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Best states for a systems 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 systems 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 systems director jobs.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for systems director jobs.
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 systems directors.We found that Washington is the best state for systems director jobs, whereas Tennessee is the worst.
10 best states for systems directors in 2026
1. Washington
Total systems director jobs: 1,195 Average annual salary: $154,180 Lowest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $225,000 Location Quotient: 1.33
2. Oregon
Total systems director jobs: 677 Average annual salary: $149,027 Lowest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $219,000 Location Quotient: 1.33
3. Alaska
Total systems director jobs: 126 Average annual salary: $154,767 Lowest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $218,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
4. Nevada
Total systems director jobs: 259 Average annual salary: $144,393 Lowest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $210,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
5. New York
Total systems director jobs: 2,073 Average annual salary: $141,953 Lowest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $197,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
6. New Jersey
Total systems director jobs: 1,343 Average annual salary: $139,656 Lowest 10 percent earn: $100,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000 Location Quotient: 1.38
7. Michigan
Total systems director jobs: 863 Average annual salary: $137,985 Lowest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $195,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
8. Alabama
Total systems director jobs: 546 Average annual salary: $135,653 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $195,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
9. California
Total systems director jobs: 3,059 Average annual salary: $159,375 Lowest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $228,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
10. Connecticut
Total systems director jobs: 540 Average annual salary: $133,807 Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $186,000 Location Quotient: 1.33
Systems director jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a systems director
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a systems director
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $154,180 | $105,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,195 |
| 2 | Oregon | $149,027 | $101,000 | 4,142,776 | 677 |
| 3 | Alaska | $154,767 | $109,000 | 739,795 | 126 |
| 4 | Nevada | $144,393 | $99,000 | 2,998,039 | 259 |
| 5 | New York | $141,953 | $101,000 | 19,849,399 | 2,073 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $139,656 | $100,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,343 |
| 7 | Michigan | $137,985 | $97,000 | 9,962,311 | 863 |
| 8 | Alabama | $135,653 | $94,000 | 4,874,747 | 546 |
| 9 | California | $159,375 | $111,000 | 39,536,653 | 3,059 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $133,807 | $95,000 | 3,588,184 | 540 |
| 11 | Idaho | $132,405 | $87,000 | 1,716,943 | 228 |
| 12 | Utah | $141,580 | $95,000 | 3,101,833 | 239 |
| 13 | Arizona | $126,187 | $85,000 | 7,016,270 | 908 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $138,223 | $99,000 | 6,859,819 | 960 |
| 15 | Vermont | $124,674 | $89,000 | 623,657 | 139 |
| 16 | South Carolina | $130,132 | $92,000 | 5,024,369 | 415 |
| 17 | Ohio | $126,071 | $88,000 | 11,658,609 | 1,100 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $126,142 | $90,000 | 12,805,537 | 1,418 |
| 19 | Georgia | $127,211 | $88,000 | 10,429,379 | 1,244 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $127,572 | $89,000 | 4,454,189 | 323 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $122,356 | $84,000 | 755,393 | 136 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $118,731 | $81,000 | 2,984,100 | 483 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $121,402 | $87,000 | 1,059,639 | 211 |
| 24 | Indiana | $127,749 | $88,000 | 6,666,818 | 545 |
| 25 | Delaware | $126,452 | $90,000 | 961,939 | 171 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $124,113 | $87,000 | 1,815,857 | 140 |
| 27 | Illinois | $123,975 | $85,000 | 12,802,023 | 1,684 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $118,235 | $79,000 | 2,088,070 | 297 |
| 29 | Iowa | $121,800 | $83,000 | 3,145,711 | 345 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $122,175 | $84,000 | 5,795,483 | 574 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $121,676 | $86,000 | 693,972 | 275 |
| 32 | Montana | $119,304 | $79,000 | 1,050,493 | 150 |
| 33 | Maryland | $132,323 | $94,000 | 6,052,177 | 299 |
| 34 | Texas | $117,882 | $79,000 | 28,304,596 | 2,774 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $116,718 | $83,000 | 10,273,419 | 1,406 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $118,528 | $85,000 | 1,342,795 | 259 |
| 37 | Virginia | $128,965 | $92,000 | 8,470,020 | 606 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $111,080 | $75,000 | 4,684,333 | 662 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $116,342 | $79,000 | 3,004,279 | 270 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $115,754 | $77,000 | 1,920,076 | 274 |
| 41 | Colorado | $122,208 | $81,000 | 5,607,154 | 346 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $100,872 | $68,000 | 3,930,864 | 631 |
| 43 | Maine | $114,987 | $82,000 | 1,335,907 | 146 |
| 44 | Missouri | $114,162 | $77,000 | 6,113,532 | 647 |
| 45 | Kansas | $112,881 | $76,000 | 2,913,123 | 314 |
| 46 | Florida | $109,232 | $74,000 | 20,984,400 | 2,174 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $102,792 | $68,000 | 579,315 | 89 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $108,191 | $73,000 | 869,666 | 114 |
| 49 | Minnesota | $107,053 | $74,000 | 5,576,606 | 878 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $111,656 | $86,000 | 1,427,538 | 33 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $104,825 | $72,000 | 6,715,984 | 503 |
Highest paying states for systems directors
| Rank | State | Avg. Systems Director Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $154,180 |
| 2 | Oregon | $149,027 |
| 3 | Alaska | $154,767 |
| 4 | Nevada | $144,393 |
| 5 | New York | $141,953 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $139,656 |
| 7 | Michigan | $137,985 |
| 8 | Alabama | $135,653 |
| 9 | California | $159,375 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $133,807 |
| 11 | Idaho | $132,405 |
| 12 | Utah | $141,580 |
| 13 | Arizona | $126,187 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $138,223 |
| 15 | Vermont | $124,674 |
| 16 | South Carolina | $130,132 |
| 17 | Ohio | $126,071 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $126,142 |
| 19 | Georgia | $127,211 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $127,572 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $122,356 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $118,731 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $121,402 |
| 24 | Indiana | $127,749 |
| 25 | Delaware | $126,452 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $124,113 |
| 27 | Illinois | $123,975 |
| 28 | New Mexico | $118,235 |
| 29 | Iowa | $121,800 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $122,175 |
| 31 | District of Columbia | $121,676 |
| 32 | Montana | $119,304 |
| 33 | Maryland | $132,323 |
| 34 | Texas | $117,882 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $116,718 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $118,528 |
| 37 | Virginia | $128,965 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $111,080 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $116,342 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $115,754 |
| 41 | Colorado | $122,208 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $100,872 |
| 43 | Maine | $114,987 |
| 44 | Missouri | $114,162 |
| 45 | Kansas | $112,881 |
| 46 | Florida | $109,232 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $102,792 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $108,191 |
| 49 | Minnesota | $107,053 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $111,656 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $104,825 |
Systems director best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025