40.82
8	United States Courts	$84,299	$40.53
9	City of Baltimore	$77,208	$37.12
10	Center for Biological Diversity	$71,991	$34.61
11	Washington State University	$71,291	$34.27
12	Minnesota State Fair	$71,200	$34.23
13	Minnesota Limited	$69,413	$33.37
14	Colorado State Express	$68,821	$33.09
15	State of Colorado	$54,537	$26.22
16	Indiana State Police	$49,795	$23.94
17	Good Foods LLC	$48,128	$23.14

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$62,000$60,200$58,400$56,600$54,800$53,000

MaleFemale

Legislative director salary trends

The average legislative director salary has risen by $15,300 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average legislative director earned $49,839 annually, but today, they earn $65,139 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for legislative directors over the last decade.

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

Average legislative director salary over time

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

Legislative director salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$65,100	$31.32	+3.9%
2024	$62,600	$30.09	+2.0%
2023	$61,300	$29.48	+3.1%
2022	$59,400	$28.58	+3.6%
2021	$57,300	$27.56	+3.0%

Recently added legislative director salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Maine Conservation Voters	Legislative Director	Augusta, ME	06/27/2025	$80,000
Earthjustice	Legislative Director, Climate and Energy	Washington, DC	06/10/2025	$164,000
State of New York	Legislative Director	Albany, NY	06/07/2025	$45,000
Earthjustice	Legislative Director, Climate and Energy	Washington, DC	05/18/2025	$164,000
Sierra Club	Legislative & Political Director	Raleigh, NC	04/28/2025	$90,000
State of New York	Legislative Director	Albany, NY	04/24/2025	$114,785
Earthjustice	Legislative Director, Climate and Energy	Washington, DC	03/26/2025	$164,000
State of New York	Director of State Legislative Affairs	Albany, NY	03/14/2025	$135,000
Oeconline	Legislative Director	Portland, OR	02/16/2025	$76,500
State of New York	Legislative Director/Senior Advisor	Albany, NY	01/28/2025	$50,000

Legislative director salary FAQs

What state pays Legislative Directors the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a legislative director?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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