Pay by state · 51 areas
Talent Director Salary by State (2026)
Talent Directors earn the most in California at $129,790 a year and the least in Arkansas at $38,820 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $90,360. The table below covers 49 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $129,790California
- National median
- $90,360BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $38,820Arkansas
- Areas reporting
- 51of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for talent directors
Ranked on the state median among the 49 reporting states and DC. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1California$129,790
- 2New Jersey$119,840
- 3New York$107,550
- 4District of Columbia$104,270
- 5Connecticut$88,260
Lowest median pay
- 1Arkansas$38,820
- 2West Virginia$46,660
- 3Mississippi$48,100
- 4Nebraska$52,580
- 5Montana$52,580
All states
Talent Director salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of talent directors OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $129,790 | $83,110 | $172,410 | 34,110 | $117,224 |
| 2 | NJNew Jersey | $119,840 | $78,120 | $161,550 | 2,970 | $110,142 |
| 3 | NYNew York | $107,550 | $79,700 | $169,260 | 27,990 | $99,656 |
| 4 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $104,270 | $82,580 | $133,180 | 2,640 | $94,876 |
| 5 | CTConnecticut | $88,260 | $63,030 | $138,850 | 2,200 | $85,185 |
| 6 | OROregon | $87,460 | $60,260 | $123,320 | 1,640 | $84,616 |
| 7 | RIRhode Island | $84,250 | $58,050 | $98,910 | 560 | $82,372 |
| 8 | WAWashington | $81,550 | $62,760 | $128,030 | 2,270 | $76,206 |
| 9 | ILIllinois | $81,080 | $58,790 | $106,320 | 3,170 | $81,114 |
| 10 | MAMassachusetts | $80,970 | $60,220 | $105,940 | 3,440 | $76,562 |
| 11 | GAGeorgia | $79,950 | $64,540 | $125,780 | 5,010 | $83,028 |
| 12 | FLFlorida | $79,920 | $62,360 | $109,670 | 7,160 | $77,282 |
| 13 | MDMaryland | $79,350 | $58,580 | $111,990 | 1,610 | $75,601 |
| 14 | NVNevada | $78,480 | $54,630 | $119,620 | 1,630 | $78,496 |
| 15 | COColorado | $78,060 | $58,500 | $99,310 | 1,960 | $75,748 |
| 16 | MNMinnesota | $76,360 | $53,510 | $100,300 | 1,390 | $77,428 |
| 17 | UTUtah | $76,350 | $50,000 | $118,520 | 1,670 | $77,227 |
| 18 | PAPennsylvania | $75,460 | $55,040 | $100,290 | 4,200 | $77,338 |
| 19 | TNTennessee | $73,020 | $49,650 | $99,220 | 2,920 | $79,482 |
| 20 | DEDelaware | $72,650 | $59,640 | $158,510 | 150 | $72,790 |
| 21 | TXTexas | $71,710 | $49,020 | $99,100 | 6,610 | $73,884 |
| 22 | MEMaine | $71,320 | $48,970 | $126,820 | 400 | $73,488 |
| 23 | OHOhio | $69,350 | $52,590 | $93,090 | 1,610 | $74,752 |
| 24 | AZArizona | $67,320 | $49,640 | $105,330 | 1,720 | $66,867 |
| 25 | MOMissouri | $66,460 | $48,710 | $103,440 | 1,630 | $73,180 |
| 26 | WIWisconsin | $66,390 | $49,080 | $92,420 | 1,600 | $70,556 |
| 27 | HIHawaii | $66,190 | $49,620 | $82,750 | 510 | $60,200 |
| 28 | VAVirginia | $65,900 | $47,550 | $93,180 | 2,820 | $65,180 |
| 29 | MIMichigan | $65,720 | $49,900 | $94,590 | 2,310 | $68,304 |
| 30 | NCNorth Carolina | $63,700 | $40,230 | $88,430 | 3,500 | $67,532 |
| 31 | ALAlabama | $63,340 | $45,780 | $81,000 | 1,040 | $71,310 |
| 32 | LALouisiana | $62,920 | $45,750 | $108,800 | 880 | $71,332 |
| 33 | OKOklahoma | $61,600 | $45,590 | $89,010 | 770 | $70,125 |
| 34 | NHNew Hampshire | $61,560 | $45,560 | $80,810 | 300 | $59,099 |
| 35 | IDIdaho | $61,150 | $47,520 | $77,580 | 380 | $64,035 |
| 36 | KSKansas | $60,600 | $40,210 | $78,740 | 420 | $67,282 |
| 37 | WYWyoming | $60,420 | $42,230 | $73,930 | 130 | $65,184 |
| 38 | SDSouth Dakota | $60,260 | $47,320 | $72,610 | 170 | $68,024 |
| 39 | INIndiana | $59,870 | $41,890 | $80,490 | 1,480 | $64,149 |
| 40 | IAIowa | $58,550 | $42,980 | $75,650 | 720 | $66,715 |
| 41 | NDNorth Dakota | $57,870 | $42,910 | $75,600 | 170 | $65,052 |
| 42 | SCSouth Carolina | $56,030 | $45,540 | $84,990 | 1,190 | $59,766 |
| 43 | VTVermont | $55,660 | $47,030 | $82,460 | 290 | $56,820 |
| 44 | KYKentucky | $54,550 | $45,680 | $74,830 | 950 | $60,504 |
| 45 | AKAlaska | $54,060 | $45,030 | $70,310 | 160 | $52,814 |
| 46 | MTMontana | $52,580 | $40,070 | $76,990 | 390 | $55,555 |
| 47 | NENebraska | $52,580 | $44,280 | $76,690 | 470 | $58,355 |
| 48 | PRPuerto Rico | $48,820 | $35,830 | $70,630 | 260 | N/A |
| 49 | MSMississippi | $48,100 | $41,370 | $63,090 | 390 | $55,317 |
| 50 | WVWest Virginia | $46,660 | $39,650 | $75,520 | 230 | $52,136 |
| 51 | ARArkansas | $38,820 | $27,000 | $54,180 | 700 | $44,653 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For talent directors, the adjustment does not change the leader: California is first on raw pay and still first once prices are taken into account, at $117,224.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Talent Director pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays talent directors the most?
California reports the highest median wage for talent directors at $129,790 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by New Jersey ($119,840) and New York ($107,550).
Which state pays talent directors the least?
Among the 49 reporting states and DC, Arkansas reports the lowest median for talent directors at $38,820 a year, $90,970 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $48,820.
In which states do talent directors earn over $100,000?
4 of the 49 reporting states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more: California ($129,790), New Jersey ($119,840), New York ($107,550) and District of Columbia ($104,270) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is the highest-paying state the best for talent directors after cost of living?
Yes. California stays first after dividing each state median by its BEA Regional Price Parity, at $117,224 in national-average dollars from a raw $129,790. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.