National Salary Info » Highest Paying States for Music Directors and Composers

Highest-paying States for Music Directors and Composers

The highest-paying states for music directors and composers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of music directors and composers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $99,210, Colorado is the highest paying state for music directors and composers. It is followed by Connecticut (average annual salary $95,710). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of music directors and composers in a specific state, use the links in the table.

Table 1. Highest-paying States for Music Directors and Composers (2022 Survey)

Rank	State	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Colorado	$99,210	$52,950	100
2	Connecticut	$95,710	$44,610	280
3	Massachusetts	$91,000	$35,040	240
4	Georgia	$90,300	$23,940	60
5	California	$90,060	$37,610	2,250
6	Texas	$83,730	$48,680	290
7	Idaho	$74,690	$37,790	180
8	District of Columbia	$72,860	$43,600	90
9	Nevada	$68,800	$57,830	80
10	Iowa	$66,920	$18,320	80
11	South Carolina	$65,960	$41,480	80
12	Ohio	$65,480	$33,700	450
13	Mississippi	$64,620	$40,340	50
14	Oklahoma	$62,110	$19,220	120
15	Tennessee	$61,370	$18,830	560
16	Wyoming	$60,620	$41,700	40
17	Oregon	$60,510	$38,670	320
18	Maryland	$60,150	$40,840	170
19	Florida	$60,010	$31,750	880
20	New Jersey	$59,700	$35,820	260
21	New Hampshire	$57,300	$19,700	40
22	Rhode Island	$56,980	$27,610	170
23	North Carolina	$56,870	$43,980	100
24	Virginia	$56,160	$39,270	240
25	Vermont	$54,880	$31,940	30
26	Utah	$53,290	$31,230	30
27	Washington	$53,100	$41,600	210
28	Delaware	$52,970	$23,190	30
29	Alaska	$52,000	$31,100	40
30	New Mexico	$50,730	$23,920	50
31	Minnesota	$50,640	$22,930	160
32	Wisconsin	$50,570	$29,300	140
33	Hawaii	$49,340	$39,580	260
34	New York	$48,790	$30,260	2,030
35	Arizona	$48,540	$36,540	50
36	Arkansas	$48,470	$32,410	30
37	Missouri	$48,120	$30,500	40
38	Illinois	$47,840	$36,750	290
39	Louisiana	$46,420	$37,710	60
40	Alabama	$45,330	$20,830	100
41	Nebraska	$44,240	$26,550	40
42	Indiana	$43,880	$17,280	180
43	Kansas	$43,200	$16,990	60
44	Michigan	$42,080	$30,100	280
45	Kentucky	$41,290	$16,730	60
46	Pennsylvania	$38,600	$21,540	600
47	South Dakota	$30,690	$29,620	40
48	Montana	$24,060	$18,370	110

Note: some states are missing from this table because the median salary information of music directors and composers in those states is not available at this time.