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Technical director salary

Average technical director salary

$131,719

$63.33 hourly rate

Entry-level technical director salary
$86,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Technical Director Salaries

The average Technical Director earns around $131,719 per year in the United States, with compensation varying based on factors such as industry, location, and experience. For instance, those working in technology and film production often see higher salaries. In addition, geographical factors can significantly influence earning potential; states like California and New York typically offer more lucrative opportunities.

Furthermore, specialized fields such as software development and media production tend to provide higher salaries for Technical Directors. As industries evolve, the demand for skilled professionals in these areas continues to grow, making it an excellent time for job seekers to pursue this career path.

Technical Directors also benefit from experience, as those with several years in the field often command significantly higher salaries. By staying updated with industry trends and enhancing their technical skills, professionals can position themselves for better compensation and advancement opportunities.

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Where can a Technical Director earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
174k
154k
134k
114k
94k
74k
Columbus, OH$153,038
Columbus, IN$103,607
Compare salary by company
Vs
204k
184k
164k
144k
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Nike$181,004
GFA International$154,302

Technical director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a technical director typically falls between $117,619 and $138,436.
zippia
$131,719yearly
glassdoor[1]
$129,516yearly
comparably[2]
$128,574yearly
Salary.com[3]
$117,619yearly
payscale[4]
$138,436yearly

Average technical director salary by state

The average technical director salary in New York, California, and Maine are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average technical director salary states are Missouri, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for technical directors

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York$149,264$71.76
2Nevada$128,059$61.57
3Georgia$130,225$62.61
4Maine$139,829$67.23
5District of Columbia$141,319$67.94
6Connecticut$131,617$63.28
7Texas$122,969$59.12
8California$146,767$70.56
9North Dakota$119,906$57.65
10New Mexico$123,793$59.52
11West Virginia$126,813$60.97
12Washington$135,970$65.37
13North Carolina$118,152$56.80
14Delaware$121,747$58.53
15Massachusetts$131,944$63.43
16Rhode Island$123,733$59.49
17New Jersey$129,278$62.15
18Colorado$117,883$56.67
19New Hampshire$124,197$59.71
20Michigan$114,812$55.20
21Tennessee$113,635$54.63
22Maryland$130,234$62.61
23Illinois$112,120$53.90
24Vermont$117,470$56.48
25Pennsylvania$108,397$52.11
26Arkansas$99,914$48.04
27Florida$113,760$54.69
28Virginia$121,474$58.40
29Minnesota$107,532$51.70
30Wyoming$116,098$55.82
31Alabama$100,810$48.47
32Wisconsin$107,160$51.52
33Arizona$113,948$54.78
34Indiana$103,576$49.80
35Alaska$106,256$51.08
36Mississippi$92,062$44.26
37Oregon$107,317$51.59
38Oklahoma$88,704$42.65
39Ohio$95,694$46.01
40Kentucky$96,544$46.42
41Kansas$92,649$44.54
42South Dakota$93,970$45.18
43Louisiana$71,909$34.57
44Iowa$72,220$34.72
45South Carolina$93,678$45.04
46Nebraska$80,766$38.83
47Missouri$89,235$42.90
48Hawaii$106,177$51.05
49Utah$91,136$43.82
50Idaho$90,513$43.52
51Montana$79,830$38.38

Highest paying cities for technical directors

The highest-paying cities for technical directors are Redwood City, CA, New York, NY, and Washington, DC.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Redwood City, CA$153,038$73.58
2New York, NY$151,545$72.86
3Washington, DC$142,683$68.60
4Seattle, WA$137,953$66.32
5Boston, MA$132,743$63.82
6Greenwich, CT$131,785$63.36
7Columbus, GA$131,084$63.02
8Baltimore, MD$130,926$62.95
9Jersey City, NJ$129,916$62.46
10San Antonio, TX$126,994$61.05
11Arlington, VA$121,611$58.47
12Colorado Springs, CO$119,414$57.41
13Miami, FL$116,747$56.13
14Charlotte, NC$116,369$55.95
15Phoenix, AZ$114,145$54.88
16Chicago, IL$112,606$54.14
17Philadelphia, PA$109,163$52.48
18Minneapolis, MN$107,560$51.71
19Portland, OR$106,402$51.15
20Columbus, IN$103,607$49.81

Technical director salary details

A technical director's salary ranges from $86,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $200,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average technical director salary graph
Average technical director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a technical director's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$200,000$16,667$96
75th Percentile$164,000$13,667$79
Average$131,719$10,977$63
25th Percentile$105,000$8,750$50
10th Percentile$86,000$7,167$41

Highest paying technical director jobs

The highest paying types of technical directors are chief technology officer, corporate director, and vice president, technology.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Director Of Technology And Services$126,814$10,568$60.97129,174
Vice President, Technology$152,462$12,705$73.3096,519
Information Technology Support Manager$104,424$8,702$50.20162,131
Information Technology Technical Services Manager$114,021$9,502$54.82209,334
Chief Technology Officer$172,989$14,416$83.17124,289
Information Technology Technical Lead$110,879$9,240$53.31156,246

Top companies hiring technical directors now:

  1. Expedia Group jobs (42)
  2. Accenture jobs (60)
  3. Publicis Sapient jobs (24)
  4. Northrop Grumman jobs (19)
  5. General Electric jobs (44)

Which companies pay technical directors the most?

Technical director salaries at Nike and Didi Chuxing are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average technical director salary at companies like Bristol-Myers Squibb and Valero Energy are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Nike$181,004$87.02
2Didi Chuxing$169,561$81.52
3Bristol-Myers Squibb$168,895$81.20
4Valero Energy$168,856$81.18
5Slalom$168,779$81.14
6Bain & Company$166,008$79.81
7Quest Diagnostics$164,610$79.14
8Expedia Group$164,598$79.13
9Capgemini$164,056$78.87
10Crane Co.$163,964$78.83
11Accenture$162,067$77.92
12Publicis Sapient$159,913$76.88
13Galt High School$158,980$76.43
14Google$158,067$75.99
15Mandiant$156,913$75.44
16Safran$156,526$75.25
17Renesas Electronics$156,502$75.24
18Wieden+Kennedy$156,435$75.21
19FTI Consulting$155,406$74.71
20GFA International$154,302$74.18

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$131,000$130,400$129,800$129,200$128,600$128,000
MaleFemale

Technical Director salary by industry

The average technical director salary varies across industries:

  • The average technical director salary in the technology industry is $134,759, the highest of any industry.
  • The average technical director salary in the finance industry is $131,620.
  • Technical directors in the education industry earn an average salary of $101,843, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for technical directors

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Technology$134,759$64.79
2Manufacturing$131,620$63.28
3Professional$127,320$61.21
4Telecommunication$119,461$57.43
5Media$113,612$54.62
6Education$101,843$48.96

High paying technical director jobs

Technical director salary trends

The average technical director salary has risen by $9,896 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average technical director earned $121,823 annually, but today, they earn $131,719 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for technical directors over the last decade.

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

Average technical director salary over time

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

Technical director salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$132,000$63.33+2.6%
2024$128,000$61.69+3.7%
2023$124,000$59.41+0.1%
2022$123,000$59.36+0.9%
2021$122,000$58.81+3.5%

Recently added technical director salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
RSMD365 CE Technical DirectorMinneapolis, MN06/30/2025$134,000
ErmTechnical Director, Engineer (Sediment Site Investigation & Risk Assessment)Seattle, WA06/30/2025$147,670
ErmTechnical Director, Environmental Engineer-Pfas Remediation SMEIrvine, CA06/30/2025$147,670
NtrsTechnology-Strategic Remediation Validation Testing DirectorChicago, IL06/30/2025$137,400
IeeeDirector Business Technology (E5937)Piscataway, NJ06/29/2025$189,000
Indivisible ProjectData and Technology DirectorWashington, DC06/29/2025$75,000
Professional Search of The CarolinasSitefinity Technical Director-ONE Year Contract-RemoteMount Olive, NC06/29/2025$198,265
Hasbro, Inc.Technical Director-Application SecurityRenton, WA06/28/2025$167,000
OracleConsulting Technical DirectorDover, DE06/28/2025$120,100
OracleConsulting Technical DirectorLittle Rock, AR06/28/2025$120,100

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