Geography

When looking at the data from the compensation survey found in the charts, it's important to remember that many factors are at play in determining average salaries. Where you work in the United States is another of these significant variables. The figures on these two pages (figs. 28 through 32) clearly show that average salaries vary greatly by region.

Advancement professionals in District VII (West) have the highest average salary in advancement services (fig. 30) and development (fig. 31) and for those working in two or more disciplines (fig. 32). In communications and marketing, District I (North Atlantic) and District VII are in a virtual tie, with District II (Middle Atlantic) not far behind (fig. 29).

The highest and lowest average salaries by district for advancement services and for development are separated by less than $10,000 (figs. 30, 31). More than $18,000 separates top and bottom average salaries by district in alumni relations (fig. 28); in communications and marketing, the gap is just over $16,000 (fig. 29). The largest difference in average salaries by district is found among those who work in two or more disciplines. Figure 32 shows that nearly $19,000 separates the highest and lowest average salaries by district for these professionals.

CASE Districts

District I (North Atlantic): Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Hampshire, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Rhode Island, Vermont

District II (Middle Atlantic): Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia

District III (Southeast): Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia

District IV (Southwest): Arkansas, Louisiana, Mexico, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

District V (Great Lakes): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin

District VI (Mid-America): Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming

District VII (West): Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah

District VIII (Pacific Northwest and Western Canada): Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Manitoba, Montana, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Oregon, Saskatchewan, Washington, Yukon

Note: Although Canadian provinces and territories are part of the CASE districts, Canadian responses and those from part-time advancement officers were too few to allow statistically valid analysis at the time the data was analyzed.