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Managing director salary

Average managing director salary

$129,690

$62.35 hourly rate

Entry-level managing director salary
$72,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Managing Director Salary Overview

The role of a managing director is pivotal in any organization, often involving strategic decision-making and leadership responsibilities. As of October 2025, the average salary for managing directors in the United States is $129,690 annually. This figure, however, can fluctuate based on a range of factors, including industry, location, and years of experience.

Factors Influencing Salary

  • Industry: Sectors like finance and technology tend to offer higher salaries compared to non-profit or public sectors.
  • Location: States such as California and New York consistently rank among the highest-paying states for managing directors.
  • Experience Level: As professionals gain more experience, their salary potential increases significantly.

To maximize earning potential, aspiring managing directors should consider seeking opportunities in high-paying industries and locations. Continuous professional development and networking can also contribute to career advancement. For those aiming for leadership roles, understanding the salary landscape and job market trends is essential. Explore positions on job boards like Zippia to find opportunities suited to your skills and aspirations.

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Where can a Managing Director earn more?

Compare salary by location
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198k
178k
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118k
98k
78k
Columbus, OH$184,800
Portland, OR$107,968
Compare salary by company
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354k
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Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison$337,423
State Street$264,192

Managing director salaries by experience level

Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level managing director$53,400$25.68
Mid-level managing director$82,500$39.66
Senior-level managing director$150,000$71.92

Managing director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a managing director typically falls between $106,500 and $817,356.
zippia
$129,690yearly
glassdoor[1]
$313,406yearly
indeed[2]
$137,166yearly
comparably[3]
$330,663yearly
Salary.com[4]
$817,356yearly
ZipRecruiter[5]
$106,500yearly
payscale[6]
$165,405yearly

Average managing director salary by state

The average managing director salary in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average managing director salary states are Iowa, Missouri, and Mississippi.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for managing directors

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York$166,113$79.86
2Connecticut$153,104$73.61
3Delaware$140,200$67.40
4New Jersey$147,835$71.07
5Massachusetts$142,536$68.53
6District of Columbia$148,131$71.22
7Louisiana$130,354$62.67
8South Dakota$124,974$60.08
9Rhode Island$134,195$64.52
10North Carolina$129,906$62.45
11California$133,285$64.08
12Virginia$132,993$63.94
13Illinois$120,339$57.86
14Wisconsin$122,626$58.95
15Washington$122,606$58.95
16Ohio$121,307$58.32
17Colorado$123,872$59.55
18Alabama$114,257$54.93
19Texas$116,464$55.99
20Pennsylvania$118,631$57.03
21Maryland$127,037$61.08
22Maine$117,967$56.71
23Michigan$122,159$58.73
24New Hampshire$118,701$57.07
25Nevada$115,963$55.75
26Vermont$111,597$53.65
27Tennessee$115,829$55.69
28West Virginia$103,195$49.61
29South Carolina$105,613$50.78
30Georgia$109,827$52.80
31Oregon$107,925$51.89
32Wyoming$105,545$50.74
33Arkansas$105,183$50.57
34Oklahoma$102,858$49.45
35Arizona$105,242$50.60
36Minnesota$107,861$51.86
37Nebraska$104,632$50.30
38New Mexico$106,118$51.02
39Kansas$103,683$49.85
40Florida$101,927$49.00
41Mississippi$94,292$45.33
42Alaska$104,597$50.29
43Utah$99,081$47.64
44Indiana$102,350$49.21
45Hawaii$103,486$49.75
46North Dakota$99,540$47.86
47Montana$90,784$43.65
48Iowa$96,246$46.27
49Missouri$95,871$46.09
50Idaho$93,206$44.81
51Kentucky$88,229$42.42

Highest paying cities for managing directors

The highest-paying cities for managing directors are New York, NY, Stamford, CT, and Washington, DC.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York, NY$184,800$88.85
2Stamford, CT$163,617$78.66
3Washington, DC$157,328$75.64
4Jersey City, NJ$156,922$75.44
5Boston, MA$150,294$72.26
6Menlo Park, CA$143,005$68.75
7Arlington, VA$138,368$66.52
8Raleigh, NC$136,419$65.59
9Baltimore, MD$130,386$62.69
10Denver, CO$126,758$60.94
11Cleveland, OH$126,336$60.74
12Seattle, WA$126,084$60.62
13Chicago, IL$124,032$59.63
14Philadelphia, PA$120,959$58.15
15Austin, TX$120,844$58.10
16Portland, ME$120,442$57.90
17Las Vegas, NV$118,364$56.91
18Columbus, GA$111,800$53.75
19Minneapolis, MN$108,888$52.35
20Portland, OR$107,968$51.91

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

  1. New York, NY
  2. Stamford, CT
  3. Washington, DC
  4. Jersey City, NJ
  5. Boston, MA

Managing director salary details

A managing director's salary ranges from $72,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $233,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average managing director salary graph
Average managing director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a managing director's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$233,000$19,417$112
75th Percentile$176,000$14,667$85
Average$129,690$10,808$62
25th Percentile$95,000$7,917$46
10th Percentile$72,000$6,000$35

Highest paying managing director jobs

The highest paying types of managing directors are senior vice president, division vice president, and senior director.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Division Vice President$158,729$13,227$76.3168,176
Director Of Operations And Finance$118,503$9,875$56.97186,569
Director Of Business Operations$111,945$9,329$53.82202,032
Director Of Managed Services$120,859$10,072$58.11117,659
Regional Director Of Operations$115,156$9,596$55.36130,533
Group Director$149,193$12,433$71.7389,420

Top companies hiring managing directors now:

  1. Citi jobs (86)
  2. Deutsche Bank jobs (67)
  3. Goldman Sachs jobs (199)
  4. Credit Suisse jobs (60)
  5. BNY Mellon jobs (84)

Which companies pay managing directors the most?

Managing director salaries at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and Russell Reynolds Associates are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average managing director salary at companies like The Citadel and Citi are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison$337,423$162.22
2Russell Reynolds Associates$294,116$141.40
3The Citadel$283,620$136.36
4Citi$279,761$134.50
5Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group$279,572$134.41
6Barclays$279,346$134.30
7Deutsche Bank$277,204$133.27
8Sagent Advisors$277,135$133.24
9Genentech$274,680$132.06
10Goldman Sachs$274,338$131.89
11The Carlyle Group$273,691$131.58
12BNP Paribas$273,528$131.50
13CFA Institute$273,014$131.26
14Capgemini$270,245$129.93
15University of Maryland, Baltimore$269,364$129.50
16Wells Capital Management$268,994$129.32
17L.E.K. Consulting$268,031$128.86
18BBDO Detroit$267,235$128.48
19Credit Suisse$266,816$128.28
20State Street$264,192$127.02

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$137,000$133,200$129,400$125,600$121,800$118,000
MaleFemale

Managing Director salary by industry

The average managing director salary varies across industries:

  • The average managing director salary in the finance industry is $177,065, the highest of any industry.
  • The average managing director salary in the finance industry is $167,412.
  • Managing directors in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $131,225, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for managing directors

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Finance$177,065$85.13
2Manufacturing$167,412$80.49
3Professional$156,617$75.30
4Technology$155,761$74.89
5Hospitality$131,225$63.09

High paying managing director jobs

Managing director salary trends

The average managing director salary has risen by $10,635 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average managing director earned $119,055 annually, but today, they earn $129,690 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for managing directors over the last decade.

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

Average managing director salary over time

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

Managing director salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$130,000$62.35+2.8%
2024$126,000$60.62-0.1%
2023$126,000$60.71+0.5%
2022$126,000$60.40+1.1%
2021$124,000$59.74+1.6%

Recently added managing director salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
BroadridgeDirector, Change ManagementDay, NY06/30/2025$140,000
John HancockDirector, Asset ManagementAtlanta, GA06/30/2025$129,000
John HancockDirector/Managing Director, Real Estate Credit Asset ManagementNew York, NY06/30/2025$174,000
SutterhealthDirector, Revenue Cycle MgmtSacramento, CA06/30/2025$157,464
USAADirector, Audit-Capital ManagementCharlotte, NC06/30/2025$143,320
Bell PartnersDirector of Asset ManagementSan Francisco, CA06/30/2025$140,000
Einstein Bros. BagelsDirector, Talent ManagementDenver, CO06/30/2025$114,088
TargetDirector, Real Estate Document ManagementMinneapolis, MN06/30/2025$131,000
AaamidatlanticManaging Director, AccountingWilmington, DE06/30/2025$115,528
TrustageTechnology Business Management DirectorMadison, WI06/30/2025$126,000

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