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Entrepreneur salary
Average entrepreneur salary
$70,849
Average Entrepreneur Salary
The average salary for an entrepreneur is approximately $70,849 per year, equating to about $34 per hour. This salary can vary significantly based on factors such as industry, location, and experience level. Entrepreneurs in high-demand sectors typically earn more, with potential for increased income as their businesses grow.
How Experience Affects Salary
Experience plays a crucial role in determining salary. Entry-level entrepreneurs may start with lower earnings, while those with several years of experience can expect salaries to rise considerably. For instance, seasoned entrepreneurs often report salaries exceeding $100,000 annually.
Regional Salary Differences
Location also influences earnings; entrepreneurs in metropolitan areas generally earn higher salaries compared to those in rural settings. For example, states like California and New York frequently offer higher compensation due to their robust business environments.
Career Opportunities
With various paths available, entrepreneurs can explore fields ranging from technology to retail. Each sector presents unique opportunities and challenges, allowing individuals to tailor their careers based on interests and market needs.
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Where can an Entrepreneur earn more?
Entrepreneur salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level entrepreneur | $29,200 | $14.03 |
| Mid-level entrepreneur | $45,100 | $21.67 |
| Senior-level entrepreneur | $81,700 | $39.29 |
Entrepreneur salary estimates from across the web
Average entrepreneur salary by state
The highest-paying states for entrepreneurs are New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. The lowest average entrepreneur salary states are Kansas, Florida, and Utah.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for entrepreneurs
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | $81,879 | $39.36 |
| 2 | New York | $107,291 | $51.58 |
| 3 | South Dakota | $69,927 | $33.62 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | $74,203 | $35.67 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $103,815 | $49.91 |
| 6 | Virginia | $81,722 | $39.29 |
| 7 | Washington | $81,373 | $39.12 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $97,984 | $47.11 |
| 9 | Illinois | $78,756 | $37.86 |
| 10 | Ohio | $75,667 | $36.38 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $87,436 | $42.04 |
| 12 | Delaware | $77,593 | $37.30 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $77,742 | $37.38 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $67,051 | $32.24 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $82,278 | $39.56 |
| 16 | Alabama | $61,935 | $29.78 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $60,923 | $29.29 |
| 18 | California | $79,251 | $38.10 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $61,260 | $29.45 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $66,029 | $31.74 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $65,103 | $31.30 |
| 22 | Oregon | $68,851 | $33.10 |
| 23 | Maryland | $76,731 | $36.89 |
| 24 | Tennessee | $59,803 | $28.75 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | $57,507 | $27.65 |
| 26 | Georgia | $62,696 | $30.14 |
| 27 | Alaska | $70,000 | $33.65 |
| 28 | Louisiana | $56,766 | $27.29 |
| 29 | Texas | $59,639 | $28.67 |
| 30 | Iowa | $54,380 | $26.14 |
| 31 | Kentucky | $53,218 | $25.59 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $62,008 | $29.81 |
| 33 | Colorado | $60,518 | $29.10 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $51,428 | $24.73 |
| 35 | Maine | $60,691 | $29.18 |
| 36 | Indiana | $55,328 | $26.60 |
| 37 | Missouri | $50,312 | $24.19 |
| 38 | Arizona | $57,612 | $27.70 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $51,819 | $24.91 |
| 40 | Kansas | $47,508 | $22.84 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $49,548 | $23.82 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $49,023 | $23.57 |
| 43 | Idaho | $48,113 | $23.13 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $43,497 | $20.91 |
| 45 | Vermont | $56,370 | $27.10 |
| 46 | Nevada | $52,062 | $25.03 |
| 47 | Utah | $44,016 | $21.16 |
| 48 | Montana | $49,013 | $23.56 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $36,275 | $17.44 |
| 50 | Florida | $44,747 | $21.51 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $36,208 | $17.41 |
Highest paying cities for entrepreneurs
The highest-paying cities for entrepreneurs are New York, NY, San Francisco, CA, and Newark, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $108,513 | $52.17 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $90,559 | $43.54 |
| 3 | Newark, NJ | $87,693 | $42.16 |
| 4 | Brockton, MA | $82,756 | $39.79 |
| 5 | Renton, WA | $82,654 | $39.74 |
| 6 | Lansing, MI | $80,921 | $38.90 |
| 7 | Akron, OH | $78,031 | $37.51 |
| 8 | Wilmington, DE | $77,778 | $37.39 |
| 9 | Baltimore, MD | $76,921 | $36.98 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $65,464 | $31.47 |
| 11 | Concord, NC | $65,394 | $31.44 |
| 12 | Alpharetta, GA | $62,676 | $30.13 |
| 13 | Boulder, CO | $60,622 | $29.15 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $60,430 | $29.05 |
| 15 | Indianapolis, IN | $54,787 | $26.34 |
| 16 | Columbia, SC | $49,890 | $23.99 |
| 17 | Jacksonville, FL | $45,828 | $22.03 |
| 18 | Salt Lake City, UT | $43,769 | $21.04 |
Entrepreneur salary details
An entrepreneur's salary ranges from $42,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $118,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an entrepreneur's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $118,000 | $9,833 | $57 |
| 75th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
| Average | $70,849 | $5,904 | $34 |
| 25th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
Highest paying entrepreneur jobs
The highest paying types of entrepreneurs are owner/operator, managing partner, and managing owner.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Manager | $61,487 | $5,124 | $29.56 | 313,110 |
| Operations Manager | $76,894 | $6,408 | $36.97 | 343,868 |
| Service Manager | $74,009 | $6,167 | $35.58 | 341,785 |
| Co-Owner/Operator | $32,256 | $2,688 | $15.51 | 95,615 |
| Manager | $58,651 | $4,888 | $28.20 | 1,236,194 |
| General Manager/Partner | $85,061 | $7,088 | $40.89 | 279,155 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for entrepreneurs, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Laura Lott Valenti
Assistant Professor of Marketing John C. Daigle Endowed Professor, Nicholls State University
Top companies hiring entrepreneurs now:
Which companies pay entrepreneurs the most?
Entrepreneur salaries at General Catalyst and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average entrepreneur salary at companies like CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and Lightspeed are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Catalyst | $98,217 | $47.22 |
| 2 | Hewlett Packard Enterprise | $79,053 | $38.01 |
| 3 | CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield | $77,639 | $37.33 |
| 4 | Lightspeed | $74,903 | $36.01 |
| 5 | SMS Holdings | $74,775 | $35.95 |
| 6 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | $72,529 | $34.87 |
| 7 | Berdon | $71,485 | $34.37 |
| 8 | Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Inc. | $68,354 | $32.86 |
| 9 | UMass Lowell | $66,133 | $31.79 |
| 10 | University of Massachusetts Boston | $66,033 | $31.75 |
| 11 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | $64,617 | $31.07 |
| 12 | Accenture | $64,508 | $31.01 |
| 13 | Symmetry Financial Group | $63,536 | $30.55 |
| 14 | International Rescue Committee | $63,295 | $30.43 |
| 15 | Techstars | $61,481 | $29.56 |
| 16 | UC Santa Barbara | $61,415 | $29.53 |
| 17 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | $60,731 | $29.20 |
| 18 | VF | $59,788 | $28.74 |
| 19 | PSEA | $58,618 | $28.18 |
| 20 | Americorps | $57,193 | $27.50 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Entrepreneur salary by industry
The average entrepreneur salary varies across industries:
- The average entrepreneur salary in the finance industry is $74,554, the highest of any industry.
- The average entrepreneur salary in the finance industry is $72,252.
- Entrepreneurs in the retail industry earn an average salary of $54,871, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for entrepreneurs
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $74,554 | $35.84 |
| 2 | Technology | $72,252 | $34.74 |
| 3 | Health Care | $63,960 | $30.75 |
| 4 | Media | $62,708 | $30.15 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $61,475 | $29.56 |
| 6 | Professional | $59,751 | $28.73 |
| 7 | Retail | $54,871 | $26.38 |
High paying entrepreneur jobs
Entrepreneur salary trends
The average entrepreneur salary has risen by $5,810 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average entrepreneur earned $65,039 annually, but today, they earn $70,849 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for entrepreneurs over the last decade.
Compare entrepreneur salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average entrepreneur salary over time
Compare entrepreneur salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Entrepreneur salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $70,800 | $34.06 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $68,900 | $33.12 | -0.1% |
| 2023 | $69,000 | $33.17 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $68,600 | $33.00 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | $67,900 | $32.64 | +1.6% |
Recently added entrepreneur salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Cities Container | DIY Pack Entrepreneur/Sales Partner | Pico Rivera, CA | 06/28/2025 | $41,740 |
| Real Journey Academies | Nutrition Service Support-Entrepreneur HS | Highland, CA | 06/28/2025 | $41,740 |
| The Innovation Space | Life Sciences Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR) | Wilmington, DE | 06/23/2025 | $104,350 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | Global Entrepreneur In Residence (Geir) | Newark, NJ | 06/07/2025 | $73,045 |
| Bay Cities Container | DIY Pack Entrepreneur/Sales Partner | Ione, CA | 05/25/2025 | $41,740 |
| Roivant | Entrepreneur In Residence, Roivant Health | Day, NY | 05/08/2025 | $200,000 |
| LG Electronics | Healthcare Entrepreneur-In-Residence (LG's Innovation Center) | Morgantown, WV | 04/28/2025 | $100,000 |
| Nanonets | Entrepreneur In Residence | Palo Alto, CA | 04/26/2025 | $140,000 |
| Traveling With Tasha | Travel Industry Entrepreneur | Helping Others Build A Profitable Travel Business ✈️ | Queensbury, NY | 03/27/2025 | $15,000 |
| LG Electronics | Entrepreneur-In-Residence, Cleantech (LG's Innovation Center) | Morgantown, WV | 03/26/2025 | $100,000 |
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