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Best states for a chief executive officer/chief finance officer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
It seems like chief executive officer/chief finance officers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for chief executive officer/chief finance officers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. As chief executive officer/chief finance officers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for chief executive officer/chief finance officers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a chief executive officer/chief finance officer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for chief executive officer/chief finance officers. Washington is the best state for chief executive officer/chief finance officers, where the median salary is $185,935.We found that Washington is the best state for chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobs, whereas Montana is the worst.
10 best states for chief executive officer/chief finance officers in 2026
1. Washington
Total chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobs: 2,612 Average annual salary: $185,935 Lowest 10 percent earn: $133,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $259,000 Location Quotient: 1.18
2. Massachusetts
Total chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobs: 3,632 Average annual salary: $170,008 Lowest 10 percent earn: $115,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $251,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
3. Nevada
Total chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobs: 782 Average annual salary: $172,441 Lowest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $249,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
4. New Jersey
Total chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobs: 3,012 Average annual salary: $164,777 Lowest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $245,000 Location Quotient: 1.25
5. Texas
Total chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobs: 6,775 Average annual salary: $158,593 Lowest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $239,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
6. New York
Total chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobs: 4,207 Average annual salary: $169,316 Lowest 10 percent earn: $114,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $250,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
7. Connecticut
Total chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobs: 1,117 Average annual salary: $157,619 Lowest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $238,000 Location Quotient: 1.11
8. Missouri
Total chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobs: 1,788 Average annual salary: $151,921 Lowest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $232,000 Location Quotient: 1.01
9. Virginia
Total chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobs: 2,414 Average annual salary: $167,745 Lowest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $249,000 Location Quotient: 0.84
10. Rhode Island
Total chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobs: 478 Average annual salary: $142,417 Lowest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $221,000 Location Quotient: 1.3
Chief executive officer/chief finance officer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a chief executive officer/chief finance officer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a chief executive officer/chief finance officer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $185,935 | $133,000 | 7,405,743 | 2,612 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $170,008 | $115,000 | 6,859,819 | 3,632 |
| 3 | Nevada | $172,441 | $119,000 | 2,998,039 | 782 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $164,777 | $110,000 | 9,005,644 | 3,012 |
| 5 | Texas | $158,593 | $104,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,775 |
| 6 | New York | $169,316 | $114,000 | 19,849,399 | 4,207 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $157,619 | $104,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,117 |
| 8 | Missouri | $151,921 | $99,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,788 |
| 9 | Virginia | $167,745 | $112,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,414 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $142,417 | $91,000 | 1,059,639 | 478 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $150,928 | $99,000 | 2,088,070 | 534 |
| 12 | Arizona | $143,998 | $94,000 | 7,016,270 | 2,056 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $140,987 | $89,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,844 |
| 14 | Ohio | $144,720 | $93,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,811 |
| 15 | Florida | $158,312 | $103,000 | 20,984,400 | 3,564 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $146,867 | $94,000 | 4,684,333 | 847 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | $176,132 | $120,000 | 693,972 | 279 |
| 18 | Georgia | $140,040 | $89,000 | 10,429,379 | 3,298 |
| 19 | Illinois | $139,141 | $89,000 | 12,802,023 | 4,435 |
| 20 | Delaware | $147,267 | $95,000 | 961,939 | 334 |
| 21 | Alabama | $139,654 | $88,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,244 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $134,813 | $85,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,133 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $132,714 | $85,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,543 |
| 24 | California | $149,588 | $99,000 | 39,536,653 | 8,443 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $161,419 | $109,000 | 1,427,538 | 188 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $132,799 | $85,000 | 1,920,076 | 654 |
| 27 | Michigan | $132,947 | $84,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,190 |
| 28 | Maryland | $136,716 | $87,000 | 6,052,177 | 2,200 |
| 29 | Colorado | $131,346 | $84,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,092 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $126,689 | $79,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,613 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $130,605 | $81,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,182 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $129,735 | $81,000 | 1,815,857 | 343 |
| 33 | Vermont | $126,798 | $79,000 | 623,657 | 246 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $129,343 | $81,000 | 1,342,795 | 488 |
| 35 | Oregon | $138,582 | $92,000 | 4,142,776 | 815 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $122,352 | $77,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,754 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $115,613 | $74,000 | 755,393 | 354 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $123,714 | $77,000 | 3,004,279 | 532 |
| 39 | Alaska | $132,019 | $92,000 | 739,795 | 146 |
| 40 | Kansas | $123,799 | $77,000 | 2,913,123 | 602 |
| 41 | Idaho | $104,413 | $67,000 | 1,716,943 | 624 |
| 42 | Utah | $115,757 | $74,000 | 3,101,833 | 908 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $117,365 | $75,000 | 579,315 | 148 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $119,727 | $74,000 | 3,930,864 | 622 |
| 45 | Indiana | $115,060 | $71,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,695 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $114,755 | $70,000 | 4,454,189 | 843 |
| 47 | Iowa | $113,311 | $70,000 | 3,145,711 | 921 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $112,881 | $71,000 | 869,666 | 261 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $93,887 | $56,000 | 2,984,100 | 601 |
| 50 | Maine | $103,544 | $63,000 | 1,335,907 | 355 |
| 51 | Montana | $110,593 | $72,000 | 1,050,493 | 183 |
Highest paying states for chief executive officer/chief finance officers
| Rank | State | Avg. Chief Executive Officer/Chief Finance Officer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $185,935 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $170,008 |
| 3 | Nevada | $172,441 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $164,777 |
| 5 | Texas | $158,593 |
| 6 | New York | $169,316 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $157,619 |
| 8 | Missouri | $151,921 |
| 9 | Virginia | $167,745 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $142,417 |
| 11 | New Mexico | $150,928 |
| 12 | Arizona | $143,998 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $140,987 |
| 14 | Ohio | $144,720 |
| 15 | Florida | $158,312 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $146,867 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | $176,132 |
| 18 | Georgia | $140,040 |
| 19 | Illinois | $139,141 |
| 20 | Delaware | $147,267 |
| 21 | Alabama | $139,654 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $134,813 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $132,714 |
| 24 | California | $149,588 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $161,419 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $132,799 |
| 27 | Michigan | $132,947 |
| 28 | Maryland | $136,716 |
| 29 | Colorado | $131,346 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $126,689 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $130,605 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $129,735 |
| 33 | Vermont | $126,798 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $129,343 |
| 35 | Oregon | $138,582 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $122,352 |
| 37 | North Dakota | $115,613 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $123,714 |
| 39 | Alaska | $132,019 |
| 40 | Kansas | $123,799 |
| 41 | Idaho | $104,413 |
| 42 | Utah | $115,757 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $117,365 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $119,727 |
| 45 | Indiana | $115,060 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $114,755 |
| 47 | Iowa | $113,311 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $112,881 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $93,887 |
| 50 | Maine | $103,544 |
| 51 | Montana | $110,593 |
Chief executive officer/chief finance officer best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025