Job outlook for chief operating officers in the United States

Chief operating officer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

The projected chief operating officer job growth rate is 6% from 2018-2028.
About 189,200 new jobs for chief operating officers are projected over the next decade.
Chief operating officer salaries have increased 3% for chief operating officers in the last 5 years.
There are over 74,376 chief operating officers currently employed in the United States.
There are 128,993 active chief operating officer job openings in the US.
The average chief operating officer salary is $136,604.

Are chief operating officer jobs in demand?

Yes, chief operating officer jobs are in demand. Chief operating officer demand is projected to grow 6% from 2018 to 2028.

Chief Operating Officer job and salary trends over time

Compare the number of chief operating officer jobs and the average chief operating officer salary over time.

Chief Operating Officer jobs over time

Chief Operating Officer job growth rate over time

Year	# Of Jobs	% Of Population
2021	74,376	0.02%
2020	67,610	0.02%
2019	68,868	0.02%
2018	65,442	0.02%
2017	67,167	0.02%

Average chief operating officer salary over time

Chief Operating Officer salary by year

Year	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate	% Change
2025	$136,604	$65.67	+0.8%
2024	$135,509	$65.15	--2.7%
2023	$139,285	$66.96	+3.5%
2022	$134,635	$64.73	+1.1%
2021	$133,122	$64.00	+3.5%

Top chief operating officer jobs near you

Chief Operating Officer jobs by state

The map below shows you the number of chief operating officer job openings in each state. The darker areas on the map show where chief operating officers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Most common states for chief operating officers

Rank	State	Population	# of Jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl
1	District of Columbia	693,972	514	74%
2	Massachusetts	6,859,819	2,338	34%
3	Delaware	961,939	276	29%
4	Vermont	623,657	170	27%
5	Virginia	8,470,020	2,096	25%
6	Rhode Island	1,059,639	255	24%
7	Idaho	1,716,943	402	23%
8	North Dakota	755,393	173	23%
9	Illinois	12,802,023	2,851	22%
10	New Jersey	9,005,644	1,973	22%
11	Colorado	5,607,154	1,228	22%
12	New Hampshire	1,342,795	284	21%
13	New York	19,849,399	4,033	20%
14	Georgia	10,429,379	2,085	20%
15	Minnesota	5,576,606	1,140	20%
16	Connecticut	3,588,184	718	20%
17	Iowa	3,145,711	632	20%
18	Arizona	7,016,270	1,341	19%
19	Maryland	6,052,177	1,135	19%
20	Maine	1,335,907	258	19%

Most common cities for chief operating officers

Rank	City	# of Jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl	Avg. Salary
1	West Des Moines	5	8%	$100,798
2	Wilmington	3	4%	$143,625
3	Camden	2	3%	$184,773
4	Boston	6	1%	$158,047
5	Atlanta	4	1%	$120,764
6	Denver	4	1%	$109,430
7	Chandler	3	1%	$119,349
8	Jersey City	3	1%	$188,014
9	Miami	3	1%	$99,566
10	Baton Rouge	2	1%	$120,422
11	New York	19	0%	$175,487
12	Dallas	3	0%	$137,963
13	Washington	3	0%	$158,536
14	Baltimore	2	0%	$145,671
15	Chicago	2	0%	$148,614
16	Detroit	2	0%	$144,618
17	Indianapolis	2	0%	$91,147

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