Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Program director salary
Average program director salary
$80,664
Understanding Program Director Salaries
The average salary for a Program Director in the United States is $80,664 per year. This figure can vary widely based on a range of factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the industry in which one works. For instance, Program Directors in highly specialized fields or metropolitan areas may see salaries exceeding the national average.
States like California or New York often offer higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for qualified professionals. Additionally, industries such as healthcare and technology tend to pay more for Program Director positions, reflecting the responsibilities and expertise required.
Individuals looking to maximize their earning potential should consider positions in sectors noted for competitive salaries. Positions in non-profit organizations, educational institutions, or corporate environments may also have different salary structures and benefits. Understanding the local job market and salary trends can greatly influence career decisions for aspiring Program Directors.
Key Takeaways
- Average salary: $80,664 per year
- Higher salaries in California and New York
- Industries like healthcare and technology offer competitive pay
Let Zippi find your next program director job
Let Zippi find your next program director job
Where can a Program Director earn more?
Program director salary estimates from across the web
Average program director salary by state
The average program director salary in Georgia, California, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average program director salary states are Montana, South Carolina, and North Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for program directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $91,301 | $43.89 |
| 2 | New York | $92,293 | $44.37 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $91,436 | $43.96 |
| 4 | Georgia | $97,222 | $46.74 |
| 5 | California | $94,469 | $45.42 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $74,867 | $35.99 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $71,150 | $34.21 |
| 8 | Illinois | $74,666 | $35.90 |
| 9 | Colorado | $74,249 | $35.70 |
| 10 | Nevada | $80,862 | $38.88 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $71,020 | $34.14 |
| 12 | Texas | $74,654 | $35.89 |
| 13 | Maryland | $85,704 | $41.20 |
| 14 | Washington | $74,582 | $35.86 |
| 15 | Michigan | $72,462 | $34.84 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $74,754 | $35.94 |
| 17 | Nebraska | $68,830 | $33.09 |
| 18 | Virginia | $74,378 | $35.76 |
| 19 | Utah | $66,670 | $32.05 |
| 20 | Oregon | $68,713 | $33.04 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $67,587 | $32.49 |
| 22 | Alabama | $61,880 | $29.75 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $60,761 | $29.21 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $69,204 | $33.27 |
| 25 | Arizona | $64,591 | $31.05 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $66,427 | $31.94 |
| 27 | Hawaii | $80,579 | $38.74 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $59,233 | $28.48 |
| 29 | Ohio | $64,357 | $30.94 |
| 30 | Idaho | $62,727 | $30.16 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $59,619 | $28.66 |
| 32 | Delaware | $61,475 | $29.56 |
| 33 | Missouri | $65,185 | $31.34 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $62,680 | $30.13 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $62,985 | $30.28 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $61,811 | $29.72 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $61,352 | $29.50 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $59,527 | $28.62 |
| 39 | Vermont | $64,008 | $30.77 |
| 40 | Florida | $60,364 | $29.02 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $52,018 | $25.01 |
| 42 | Indiana | $60,127 | $28.91 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $49,879 | $23.98 |
| 44 | Montana | $53,000 | $25.48 |
| 45 | Maine | $53,937 | $25.93 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $55,561 | $26.71 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $57,731 | $27.76 |
| 48 | Kansas | $55,139 | $26.51 |
| 49 | Iowa | $45,652 | $21.95 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $50,974 | $24.51 |
| 51 | Alaska | $48,443 | $23.29 |
Highest paying cities for program directors
The highest-paying cities for program directors are San Francisco, CA, Atlanta, GA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $99,127 | $47.66 |
| 2 | Atlanta, GA | $97,407 | $46.83 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $92,406 | $44.43 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $91,512 | $44.00 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $85,878 | $41.29 |
| 6 | San Antonio, TX | $75,054 | $36.08 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $74,881 | $36.00 |
| 8 | Worcester, MA | $74,860 | $35.99 |
| 9 | Colorado Springs, CO | $74,810 | $35.97 |
| 10 | Arlington, VA | $74,802 | $35.96 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $74,775 | $35.95 |
| 12 | Cheyenne, WY | $71,601 | $34.42 |
| 13 | Newark, NJ | $69,290 | $33.31 |
| 14 | Portland, OR | $68,024 | $32.70 |
| 15 | Saint Louis, MO | $65,849 | $31.66 |
| 16 | Phoenix, AZ | $64,586 | $31.05 |
| 17 | Columbus, OH | $64,376 | $30.95 |
| 18 | Raleigh, NC | $63,207 | $30.39 |
| 19 | Saint Paul, MN | $62,740 | $30.16 |
| 20 | Madison, AL | $62,295 | $29.95 |
Program Directors are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Program director salary details
A program director's salary ranges from $50,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $129,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a program director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $129,000 | $10,750 | $62 |
| 75th Percentile | $103,000 | $8,583 | $50 |
| Average | $80,664 | $6,722 | $39 |
| 25th Percentile | $62,000 | $5,167 | $30 |
| 10th Percentile | $50,000 | $4,167 | $24 |
Highest paying program director jobs
The highest paying types of program directors are director program management, executive director, and director.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director Of After School Program | $49,648 | $4,137 | $23.87 | 94,858 |
| Service Program Manager | $78,256 | $6,521 | $37.62 | 116,114 |
| Director Program Management | $141,289 | $11,774 | $67.93 | 142,312 |
| Director Of Program Development | $69,014 | $5,751 | $33.18 | 131,077 |
| Youth Program Manager | $53,856 | $4,488 | $25.89 | 89,576 |
| Program Manager | $96,084 | $8,007 | $46.19 | 197,556 |
Top companies hiring program directors now:
Which companies pay program directors the most?
Program director salaries at Mayo Clinic and Quidel are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average program director salary at companies like Genentech and National Governors Association are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mayo Clinic | $188,995 | $90.86 |
| 2 | Quidel | $175,812 | $84.53 |
| 3 | Genentech | $170,423 | $81.93 |
| 4 | National Governors Association | $170,180 | $81.82 |
| 5 | Metropolitan Water District of Southern California | $169,422 | $81.45 |
| 6 | BD | $168,967 | $81.23 |
| 7 | North Shore Community Health | $166,670 | $80.13 |
| 8 | Rich Products | $166,314 | $79.96 |
| 9 | Capgemini | $166,176 | $79.89 |
| 10 | VMware | $163,328 | $78.52 |
| 11 | Koch Industries | $163,091 | $78.41 |
| 12 | Medtronic | $162,927 | $78.33 |
| 13 | Public Health Institute | $160,949 | $77.38 |
| 14 | Abbott | $160,926 | $77.37 |
| 15 | Juniper Networks | $160,032 | $76.94 |
| 16 | Earthjustice | $157,457 | $75.70 |
| 17 | Apple | $156,890 | $75.43 |
| 18 | Applied Materials | $156,438 | $75.21 |
| 19 | IBM | $156,293 | $75.14 |
| 20 | Citi | $155,333 | $74.68 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Program Director salary by industry
The average program director salary varies across industries:
- The average program director salary in the technology industry is $118,191, the highest of any industry.
- The average program director salary in the finance industry is $105,438.
- Program directors in the non profits industry earn an average salary of $66,051, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for program directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $118,191 | $56.82 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $105,438 | $50.69 |
| 3 | Professional | $76,468 | $36.76 |
| 4 | Health Care | $75,838 | $36.46 |
| 5 | Government | $74,602 | $35.87 |
| 6 | Education | $72,518 | $34.86 |
| 7 | Non Profits | $66,051 | $31.76 |
High paying program director jobs
Program director salary trends
The average program director salary has risen by $6,060 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average program director earned $74,604 annually, but today, they earn $80,664 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for program directors over the last decade.
Compare program director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average program director salary over time
Compare program director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Program director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $80,700 | $38.78 | +2.6% |
| 2024 | $78,600 | $37.78 | +3.7% |
| 2023 | $75,700 | $36.39 | +0.1% |
| 2022 | $75,600 | $36.35 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $74,900 | $36.01 | +3.5% |
Recently added program director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas | Program Director Cahmi-3D | North Little Rock, AR | 06/30/2025 | $52,000 |
| The University of Chicago | Program Director | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $115,000 |
| Imogenfoundation | Program Director-Afterschool | Fine, NY | 06/30/2025 | $65,000 |
| Vizient | PI Program Director, Ambulatory | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $102,400 |
| Hearst | 98 Rock Program Director | Baltimore, MD | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Perspecta | Program Director | Reston, VA | 06/29/2025 | $176,000 |
| SBC Holdings LLC | Program Director I | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $160,148 |
| Prime Healthcare Services | Program Director, GME | Passaic, NJ | 06/29/2025 | $99,985 |
| Healogics | Program Director Clinical | Hannibal, MO | 06/29/2025 | $89,063 |
| Healogics | Clinical Program Director | Jacksonville Beach, FL | 06/29/2025 | $89,063 |
Program director salary FAQs
Search for program director jobs