Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Best states for a sports director
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for sports directors? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for sports director jobs.Our research shows that New York is the best state in the country for sports directors.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for sports directors.We found that New York is the best state for sports director jobs, whereas South Carolina is the worst.
10 best states for sports directors in 2026
1. New York
Total sports director jobs: 571 Average annual salary: $105,938 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $177,000 Location Quotient: 1.49
2. Massachusetts
Total sports director jobs: 388 Average annual salary: $83,306 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $145,000 Location Quotient: 1.42
3. New Jersey
Total sports director jobs: 226 Average annual salary: $81,641 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 0.96
4. California
Total sports director jobs: 852 Average annual salary: $84,668 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
5. Connecticut
Total sports director jobs: 87 Average annual salary: $75,557 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 0.88
6. Washington
Total sports director jobs: 136 Average annual salary: $76,845 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $136,000 Location Quotient: 0.63
7. Nevada
Total sports director jobs: 51 Average annual salary: $68,203 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 0.82
8. District of Columbia
Total sports director jobs: 104 Average annual salary: $73,308 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 2.08
9. Maryland
Total sports director jobs: 155 Average annual salary: $72,063 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 0.82
10. Oregon
Total sports director jobs: 95 Average annual salary: $70,442 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
Sports director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a sports director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a sports director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $105,938 | $63,000 | 19,849,399 | 571 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $83,306 | $47,000 | 6,859,819 | 388 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $81,641 | $47,000 | 9,005,644 | 226 |
| 4 | California | $84,668 | $46,000 | 39,536,653 | 852 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $75,557 | $43,000 | 3,588,184 | 87 |
| 6 | Washington | $76,845 | $43,000 | 7,405,743 | 136 |
| 7 | Nevada | $68,203 | $37,000 | 2,998,039 | 51 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $73,308 | $42,000 | 693,972 | 104 |
| 9 | Maryland | $72,063 | $42,000 | 6,052,177 | 155 |
| 10 | Oregon | $70,442 | $39,000 | 4,142,776 | 95 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $63,562 | $37,000 | 12,805,537 | 243 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $66,854 | $37,000 | 1,342,795 | 29 |
| 13 | Delaware | $66,593 | $39,000 | 961,939 | 21 |
| 14 | Vermont | $62,476 | $35,000 | 623,657 | 18 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $55,600 | $33,000 | 869,666 | 193 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $62,723 | $36,000 | 1,059,639 | 22 |
| 17 | Georgia | $57,219 | $34,000 | 10,429,379 | 258 |
| 18 | Michigan | $62,160 | $36,000 | 9,962,311 | 95 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | $51,246 | $30,000 | 3,930,864 | 438 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $56,036 | $33,000 | 5,576,606 | 130 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $56,710 | $32,000 | 579,315 | 9 |
| 22 | Idaho | $58,735 | $33,000 | 1,716,943 | 9 |
| 23 | Montana | $56,370 | $32,000 | 1,050,493 | 19 |
| 24 | Alaska | $57,844 | $33,000 | 739,795 | 10 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $56,623 | $31,000 | 2,088,070 | 16 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $54,815 | $32,000 | 1,815,857 | 0 |
| 27 | Texas | $52,710 | $30,000 | 28,304,596 | 440 |
| 28 | Alabama | $49,846 | $29,000 | 4,874,747 | 490 |
| 29 | Indiana | $52,054 | $30,000 | 6,666,818 | 120 |
| 30 | Maine | $56,033 | $31,000 | 1,335,907 | 12 |
| 31 | Utah | $56,215 | $31,000 | 3,101,833 | 0 |
| 32 | Illinois | $51,009 | $30,000 | 12,802,023 | 288 |
| 33 | Arizona | $52,658 | $29,000 | 7,016,270 | 114 |
| 34 | Iowa | $47,867 | $28,000 | 3,145,711 | 513 |
| 35 | Colorado | $49,416 | $28,000 | 5,607,154 | 163 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $44,723 | $26,000 | 4,684,333 | 487 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $44,707 | $26,000 | 2,984,100 | 298 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $49,295 | $29,000 | 4,454,189 | 58 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $50,571 | $29,000 | 6,715,984 | 0 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $50,473 | $30,000 | 755,393 | 9 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $44,565 | $37,000 | 1,427,538 | 14 |
| 42 | Kansas | $49,952 | $29,000 | 2,913,123 | 35 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $40,808 | $24,000 | 3,004,279 | 475 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $45,844 | $26,000 | 10,273,419 | 186 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $45,750 | $27,000 | 1,920,076 | 33 |
| 46 | Virginia | $49,551 | $28,000 | 8,470,020 | 0 |
| 47 | Florida | $44,991 | $27,000 | 20,984,400 | 285 |
| 48 | Wisconsin | $46,063 | $27,000 | 5,795,483 | 0 |
| 49 | Ohio | $43,557 | $25,000 | 11,658,609 | 160 |
| 50 | Missouri | $44,407 | $26,000 | 6,113,532 | 88 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $41,124 | $24,000 | 5,024,369 | 67 |
Highest paying states for sports directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Sports Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $105,938 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $83,306 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $81,641 |
| 4 | California | $84,668 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $75,557 |
| 6 | Washington | $76,845 |
| 7 | Nevada | $68,203 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $73,308 |
| 9 | Maryland | $72,063 |
| 10 | Oregon | $70,442 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $63,562 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $66,854 |
| 13 | Delaware | $66,593 |
| 14 | Vermont | $62,476 |
| 15 | South Dakota | $55,600 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $62,723 |
| 17 | Georgia | $57,219 |
| 18 | Michigan | $62,160 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | $51,246 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $56,036 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $56,710 |
| 22 | Idaho | $58,735 |
| 23 | Montana | $56,370 |
| 24 | Alaska | $57,844 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $56,623 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $54,815 |
| 27 | Texas | $52,710 |
| 28 | Alabama | $49,846 |
| 29 | Indiana | $52,054 |
| 30 | Maine | $56,033 |
| 31 | Utah | $56,215 |
| 32 | Illinois | $51,009 |
| 33 | Arizona | $52,658 |
| 34 | Iowa | $47,867 |
| 35 | Colorado | $49,416 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $44,723 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $44,707 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $49,295 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $50,571 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $50,473 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $44,565 |
| 42 | Kansas | $49,952 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $40,808 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $45,844 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $45,750 |
| 46 | Virginia | $49,551 |
| 47 | Florida | $44,991 |
| 48 | Wisconsin | $46,063 |
| 49 | Ohio | $43,557 |
| 50 | Missouri | $44,407 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $41,124 |
Sports director best states FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.
Search for sports director jobs
Updated January 8, 2025