What are the main factors that influence a Business Unit Director's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Business Unit Director's salary?

A Business Unit Director's salary grows with experience: starting around $172,444 for beginners, reaching about $174,745 at mid-level, and approach $178,761 for experts.

What are the highest paying states for a Business Unit Director?

Business Unit Director salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Business Unit Director roles are District of Columbia $196,026, California $195,283, Massachusetts $192,680. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Business Unit Director roles make?

Salaries for Business Unit Director level roles vary by specialization: Business Unit Financial Controller, Sr.: $180,000; Business Unit Controller, Sr.: $179,961; Unit Director: $170,474; Business Unit Manager: $150,524; Assistant Unit Director: $145,309.

How do different companies affect a Business Unit Director's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Business Unit Director roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Business Unit Director Salary in the United States

How much does a Business Unit Director make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Business Unit Director in the United States is $177,047 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $85.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $210,486
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $160,475 to $194,550
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $145,387

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Business Unit Director Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$194,550	$16,213	$3,741	$94
Average	$177,047	$14,754	$3,405	$85
25th Percentile	$160,475	$13,373	$3,086	$77

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Key Factors That Influence Business Unit Director Salaries

A Business Unit Director'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 and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Business Unit Director Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Business Unit Director'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): $172,444
Early Career (1-2 years): $173,134
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $174,745
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $176,586
Expert (over 8 years): $178,761

Levels	Salary
Entry Level Business Unit Director	$172,444
Intermediate Level Business Unit Director	$173,134
Senior Level Business Unit Director	$174,745
Specialist Level Business Unit Director	$176,586
Expert Level Business Unit Director	$178,761

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What Am I Worth?

How Do Business Unit Director 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 Business Unit Directors. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $196,026.
California: $195,283.
Massachusetts: $192,680.

District of Columbia $196,026 California $195,283 Massachusetts $192,680 Washington $191,972 New Jersey $191,901 Alaska $191,653 Connecticut $189,210 New York $188,219

Hawaii $185,050 Rhode Island $183,562 Maryland $182,553 Minnesota $181,172 Colorado $180,641 Illinois $180,464 Oregon $179,791 Delaware $179,295

New Hampshire $178,984 Virginia $178,286 Pennsylvania $176,250 Nevada $175,223 North Dakota $174,887 Michigan $174,356 Wisconsin $174,161 Vermont $173,772

Texas $172,692 Maine $172,621 Arizona $172,515 Ohio $172,391 Georgia $170,762 Indiana $169,947 Wyoming $169,788 Utah $169,540

Iowa $169,434 Kansas $168,584 Louisiana $168,336 North Carolina $168,248 Missouri $168,212 Florida $167,522 Montana $167,150 Nebraska $166,796

Kentucky $166,601 South Carolina $165,893 Tennessee $165,450 Idaho $165,273 New Mexico $163,981 Oklahoma $163,698 Alabama $162,653 South Dakota $160,900

Arkansas $159,944 West Virginia $159,431 Mississippi $157,891

Top Paying Cities for Business Unit Directors

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: $223,309
San Francisco: $221,114
Oakland: $216,210

San Jose, CA $223,309

San Francisco, CA $221,114

Oakland, CA $216,210

New York, NY $205,180

Queens Village, NY $203,852

Paramus, NJ $202,436

Passaic, NJ $202,258

Bergenfield, NJ $202,081

Stamford, CT $201,816

Huntington, NY $201,639

Newark, NJ $200,488

Bridgeport, CT $200,134

New Brunswick, NJ $199,550

Vallejo, CA $199,178

Middlesex, NJ $199,072

Somerset, NJ $198,912

Petaluma, CA $198,505

Santa Cruz, CA $197,815

Boston, MA $197,461

Monterey, CA $196,575

Fairbanks, AK $196,451

Los Angeles, CA $196,115

Washington, DC $196,026

Seattle, WA $195,708

Santa Rosa, CA $195,672

Juneau, AK $195,159

Orange, CA $194,575

Anchorage, AK $194,256

Anaheim, CA $194,132

Santa Ana, CA $193,866

Nassau, NY $193,760

Long Beach, CA $193,689

Danbury, CT $193,636

Santa Maria, CA $193,034

Everett, WA $192,999

Bremerton, WA $192,131

Trenton, NJ $191,795

Sacramento, CA $191,724

San Diego, CA $191,636

Brockton, MA $191,565

Tacoma, WA $191,494

Santa Barbara, CA $191,246

Lowell, MA $190,538

New Suffolk, NY $190,467

Nashua, NH $190,255

Lompoc, CA $189,971

Ventura, CA $189,794

Stockton, CA $189,741

New Haven, CT $189,387

Atlantic City, NJ $188,927

Hartford, CT $188,537

Modesto, CA $188,449

Poughkeepsie, NY $188,059

New Britain, CT $187,971

Olympia, WA $187,723

Kennewick, WA $187,723

New London, CT $187,688

Norwich, CT $187,634

Lawrence, MA $187,546

Bakersfield, CA $187,050

Riverside, CA $186,802

New Bedford, MA $186,802

Richland, WA $186,625

Portsmouth, NH $186,484

Vineland, NJ $186,448

San Bernardino, CA $186,307

Boulder, CO $185,811

Worcester, MA $185,669

Portland, OR $185,510

Saint Paul, MN $185,297

Minneapolis, MN $185,297

Philadelphia, PA $185,050

Honolulu, HI $184,111

Springfield, MA $183,492

Providence, RI $183,474

Chicago, IL $182,960

Bellingham, WA $182,748

Baltimore, MD $182,553

Chico, CA $182,111

Wilmington, DE $181,810

Pittsfield, MA $181,633

Manchester, NH $181,296

Spokane, WA $180,517

Denver, CO $180,499

Albany, NY $179,667

Troy, NY $179,596

Schenectady, NY $179,225

Burlington, VT $178,835

Portland, ME $178,216

Salem, OR $178,074

Yakima, WA $178,038

Ann Arbor, MI $177,985

Rochester, MN $177,490

Fresno, CA $177,401

Reno, NV $177,401

Milwaukee, WI $177,242

Detroit, MI $177,065

Allentown, PA $177,012

Carson City, NV $176,994

Houston, TX $176,728

Colorado Springs, CO $176,711

Syracuse, NY $176,622

Eugene, OR $176,286

Bismarck, ND $176,073

Gary, IN $176,073

Galveston, TX $176,073

Springfield, OR $175,932

Medford, OR $175,507

Fort Collins, CO $175,436

Austin, TX $175,294

Mesa, AZ $174,922

Phoenix, AZ $174,887

Dallas, TX $174,834

Reading, PA $174,728

Saint Cloud, MN $174,657

Concord, NH $174,498

Madison, WI $174,427

Utica, NY $173,949

Raleigh, NC $173,807

Las Vegas, NV $173,789

Rochester, NY $173,665

Des Moines, IA $173,648

Atlanta, GA $173,364

Battle Creek, MI $173,311

Salt Lake City, UT $173,258

Lancaster, PA $172,993

Champaign, IL $172,957

Harrisburg, PA $172,745

Durham, NC $172,585

Kansas City, MO $172,568

Kansas City, KS $172,532

Fort Worth, TX $172,515

Boca Raton, FL $172,444

Cleveland, OH $172,426

Columbus, OH $172,391

Pittsburgh, PA $172,373

Richmond, VA $172,302

Indianapolis, IN $172,267

Cincinnati, OH $172,037

Petersburg, VA $171,771

Billings, MT $171,381

Lansing, MI $171,381

Huntsville, AL $171,381

Lebanon, PA $171,364

Dayton, OH $171,346

Pueblo, CO $171,346

Appleton, WI $171,293

Buffalo, NY $171,222

Racine, WI $171,134

Charlotte, NC $171,116

Saint Louis, MO $171,063

Springfield, IL $170,992

Elkhart, IN $170,957

York, PA $170,957

Gastonia, NC $170,939

Benton Harbor, MI $170,939

Beaumont, TX $170,833

Lorain, OH $170,797

Toledo, OH $170,726

Binghamton, NY $170,638

Rock Hill, SC $170,620

Rockford, IL $170,532

Fargo, ND $170,443

Elyria, OH $170,443

Flagstaff, AZ $170,319

Fort Lauderdale, FL $170,213

Miami, FL $170,107

Duluth, MN $169,823

Bangor, ME $169,593

Cedar Rapids, IA $169,399

Louisville, KY $169,310

Grand Rapids, MI $169,275

Hialeah, FL $169,257

Casper, WY $169,009

Scranton, PA $168,797

New Orleans, LA $168,743

Virginia Beach, VA $168,726

Akron, OH $168,637

Peoria, IL $168,407

Sarasota, FL $168,372

Green Bay, WI $168,248

Baton Rouge, LA $168,159

Charleston, SC $168,124

Nashville, TN $168,071

Jamestown, NY $168,035

Davenport, IA $168,035

Tucson, AZ $167,947

Cheyenne, WY $167,894

Saint Petersburg, FL $167,841

Tampa, FL $167,805

Omaha, NE $167,770

Port Arthur, TX $167,699

Evansville, IN $167,699

Bradenton, FL $167,628

Santa Fe, NM $167,309

Orlando, FL $167,132

Clearwater, FL $166,938

Canton, OH $166,566

La Crosse, WI $166,566

Grand Forks, ND $166,513

Albuquerque, NM $166,460

Tulsa, OK $166,460

Newport News, VA $166,442

High Point, NC $166,389

Ogden, UT $166,318

Corpus Christi, TX $166,176

Laramie, WY $166,070

Norfolk, VA $166,070

Rock Island, IL $165,964

Saginaw, MI $165,928

Jacksonville, FL $165,911

Salisbury, NC $165,875

Memphis, TN $165,840

Moline, IL $165,751

Fort Myers, FL $165,698

Waterloo, IA $165,468

Spartanburg, SC $165,291

Lincoln, NE $165,203

Fort Wayne, IN $165,167

Birmingham, AL $164,972

Cedar Falls, IA $164,937

Provo, UT $164,919

Springfield, OH $164,902

San Antonio, TX $164,866

Greensboro, NC $164,795

South Bend, IN $164,778

Winston Salem, NC $164,760

Boise, ID $164,707

Savannah, GA $164,583

Muskegon, MI $164,264

Lima, OH $164,052

Lake Charles, LA $163,981

Anderson, IN $163,946

Lexington, KY $163,892

Augusta, GA $163,839

Greenville, SC $163,839

Wichita, KS $163,680

Tuscaloosa, AL $163,680

Columbia, SC $163,521

Bloomington, IN $163,078

Roanoke, VA $162,972

Asheville, NC $162,742

Knoxville, TN $162,441

Shreveport, LA $162,423

Wilmington, NC $162,193

Frankfort, KY $161,856

Oklahoma City, OK $161,732

Chillicothe, OH $161,662

Longview, TX $161,644

Topeka, KS $161,591

Mobile, AL $161,325

Terre Haute, IN $161,254

Erie, PA $161,237

Altoona, PA $161,148

Melbourne, FL $161,095

Amarillo, TX $161,024

Killeen, TX $160,971

Fayetteville, AR $160,829

Sioux Falls, SD $160,706

Chattanooga, TN $160,599

Idaho Falls, ID $160,582

Gainesville, FL $160,210

Portsmouth, OH $160,121

Little Rock, AR $160,086

Lynchburg, VA $160,086

Lafayette, LA $160,015

Youngstown, OH $160,015

Temple, TX $159,944

Daytona Beach, FL $159,909

Clarksville, TN $159,891

Pensacola, FL $159,873

Hopkinsville, KY $159,342

Charleston, WV $159,325

Florence, SC $159,236

Sioux City, IA $159,130

Macon, GA $158,616

Tallahassee, FL $158,599

Fayetteville, NC $158,563

Waco, TX $158,528

Wichita Falls, TX $158,528

Pine Bluff, AR $158,457

Vincennes, IN $158,121

Lubbock, TX $158,050

Great Falls, MT $157,944

Alamogordo, NM $157,926

Abilene, TX $157,784

Rapid City, SD $157,554

Monroe, LA $157,554

Albany, GA $157,448

Huntington, WV $157,430

Jackson, MS $157,412

Greenville, MS $157,395

Parkersburg, WV $157,218

Montgomery, AL $157,182

Johnstown, PA $157,147

Springfield, MO $157,005

Biloxi, MS $156,917

Sumter, SC $156,545

Columbus, GA $156,527

Twin Falls, ID $156,421

Pascagoula, MS $156,191

Kingsport, TN $155,731

Gulfport, MS $155,677

Alexandria, LA $155,093

Fort Smith, AR $154,651

El Paso, TX $154,173

Helena, MT $153,942

Las Cruces, NM $153,376

Harlingen, TX $152,880

Pocatello, ID $152,721

Florence, AL $152,668

Brownsville, TX $152,632

Dothan, AL $152,349

Mcallen, TX $152,260

Columbus, MS $150,950

Altus, OK $150,136

Lawton, OK $149,799

Pierre, SD $149,162

What Skills Can Increase a Business Unit Director's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Analysis (Mentioned in 14.02% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
User Stories (Mentioned in 2.03% Job Postings): In software development and product management, a user story is an informal, natural language description of one or more features of a software system. User stories are often written from the perspective of an end user or user of a system. They are often recorded on index cards, on Post-it notes, or in project management software. Depending on the project, user stories may be written by various stakeholders including clients, users, managers or development team members. User stories are a type of boundary object. They facilitate sensemaking and communication; that is, they help software teams organize their understanding of the system and its context. User stories are often confused with system requirements. A requirement is a formal description of need; a user story is an informal description of a feature.
Test Plans (Mentioned in 1.35% Job Postings): A test plan is a document detailing the objectives, resources, and processes for a specific test for a software or hardware product. The plan typically contains a detailed understanding of the eventual workflow.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Analysis	14.02%
User Stories	2.03%
Test Plans	1.35%

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 Business Unit Director's salary.

Decision Making: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
PowerPoint: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Leadership: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Decision Making	$185,899	5%
PowerPoint	$184,129	4%
Leadership	$182,358	3%
Oracle	$182,358	3%
Customer Service	$182,358	3%
Prioritization	$180,588	2%

Get Latest Data

Business Unit Director Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Business Unit Director'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 January 01, 2026

$160,475

Average $177,047/year

$194,550

$13,373

Average $14,754/month

$16,213

$3,086

Average $3,405/week

$3,741

$77

Average $85/hour

$94

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$194,550	$16,213	$3,741	$94
Average	$177,047	$14,754	$3,405	$85
25th Percentile	$160,475	$13,373	$3,086	$77

Salaries of jobs related to Business Unit Director

Salary Trends for Business Unit Director

Salaries for a Business Unit Director can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $135,548 in 2023 to around $134,360 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Business Unit Director salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Business Unit Director Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$135,548

2024

$135,069

2025

$134,360

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$135,548
2024	$135,069
2025	$134,360
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Business Unit Director

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