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Chief executive officer salary
Average chief executive officer salary
$192,260
Average Chief Executive Officer Salary
The average salary for a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is around $192,260 per year, translating to approximately $92 per hour. However, this figure can vary greatly based on factors such as geographic location, industry, and individual experience. For instance, CEOs in technology or finance industries often command higher salaries compared to those in non-profit sectors.
Where Can CEOs Earn More?
Some of the highest paying states for CEOs include:
- California
- New York
- Texas
- Massachusetts
In these states, the average compensation can exceed the national average significantly. Moreover, industry trends indicate that sectors like healthcare, finance, and technology are known for offering competitive pay packages. Understanding these trends is crucial for aspiring CEOs as they navigate their career paths.
Salary Estimates Across the Web
Various salary estimation tools and resources indicate similar figures, reinforcing the notion that while the role is demanding, it is also well-compensated. Many CEOs also benefit from additional incentives such as bonuses, stock options, and retirement plans, which can substantially increase their overall earnings. By assessing salary estimates across different platforms, job seekers can better position themselves for leadership roles and negotiate effectively.
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Where can a Chief Executive Officer earn more?
Chief executive officer salary estimates from across the web
Average chief executive officer salary by state
The highest-paying states for chief executive officers are Hawaii, Nevada, and New Jersey. The lowest average chief executive officer salary states are Maine, Idaho, and Oklahoma.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for chief executive officers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $182,253 | $87.62 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $180,498 | $86.78 |
| 3 | Minnesota | $162,546 | $78.15 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $172,877 | $83.11 |
| 5 | Texas | $166,783 | $80.18 |
| 6 | New York | $174,696 | $83.99 |
| 7 | Illinois | $161,050 | $77.43 |
| 8 | Virginia | $164,430 | $79.05 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $158,545 | $76.22 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $180,723 | $86.89 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $159,627 | $76.74 |
| 12 | Michigan | $159,144 | $76.51 |
| 13 | Georgia | $154,288 | $74.18 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $159,220 | $76.55 |
| 15 | Washington | $160,529 | $77.18 |
| 16 | Hawaii | $191,313 | $91.98 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $150,469 | $72.34 |
| 18 | Delaware | $157,008 | $75.48 |
| 19 | South Carolina | $156,510 | $75.25 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $151,206 | $72.70 |
| 21 | Maryland | $157,500 | $75.72 |
| 22 | Colorado | $147,240 | $70.79 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $144,192 | $69.32 |
| 24 | Arizona | $141,312 | $67.94 |
| 25 | California | $171,074 | $82.25 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $142,091 | $68.31 |
| 27 | Indiana | $141,043 | $67.81 |
| 28 | Ohio | $141,718 | $68.13 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $140,689 | $67.64 |
| 30 | Kansas | $133,054 | $63.97 |
| 31 | Vermont | $131,468 | $63.21 |
| 32 | Alabama | $132,080 | $63.50 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $132,226 | $63.57 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $140,421 | $67.51 |
| 35 | Florida | $141,788 | $68.17 |
| 36 | Missouri | $128,806 | $61.93 |
| 37 | Oregon | $143,235 | $68.86 |
| 38 | Idaho | $113,145 | $54.40 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $130,606 | $62.79 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $127,897 | $61.49 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $117,603 | $56.54 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $122,579 | $58.93 |
| 43 | Iowa | $121,425 | $58.38 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $117,994 | $56.73 |
| 45 | Maine | $114,004 | $54.81 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $117,703 | $56.59 |
| 47 | Utah | $116,718 | $56.11 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $105,159 | $50.56 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $98,915 | $47.56 |
| 50 | Montana | $92,104 | $44.28 |
| 51 | Alaska | $91,625 | $44.05 |
Highest paying cities for chief executive officers
The highest-paying cities for chief executive officers are Urban Honolulu, HI, Washington, DC, and Las Vegas, NV.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $247,076 | $118.79 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $214,895 | $103.31 |
| 3 | Las Vegas, NV | $214,262 | $103.01 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $202,367 | $97.29 |
| 5 | Stamford, CT | $198,915 | $95.63 |
| 6 | San Mateo, CA | $195,438 | $93.96 |
| 7 | Arlington, TX | $190,853 | $91.76 |
| 8 | Arlington, VA | $183,858 | $88.39 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $181,007 | $87.02 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $174,708 | $83.99 |
| 11 | Boston, MA | $174,455 | $83.87 |
| 12 | Seattle, WA | $174,163 | $83.73 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $171,188 | $82.30 |
| 14 | Bellevue, NE | $164,765 | $79.21 |
| 15 | Denver, CO | $155,810 | $74.91 |
| 16 | Charlotte, NC | $154,429 | $74.24 |
| 17 | Cincinnati, OH | $152,224 | $73.18 |
| 18 | Tampa, FL | $151,617 | $72.89 |
| 19 | Indianapolis, IN | $150,636 | $72.42 |
| 20 | Portland, OR | $147,652 | $70.99 |
Chief Executive Officers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Chief executive officer salary details
A chief executive officer's salary ranges from $104,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $354,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a chief executive officer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $354,000 | $29,500 | $170 |
| 75th Percentile | $265,000 | $22,083 | $127 |
| Average | $192,260 | $16,022 | $92 |
| 25th Percentile | $139,000 | $11,583 | $67 |
| 10th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
Highest paying chief executive officer jobs
The highest paying types of chief executive officers are president/chief executive officer, executive vice president, and president & chief operating officer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vice President & General Manager | $172,487 | $14,374 | $82.93 | 252,313 |
| Vice President | $158,637 | $13,220 | $76.27 | 119,530 |
| Group Vice President | $167,679 | $13,973 | $80.61 | 51,499 |
| Managing Director | $129,690 | $10,808 | $62.35 | 81,022 |
| Regional Director | $78,190 | $6,516 | $37.59 | 73,300 |
| Division Vice President | $158,729 | $13,227 | $76.31 | 68,176 |
Top companies hiring chief executive officers now:
Which companies pay chief executive officers the most?
Chief executive officer salaries at Alecto Healthcare Services LLC and BridgePoint Healthcare are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average chief executive officer salary at companies like Architizer and SoundCloud are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alecto Healthcare Services LLC | $260,813 | $125.39 |
| 2 | BridgePoint Healthcare | $251,797 | $121.06 |
| 3 | Architizer | $249,875 | $120.13 |
| 4 | SoundCloud | $249,094 | $119.76 |
| 5 | REDCOM Laboratories | $247,039 | $118.77 |
| 6 | Surgery Partners | $246,858 | $118.68 |
| 7 | ION | $239,174 | $114.99 |
| 8 | UnitedHealth Group | $239,171 | $114.99 |
| 9 | Telefónica Ecuador | $238,087 | $114.46 |
| 10 | Hazelcast | $237,783 | $114.32 |
| 11 | DropThought | $236,128 | $113.52 |
| 12 | Carle Foundation | $234,437 | $112.71 |
| 13 | Mercato | $234,167 | $112.58 |
| 14 | Atheer | $233,927 | $112.46 |
| 15 | Proteus International | $233,783 | $112.40 |
| 16 | HTx Services | $232,802 | $111.92 |
| 17 | Mobile.co | $231,885 | $111.48 |
| 18 | Quorum Health | $231,712 | $111.40 |
| 19 | Community Health Systems | $231,691 | $111.39 |
| 20 | Amour Vert | $231,566 | $111.33 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Chief Executive Officer salary by industry
The average chief executive officer salary varies across industries:
- The average chief executive officer salary in the start-up industry is $183,901, the highest of any industry.
- The average chief executive officer salary in the finance industry is $183,363.
- Chief executive officers in the finance industry earn an average salary of $172,675, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for chief executive officers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start-up | $183,901 | $88.41 |
| 2 | Transportation | $183,363 | $88.16 |
| 3 | Technology | $178,592 | $85.86 |
| 4 | Health Care | $174,164 | $83.73 |
| 5 | Finance | $172,675 | $83.02 |
High paying chief executive officer jobs
Chief executive officer salary trends
The average chief executive officer salary has risen by $19,686 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average chief executive officer earned $172,574 annually, but today, they earn $192,260 a year. That works out to a 3% change in pay for chief executive officers over the last decade.
Compare chief executive officer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average chief executive officer salary over time
Compare chief executive officer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Chief executive officer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $192,000 | $92.43 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | $191,000 | $91.69 | -2.8% |
| 2023 | $196,000 | $94.25 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $189,000 | $91.10 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | $187,000 | $90.08 | +3.4% |
Recently added chief executive officer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Red Cross | Regional Executive CEO | Hawaii | 06/30/2025 | $140,000 |
| Prime Healthcare Services | Chief Executive Officer | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $250,000 |
| Peopleconnect | Chief Executive Officer-Remote | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| Peopleconnect | Chief Executive Officer-Remote | Dallas, TX | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| Lifepoint Hospitals | Chief Executive Officer (CEO) | Los Angeles, CA | 06/28/2025 | $225,000 |
| Blue Owl Capital Holdings | Associate, Office of Co-Ceos | New York, NY | 06/28/2025 | $110,000 |
| State Street | Office of Ssga CEO | Boston, MA | 06/27/2025 | $170,000 |
| Mission Regional Medical Center | Chief Executive Officer | Chicago, IL | 06/27/2025 | $250,000 |
| Prime Healthcare Services | Chief Executive Officer | Ontario, CA | 06/27/2025 | $280,000 |
| Transpro Consulting | Chief Executive Officer | Memphis, TN | 06/27/2025 | $190,000 |
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