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Best states for a security director
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Security director opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for security directors, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for security directors.In order to help you decide which state is the best for security directors, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for security director jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for security directors. Alaska is the best state for security directors, where the median salary is $126,141.We found that Alaska is the best state for security director jobs, whereas Florida is the worst.
10 best states for security directors in 2026
1. Alaska
Total security director jobs: 114 Average annual salary: $126,141 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $186,000 Location Quotient: 1.62
2. Nevada
Total security director jobs: 208 Average annual salary: $123,098 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $195,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
3. New York
Total security director jobs: 1,393 Average annual salary: $122,402 Lowest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $186,000 Location Quotient: 1.29
4. Arizona
Total security director jobs: 731 Average annual salary: $113,564 Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 1.48
5. Delaware
Total security director jobs: 167 Average annual salary: $114,472 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.58
6. Connecticut
Total security director jobs: 366 Average annual salary: $115,284 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $176,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
7. Rhode Island
Total security director jobs: 121 Average annual salary: $114,701 Lowest 10 percent earn: $74,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
8. Maryland
Total security director jobs: 800 Average annual salary: $116,368 Lowest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000 Location Quotient: 1.49
9. Ohio
Total security director jobs: 921 Average annual salary: $109,421 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $175,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
10. Virginia
Total security director jobs: 157 Average annual salary: $121,321 Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $189,000 Location Quotient: 0.2
Security director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a security director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a security director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $126,141 | $85,000 | 739,795 | 114 |
| 2 | Nevada | $123,098 | $77,000 | 2,998,039 | 208 |
| 3 | New York | $122,402 | $80,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,393 |
| 4 | Arizona | $113,564 | $69,000 | 7,016,270 | 731 |
| 5 | Delaware | $114,472 | $74,000 | 961,939 | 167 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $115,284 | $75,000 | 3,588,184 | 366 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $114,701 | $74,000 | 1,059,639 | 121 |
| 8 | Maryland | $116,368 | $75,000 | 6,052,177 | 800 |
| 9 | Ohio | $109,421 | $68,000 | 11,658,609 | 921 |
| 10 | Virginia | $121,321 | $77,000 | 8,470,020 | 157 |
| 11 | Texas | $107,581 | $64,000 | 28,304,596 | 1,925 |
| 12 | Vermont | $111,821 | $72,000 | 623,657 | 71 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $112,277 | $72,000 | 1,342,795 | 149 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $111,007 | $72,000 | 9,005,644 | 863 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $110,712 | $71,000 | 755,393 | 71 |
| 16 | California | $123,244 | $77,000 | 39,536,653 | 498 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $117,732 | $77,000 | 6,859,819 | 103 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $106,454 | $67,000 | 5,576,606 | 668 |
| 19 | Iowa | $106,039 | $64,000 | 3,145,711 | 281 |
| 20 | Mississippi | $96,503 | $56,000 | 2,984,100 | 526 |
| 21 | Alabama | $94,860 | $55,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,046 |
| 22 | Washington | $103,503 | $65,000 | 7,405,743 | 810 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $99,361 | $64,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,226 |
| 24 | Indiana | $101,513 | $61,000 | 6,666,818 | 530 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $98,881 | $60,000 | 579,315 | 58 |
| 26 | Oregon | $104,516 | $65,000 | 4,142,776 | 374 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $100,683 | $61,000 | 10,273,419 | 850 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $89,130 | $54,000 | 1,815,857 | 381 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $113,815 | $73,000 | 693,972 | 83 |
| 30 | Kansas | $100,179 | $60,000 | 2,913,123 | 225 |
| 31 | Utah | $102,914 | $62,000 | 3,101,833 | 36 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $91,270 | $52,000 | 4,684,333 | 698 |
| 33 | Illinois | $96,344 | $58,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,240 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $88,225 | $52,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,003 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $90,781 | $54,000 | 1,920,076 | 210 |
| 36 | Idaho | $96,533 | $59,000 | 1,716,943 | 120 |
| 37 | Maine | $94,975 | $61,000 | 1,335,907 | 99 |
| 38 | Missouri | $91,806 | $54,000 | 6,113,532 | 527 |
| 39 | Georgia | $90,609 | $53,000 | 10,429,379 | 995 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $82,554 | $51,000 | 869,666 | 238 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $85,922 | $53,000 | 5,795,483 | 546 |
| 42 | Michigan | $88,486 | $56,000 | 9,962,311 | 557 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $89,940 | $53,000 | 2,088,070 | 143 |
| 44 | Montana | $86,839 | $54,000 | 1,050,493 | 107 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $76,979 | $45,000 | 3,930,864 | 654 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $82,334 | $48,000 | 3,004,279 | 230 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $93,498 | $62,000 | 1,427,538 | 11 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $82,535 | $48,000 | 4,454,189 | 303 |
| 49 | Colorado | $86,516 | $52,000 | 5,607,154 | 83 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $79,079 | $46,000 | 6,715,984 | 418 |
| 51 | Florida | $81,173 | $47,000 | 20,984,400 | 161 |
Highest paying states for security directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Security Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $126,141 |
| 2 | Nevada | $123,098 |
| 3 | New York | $122,402 |
| 4 | Arizona | $113,564 |
| 5 | Delaware | $114,472 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $115,284 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $114,701 |
| 8 | Maryland | $116,368 |
| 9 | Ohio | $109,421 |
| 10 | Virginia | $121,321 |
| 11 | Texas | $107,581 |
| 12 | Vermont | $111,821 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $112,277 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $111,007 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $110,712 |
| 16 | California | $123,244 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $117,732 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $106,454 |
| 19 | Iowa | $106,039 |
| 20 | Mississippi | $96,503 |
| 21 | Alabama | $94,860 |
| 22 | Washington | $103,503 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $99,361 |
| 24 | Indiana | $101,513 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $98,881 |
| 26 | Oregon | $104,516 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $100,683 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $89,130 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $113,815 |
| 30 | Kansas | $100,179 |
| 31 | Utah | $102,914 |
| 32 | Louisiana | $91,270 |
| 33 | Illinois | $96,344 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $88,225 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $90,781 |
| 36 | Idaho | $96,533 |
| 37 | Maine | $94,975 |
| 38 | Missouri | $91,806 |
| 39 | Georgia | $90,609 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $82,554 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $85,922 |
| 42 | Michigan | $88,486 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $89,940 |
| 44 | Montana | $86,839 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $76,979 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $82,334 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $93,498 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $82,535 |
| 49 | Colorado | $86,516 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $79,079 |
| 51 | Florida | $81,173 |
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Updated January 8, 2025