How much does a youth director make?

The average youth director salary in the United States is $44,333. Youth director salaries typically range between $29,000 and $65,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for youth directors is $21.31 per hour. Youth director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Youth directors earn the highest average salary in California.

Youth director salary

Q: What state pays Youth Directors the most?

California pays Youth Directors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $56,281 per year, or $27.06 per hour.

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

You know if you are being paid fairly as a youth director if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Hawaii you should be paid close to $55,971 per year.

Average youth director salary

$44,333

$21.31 hourly rate

Entry-level youth director salary

$29,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Youth Director Salaries

As a Youth Director, you play a crucial role in shaping the lives of young people in your community. The average salary for this position currently stands at $44,333 annually. However, this figure can vary significantly based on factors such as location, years of experience, and the specific sector you work in.

Factors Influencing Salary

Location: Youth Directors in metropolitan areas often earn higher salaries compared to those in rural settings.
Experience: Typically, more experienced professionals command higher salaries due to their proven track record.
Industry: Working in sectors like education or non-profit organizations can also impact salary levels.

Additionally, the demand for skilled Youth Directors continues to grow, especially in urban centers where youth programs are expanding. Understanding the salary landscape can help you make informed career decisions and choose the right path for your professional development.

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Youth director salary by:

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Where can a Youth Director earn more?

Compare salary by location

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60k

40k

20k

-108

Columbus, OH$60,945

Ankeny, IA$29,892

Compare salary by company

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57k

37k

17k

-3k

Providence Christian College$48,385

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church$27,220

Youth director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a youth director typically falls between $35,769 and $55,198.

zippia

$44,333yearly

indeed[1]

$47,262yearly

comparably[2]

$55,198yearly

Salary.com[3]

$40,708yearly

payscale[4]

$35,769yearly

Average youth director salary by state

The highest-paying states for youth directors are California, Hawaii, and Nevada. The lowest average youth director salary states are Illinois, North Carolina, and Minnesota.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for youth directors

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Mississippi	$44,998	$21.63
2	California	$56,281	$27.06
3	Oklahoma	$44,413	$21.35
4	Hawaii	$55,971	$26.91
5	Nevada	$48,516	$23.32
6	Connecticut	$45,523	$21.89
7	Wisconsin	$43,607	$20.96
8	District of Columbia	$44,951	$21.61
9	Alaska	$43,454	$20.89
10	Texas	$42,991	$20.67
11	Colorado	$43,303	$20.82
12	Arizona	$42,046	$20.21
13	Utah	$43,316	$20.82
14	Ohio	$43,369	$20.85
15	Delaware	$46,204	$22.21
16	New York	$42,817	$20.59
17	West Virginia	$43,481	$20.90
18	Indiana	$43,334	$20.83
19	Rhode Island	$43,941	$21.13
20	Kentucky	$42,401	$20.39
21	Nebraska	$42,017	$20.20
22	North Dakota	$42,987	$20.67
23	Missouri	$43,045	$20.69
24	Arkansas	$40,457	$19.45
25	Michigan	$41,381	$19.89
26	Louisiana	$37,411	$17.99
27	Idaho	$43,057	$20.70
28	Maine	$41,247	$19.83
29	New Mexico	$42,184	$20.28
30	Vermont	$39,863	$19.16
31	Pennsylvania	$37,766	$18.16
32	Washington	$39,244	$18.87
33	Oregon	$38,350	$18.44
34	Georgia	$37,442	$18.00
35	New Hampshire	$41,166	$19.79
36	Massachusetts	$37,783	$18.16
37	Florida	$39,747	$19.11
38	Maryland	$38,257	$18.39
39	Alabama	$33,199	$15.96
40	Montana	$33,931	$16.31
41	Tennessee	$36,987	$17.78
42	New Jersey	$34,735	$16.70
43	Illinois	$33,128	$15.93
44	South Carolina	$35,949	$17.28
45	South Dakota	$33,887	$16.29
46	North Carolina	$33,072	$15.90
47	Virginia	$34,412	$16.54
48	Minnesota	$32,255	$15.51
49	Kansas	$30,212	$14.53
50	Wyoming	$30,944	$14.88
51	Iowa	$29,970	$14.41

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Highest paying cities for youth directors

The highest-paying cities for youth directors are Milpitas, CA, South Bend, IN, and Colorado Springs, CO.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Milpitas, CA	$60,945	$29.30
2	South Bend, IN	$43,712	$21.02
3	Colorado Springs, CO	$43,685	$21.00
4	The Woodlands, TX	$43,525	$20.93
5	New York, NY	$43,260	$20.80
6	Kansas City, MO	$42,848	$20.60
7	Sarasota, FL	$40,190	$19.32
8	Worcester, MA	$38,057	$18.30
9	Portland, OR	$37,783	$18.16
10	Greenville, SC	$35,763	$17.19
11	Arlington, VA	$35,025	$16.84
12	Montgomery, AL	$33,344	$16.03
13	Chicago, IL	$33,222	$15.97
14	Matthews, NC	$33,058	$15.89
15	Ankeny, IA	$29,892	$14.37

Youth director salary details

A youth director's salary ranges from $29,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $65,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average youth director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a youth director's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$65,000	$5,417	$31
75th Percentile	$54,000	$4,500	$26
Average	$44,333	$3,694	$21
25th Percentile	$35,000	$2,917	$17
10th Percentile	$29,000	$2,417	$14

Highest paying youth director jobs

The highest paying types of youth directors are director, general director, and director training & education.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Director Training & Education	$70,224	$5,852	$33.76	36,551
Youth Leader	$29,481	$2,457	$14.17	31,851
General Director	$109,550	$9,129	$52.67	74,664
Choir Director	$51,590	$4,299	$24.80	4,799
Director	$113,489	$9,457	$54.56	230,711
Youth Ministry Director	$43,203	$3,600	$20.77	7,224

Top companies hiring youth directors now:

Which companies pay youth directors the most?

Youth director salaries at Providence Christian College and RIVERSIDE YACHT CLUB are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average youth director salary at companies like Focus on the Family and Elevation Church are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Providence Christian College	$48,385	$23.26
2	RIVERSIDE YACHT CLUB	$44,542	$21.41
3	Focus on the Family	$41,799	$20.10
4	Elevation Church	$41,635	$20.02
5	Tetra Tech	$39,037	$18.77
6	The Boys' Club of New York	$38,081	$18.31
7	Archdiocese of Philadelphia	$37,750	$18.15
8	The Salvation Army	$37,238	$17.90
9	First United Church of Christ	$36,541	$17.57
10	North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church	$36,541	$17.57
11	Pilgrim Baptist Church	$36,541	$17.57
12	Olathe, KS	$36,541	$17.57
13	YMCA	$36,529	$17.56
14	Genesis Health Clubs	$36,429	$17.51
15	One Love Foundation	$31,969	$15.37
16	McCormick Theological Seminary	$29,804	$14.33
17	Two Rivers YMCA	$29,215	$14.05
18	United Methodist Church	$27,700	$13.32
19	YMCA of Rock River Valley	$27,442	$13.19
20	Holy Trinity Lutheran Church	$27,220	$13.09

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$47,000$46,000$45,000$44,000$43,000$42,000

MaleFemale

Youth Director salary by industry

The average youth director salary varies across industries:

The average youth director salary in the education industry is $39,047, the highest of any industry.
The average youth director salary in the finance industry is $36,315.
Youth directors in the non profits industry earn an average salary of $33,284, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for youth directors

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Education	$39,047	$18.77
2	Health Care	$36,315	$17.46
3	Government	$34,848	$16.75
4	Non Profits	$33,284	$16.00

High paying youth director jobs

Youth director salary trends

The average youth director salary has risen by $8,491 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average youth director earned $35,842 annually, but today, they earn $44,333 a year. That works out to a 17% change in pay for youth directors over the last decade.

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

Average youth director salary over time

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

Youth director salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2026	$44,300	$21.31	+2.8%
2025	$43,100	$20.72	+7.0%
2024	$40,100	$19.28	+4.5%
2023	$38,300	$18.42	+0.9%
2022	$37,900	$18.24	-0.4%

Recently added youth director salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
YMCA of Greater Boston	Youth and Family Director	Boston, MA	06/18/2025	$58,000
Lines for Life	Youthline Hawaii Director	Kahului, HI	06/16/2025	$82,000
Envision Consulting	Foster Youth Resource Director (Lcsw)	Lancaster, CA	06/11/2025	$90,000
Covenant Theological Seminary	Youth Director-Wayne Presbyterian Church	Wayne, PA	05/16/2025	$60,000
Envision Consulting	Foster Youth Resource Director (Lcsw)	Lancaster, CA	05/12/2025	$90,000
Ymca of The North Shore	Camp, Youth & Teen Director-Marblehead Ymca	Marblehead, MA	03/22/2025	$59,000
Covenant Theological Seminary	Director of Youth Discipleship	Asheville, NC	03/18/2025	$30,000
Ymca of The North Shore	Camp, Youth & Family Director-Salem Ymca	Salem, MA	02/20/2025	$54,000
Genesis Health Clubs	Youth Director	Lincoln, NE	02/19/2025	$34,436
The Gospel Coalition, Inc.	Youth Director at Southlands Church	Brea, CA	02/17/2025	$60,000

Youth director salary FAQs

What state pays Youth Directors the most?

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

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Updated December 15, 2025

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