Average Business Development Director Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Business Development Director salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Business Development Director Make in United States?

A Business Development Director working in United States will typically earn around 168,700 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 87,600 USD to the highest average salary of 257,500 USD.

Average Annual Salary
168,700 USD
Average Monthly Salary
14,058 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
87,600 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
7,300 USD

Highest Annual Salary
257,500 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
21,458 USD

These are average salaries for a Business Development Director in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Business Development Director to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Business Development Director salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Business Development Director Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries a Business Development Director will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Business Development Director can earn between 87,600 USD and 257,500 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Business Development Director in United States is 164,100 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 164,100 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 164,100 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Business Development Director salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 114,600 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 114,600 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 201,000 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 201,000 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Business Development Director Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average business development director salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Business Development Director in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 99,700 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Business Development Director salary would increase to 134,100 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Business Development Director, the average salary would be 172,200 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 210,400 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Business Development Director with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 229,600 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Business Development Director with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 241,800 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
99,700 USD
2-5 Years +34%
134,100 USD
5-10 Years +30%
172,200 USD
10-15 Years +21%
210,400 USD
15-20 Years +9%
229,600 USD
20+ Years +5%
241,800 USD

Business Development Director Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Business Development Director in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Business Development Director in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 118,900 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Business Development Director in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 180,500 USD.

  • Master's Degree. A Business Development Director in United States with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 255,000 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma
118,900 USD
Bachelor's Degree +52%
180,500 USD
Master's Degree +42%
255,000 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Business Development Director Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male business development director will earn an average of 172,200 USD, while a female business development director will earn around 163,800 USD.

This means that a male business development director earns approximately 5% more than a female business development director for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
172,200 USD
Female -5%
163,800 USD

Business Development Director Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Business Development Director in United States is around 14% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 14 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 11%

What this means is that a Business Development Director in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 11% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Business Development Director Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Business Development Director is a high bonus based job, with 81% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

19% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8%.

Received Bonus
81%
No Bonus
19%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Business Development Director

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Business Development Director in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Assistant Business Development Manager Business Planning 132,000 USD
Assistant Merchandise Planner Business Planning 70,500 USD
Business Advisor Business Planning 124,500 USD
Business Analyst Business Planning 123,800 USD
Business Consultant Business Planning 114,900 USD
Business Continuity Associate Business Planning 71,400 USD
Business Developer Business Planning 73,100 USD
Business Development Analyst Business Planning 83,100 USD
Business Development Associate Business Planning 64,300 USD
Business Development Coordinator Business Planning 63,500 USD
Business Development Engineer Business Planning 98,800 USD
Business Development Executive Business Planning 117,100 USD
Business Development Manager Business Planning 148,300 USD
Business Development Specialist Business Planning 114,900 USD
Business Manager Business Planning 137,100 USD
Business Operations Specialist Business Planning 114,900 USD
Business Process Writer Business Planning 69,400 USD
Business Systems Analyst Business Planning 116,400 USD
Capacity Planner Business Planning 86,600 USD
Capacity Planning Supervisor Business Planning 109,000 USD
Change Communications Analyst Business Planning 105,200 USD
Change Control Analyst Business Planning 109,700 USD
Change Impact Analyst Business Planning 114,900 USD
Contracts Executive Business Planning 114,300 USD
Corporate Strategy Analyst Business Planning 114,300 USD
Cost Control Engineer Business Planning 75,000 USD
Cost Controller Business Planning 87,700 USD
Cost Estimator Business Planning 75,000 USD
Data Executive Business Planning 58,800 USD
Data Manager Business Planning 87,800 USD
Data Processing Manager Business Planning 105,800 USD
Development Researcher Business Planning 88,300 USD
Director of Business Development Business Planning 160,600 USD
Director of Production Planning Business Planning 139,100 USD
Due Diligence Analyst Business Planning 127,600 USD
Estimating Manager Business Planning 127,600 USD
General Manager Business Planning 140,700 USD
Incident Handler Business Planning 79,800 USD
Incident Specialist Business Planning 103,600 USD
Lean Consultant Business Planning 91,600 USD
Manager Business Planning 156,200 USD
Marketing and Business Development Manager Business Planning 142,100 USD
Materials Planner Business Planning 54,300 USD
Merchandise Assistant Business Planning 49,200 USD
Merchandise Controller Business Planning 49,300 USD
Merchandise Planner Business Planning 50,500 USD
Operations Analyst Business Planning 112,700 USD
Operations Manager Business Planning 124,500 USD
Operations Research Analyst Business Planning 70,000 USD
Planning and Reporting Manager Business Planning 127,700 USD
Planning Director Business Planning 153,800 USD
Project Administrator Business Planning 71,900 USD
Project Manager Business Planning 125,400 USD
Project Planner Business Planning 76,800 USD
Research Assistant Business Planning 63,900 USD
Research Engineer Business Planning 75,800 USD
Research Officer Business Planning 58,700 USD
Risk Management Specialist Business Planning 108,200 USD
Scholarship Coordinator Business Planning 58,200 USD
Store Planner Business Planning 54,100 USD
Strategy Director Business Planning 161,300 USD
Top Research and Development Executive Business Planning 177,200 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 163,500 USD
Austin 190,400 USD
Baltimore 163,500 USD
Boston 175,100 USD
Bristol 137,100 USD
Chicago 192,600 USD
Cincinnati 142,300 USD
Cleveland 150,100 USD
Dallas 193,200 USD
Denver 169,700 USD
Detroit 177,200 USD
Honolulu 140,700 USD
Houston 201,000 USD
Indianapolis 177,100 USD
Iowa City 142,100 USD
Jacksonville 184,700 USD
Kansas City 166,600 USD
Kent 140,200 USD
Las Vegas 160,600 USD
Long Beach 151,800 USD
Los Angeles 206,300 USD
Memphis 172,300 USD
Miami 158,900 USD
Minneapolis 148,300 USD
New Orleans 148,300 USD
New York 209,700 USD
Oakland 146,900 USD
Oklahoma City 169,700 USD
Orlando 146,700 USD
Philadelphia 183,600 USD
Phoenix 195,200 USD
Sacramento 153,700 USD
San Antonio 197,600 USD
San Diego 197,600 USD
San Francisco 191,500 USD
San Jose 193,200 USD
Seattle 177,100 USD
Tampa 151,800 USD
Vancouver 140,200 USD
Washington D.C. 175,200 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 169,700 USD
Alaska 150,100 USD
Arizona 177,100 USD
Arkansas 163,800 USD
California 189,800 USD
Colorado 169,700 USD
Connecticut 165,900 USD
Delaware 152,700 USD
District of Columbia 151,800 USD
Florida 187,500 USD
Georgia 187,500 USD
Hawaii 158,700 USD
Idaho 158,700 USD
Illinois 189,800 USD
Indiana 180,500 USD
Iowa 166,600 USD
Kansas 166,600 USD
Kentucky 172,100 USD
Louisiana 172,100 USD
Maine 160,700 USD
Maryland 182,400 USD
Massachusetts 182,400 USD
Michigan 189,800 USD
Minnesota 177,100 USD
Mississippi 167,100 USD
Missouri 182,400 USD
Montana 160,700 USD
Nebraska 165,900 USD
Nevada 168,700 USD
New Hampshire 164,100 USD
New Jersey 187,500 USD
New Mexico 168,700 USD
New York 195,500 USD
North Carolina 172,200 USD
North Dakota 140,200 USD
Ohio 175,200 USD
Oklahoma 160,600 USD
Oregon 160,600 USD
Pennsylvania 177,200 USD
Rhode Island 148,300 USD
South Carolina 163,800 USD
South Dakota 146,900 USD
Tennessee 172,300 USD
Texas 183,600 USD
Utah 156,200 USD
Vermont 147,900 USD
Virginia 175,100 USD
Washington 175,200 USD
West Virginia 157,600 USD
Wisconsin 172,300 USD
Wyoming 146,700 USD

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