Salary by state
Music Directors and Composers Salary by State
Median annual wage from the latest BLS Occupational Employment Statistics release. Hover any state for the cost-of-living adjusted figure. Click to open the full state breakdown.
Music Directors and ComposersBLS OES May 2025
Full breakdown →Pinch to zoom
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Music Directors and Composers — median wage by state
- New Jersey: $122,750, COL-adjusted $112,822
- California: $93,090, COL-adjusted $84,092
- Colorado: $88,460, COL-adjusted $85,800
- District of Columbia: $84,040, COL-adjusted $76,470
- New York: $82,930, COL-adjusted $76,858
- Utah: $82,570, COL-adjusted $83,488
- Tennessee: $79,640, COL-adjusted $86,659
- Wisconsin: $78,690, COL-adjusted $83,624
- Massachusetts: $78,620, COL-adjusted $74,310
- Indiana: $77,270, COL-adjusted $82,819
- Connecticut: $77,070, COL-adjusted $74,392
- Washington: $75,060, COL-adjusted $70,150
- Hawaii: $74,570, COL-adjusted $67,791
- Georgia: $67,100, COL-adjusted $69,678
- Texas: $65,570, COL-adjusted $67,528
- Maryland: $64,300, COL-adjusted $61,238
- North Carolina: $63,380, COL-adjusted $67,211
- Mississippi: $62,240, COL-adjusted $71,540
- Iowa: $61,740, COL-adjusted $70,319
- Missouri: $61,670, COL-adjusted $67,919
- Ohio: $61,380, COL-adjusted $66,142
- Pennsylvania: $61,160, COL-adjusted $62,664
- Oregon: $60,800, COL-adjusted $58,801
- Michigan: $59,400, COL-adjusted $61,746
- Virginia: $59,050, COL-adjusted $58,408
- Florida: $57,830, COL-adjusted $55,928
- Oklahoma: $54,250, COL-adjusted $61,788
- Montana: $51,530, COL-adjusted $54,471
- Illinois: $49,270, COL-adjusted $49,270
- Alabama: $42,250, COL-adjusted $47,579
- Alaska: —
- Arizona: —
- Arkansas: —
- Delaware: —
- Idaho: —
- Kansas: —
- Kentucky: —
- Louisiana: —
- Maine: —
- Minnesota: —
- Nebraska: —
- Nevada: —
- New Hampshire: —
- New Mexico: —
- North Dakota: —
- Rhode Island: —
- South Carolina: —
- South Dakota: —
- Vermont: —
- West Virginia: —
- Wyoming: —
All states
51 of 51 results · sorted by value: high to low
- New Jersey$122,750
- California$93,090
- Colorado$88,460
- District of Columbia$84,040
- New York$82,930
- Utah$82,570
- Tennessee$79,640
- Wisconsin$78,690
- Massachusetts$78,620
- Indiana$77,270
- Connecticut$77,070
- Washington$75,060
- Hawaii$74,570
- Georgia$67,100
- Texas$65,570
- Maryland$64,300
- North Carolina$63,380
- Mississippi$62,240
- Iowa$61,740
- Missouri$61,670
- Ohio$61,380
- Pennsylvania$61,160
- Oregon$60,800
- Michigan$59,400
- Virginia$59,050
- Florida$57,830
- Oklahoma$54,250
- Montana$51,530
- Illinois$49,270
- Alabama$42,250
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- Delaware—
- Idaho—
- Kansas—
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- Louisiana—
- Maine—
- Minnesota—
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- New Mexico—
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Highest- and lowest-paying states for music directors and composers
Ranked by median annual wage from the BLS 2025 release. The full sortable list is above; these are the extremes.
Highest-paying
- 1. New Jersey$122,750
- 2. California$93,090
- 3. Colorado$88,460
- 4. District of Columbia$84,040
- 5. New York$82,930
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average Music Directors and Composers salary in the United States?
- The US median wage for Music Directors and Composers is $74,617 per year (BLS, 2025). Half earn more and half earn less.
- Which state pays Music Directors and Composers the most?
- New Jersey pays Music Directors and Composers the most, with a median of $122,750, followed by California ($93,090). The lowest median is in Alabama at $42,250.
- How much do Music Directors and Composers salaries vary by state?
- Music Directors and Composers median pay ranges from $42,250 to $122,750 across the 50 states and DC — a spread largely explained by cost of living and local demand. The table below ranks every state.
- Are Music Directors and Composers jobs growing?
- BLS projects a -0.2% change in Music Directors and Composers employment from 2024 to 2034 — slower than average.