Salary AI Book a Demo

Director, UX Salary in the United States

How much does a Director, UX make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Director, UX in the United States is $185,193 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $89.

However, a Director, UX's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $214,196
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $171,261 to $200,374
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $158,577
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Director, UX Salaries

A Director, UX's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Director, UX Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Director, UX's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $147,308
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $162,507
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $162,317
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $184,077
  • Expert (over 8 years): $214,845
Levels Salary
UI/Usabil... Level Director, UX$147,308
UI/Usabil... Level Director, UX$162,507
UI/Usabil... Level Director, UX$162,317
Director,... Level Director, UX$184,077
UI/Usabil... Level Director, UX$214,845
View as Graph

How Do Director, UX Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Director, UXes. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $205,046.
  • California: $204,268.
  • Massachusetts: $201,546.

Top Paying Cities for Director, UXes

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $233,584
  • San Francisco: $231,026
  • Oakland: $226,158

What Skills Can Increase a Director, UX's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 8.63% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • B2B (Mentioned in 2.51% Job Postings): B2B (business-to-business), a type of electronic commerce (e-commerce), is the exchange of products, services or information between businesses, rather than between businesses and consumers (B2C).
  • Product Management (Mentioned in 2.04% Job Postings): Product management is an organisational lifecycle function within a company dealing with the planning, forecasting, and production, or marketing of a product or products at all stages of the product lifecycle. Similarly, product lifecycle management (PLM) integrates people, data, processes and business systems. It provides product information for companies and their extended supply chain enterprise. The role may consist of product development and product marketing, which are different (yet complementary) efforts, with the objective of maximizing sales revenues, market share, and profit margins. Product management also involves elimination decisions. Product elimination begins with the identification of elimination candidates, proceeds with the consideration of remedial actions, continues with a projection of the impact on the business as a whole if a candidate product is eventually eliminated, and concludes with the implementation stage, where management determines the elimination strategy for an item. The product manager is often responsible for analyzing market conditions and defining features or functions of a product and for overseeing the production of the product. The role of product management spans many activities from strategic to tactical and varies based on the organizational structure of the company. To maximize the impact and benefits to an organization, Product management must be an independent function separate on its own.
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 8.63%
B2B 2.51%
Product Management 2.04%
See More Skills

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Director, UX's salary.

  • Benchmarking: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Product Research: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Long Term Planning: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Benchmarking $205,564
11%
Product Research $205,564
11%
Long Term Planning $203,712
10%
Get Latest Data

Director, UX Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Director, UX roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 110% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Biotechnology and Financial Services sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 60% above the average. In contrast, Director, UX positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit or Hospitality & Leisure typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Director, UX as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Director, UX

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Biotechnology$296,309$142.060%
Financial Services$277,790$134.050%
Software & Networking$259,270$125.040%
Pharmaceuticals$240,751$116.030%
Internet$222,232$107.020%

How Education impacts a Director, UX's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Director, UXes enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Director, UX with a Bachelor's Degree is between $178,118 and $188,126).

Director, UX Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Director, UX
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 1.5%
High School 5.2%
Associates 6.0%
Bachelors 56.0%
Masters 27.6%
Doctorate 3.7%
View as Graph

Director, UX Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Director, UX's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$171,261
Average $185,193/year
$200,374
$14,272
Average $15,433/month
$16,698
$3,293
Average $3,561/week
$3,853
$82
Average $89/hour
$96
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $200,374 $16,698 $3,853 $96
Average $185,193 $15,433 $3,561 $89
25th Percentile $171,261 $14,272 $3,293 $82

Most common benefits for Director, UX

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Director, UX

Here are companies hiring for Director, UX and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Director, UX Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Director, UX job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

For Employees

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Get a Salary Increase

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

Search Job Openings

For Employers

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Adjust Employee Salary

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Price My Industry Jobs

FAQ about Director, UX

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Director, UX?

The Biotechnology industry offers the highest average compensation for Director, UX roles, with salaries approximately 60% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst