How much does an owner make?

The average owner salary in the United States is $90,334. Owner salaries typically range between $60,000 and $135,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for owners is $43.43 per hour. Owner salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Owners earn the highest average salary in New Jersey.

Owner salary

Q: What state pays Owners the most?

New Jersey pays Owners the most in the United States, with an average salary of $153,245 per year, or $73.68 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an owner?

You know if you are being paid fairly as an owner if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New York you should be paid close to $134,092 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for an Owner?

A good starting salary for an owner is $73,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for an owner in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for owners is $103,032, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for an owner can vary by state.

Quoted expert

Laura Lott Valenti

Average owner salary

$90,334

$43.43 hourly rate

Entry-level owner salary

$60,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Owner Salaries

The average salary for an owner is approximately $90,334 annually. This amount reflects various factors including geographical location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, owners in high-demand industries may earn significantly more due to market competition.

Salary Variance by State

Salary figures can differ substantially across states. For example, owners in California and New York often report higher earnings compared to those in less populated regions.

Career Progression and Opportunities

As owners gain experience, their earning potential usually increases, particularly if they expand their businesses or enter new markets. Exploring the highest paying job opportunities available can provide valuable insights for career advancement.

Conclusion

Understanding these salary dynamics is crucial for current and prospective owners to navigate their career paths effectively. Utilize resources like Zippia to stay informed about salary trends and opportunities in your area.

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Where can an Owner earn more?

Compare salary by location

148k

128k

108k

88k

68k

48k

Columbus, OH$134,539

Lehi, UT$77,815

Compare salary by company

172k

152k

132k

112k

92k

BP America Inc$149,144

New Life$121,831

Owner salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor and Payscale, the average salary for an owner typically falls between $55,380 and $179,981.

zippia

$90,334yearly

glassdoor[1]

$179,981yearly

indeed[2]

$59,102yearly

Salary.com[3]

$55,380yearly

payscale[4]

$70,456yearly

Average owner salary by state

The average owner salary in New Jersey, New York, and Delaware are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average owner salary states are Louisiana, Alaska, and Hawaii.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for owners

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	West Virginia	$108,058	$51.95
2	Delaware	$129,855	$62.43
3	New York	$134,092	$64.47
4	Michigan	$109,626	$52.70
5	New Jersey	$153,245	$73.68
6	Virginia	$119,771	$57.58
7	Washington	$116,071	$55.80
8	North Dakota	$95,188	$45.76
9	North Carolina	$105,617	$50.78
10	Rhode Island	$119,186	$57.30
11	Connecticut	$121,422	$58.38
12	Illinois	$108,127	$51.98
13	Pennsylvania	$106,057	$50.99
14	South Carolina	$98,793	$47.50
15	Maine	$111,283	$53.50
16	Arkansas	$84,858	$40.80
17	Massachusetts	$118,604	$57.02
18	District of Columbia	$121,516	$58.42
19	New Mexico	$87,093	$41.87
20	Montana	$104,318	$50.15
21	Vermont	$105,890	$50.91
22	Kansas	$79,415	$38.18
23	Minnesota	$91,246	$43.87
24	California	$105,250	$50.60
25	Ohio	$93,825	$45.11
26	Georgia	$87,605	$42.12
27	South Dakota	$74,595	$35.86
28	Maryland	$101,715	$48.90
29	Mississippi	$78,249	$37.62
30	Oregon	$84,206	$40.48
31	Oklahoma	$73,842	$35.50
32	Texas	$79,054	$38.01
33	Indiana	$74,789	$35.96
34	Florida	$83,536	$40.16
35	Utah	$78,059	$37.53
36	Kentucky	$70,562	$33.92
37	Tennessee	$71,138	$34.20
38	Wisconsin	$73,109	$35.15
39	Alabama	$68,532	$32.95
40	Missouri	$68,717	$33.04
41	Iowa	$67,885	$32.64
42	Louisiana	$67,287	$32.35
43	Colorado	$76,507	$36.78
44	Arizona	$74,953	$36.04
45	Nevada	$71,202	$34.23
46	Nebraska	$52,847	$25.41
47	Idaho	$59,279	$28.50
48	Wyoming	$57,231	$27.51
49	New Hampshire	$69,129	$33.24
50	Alaska	$66,026	$31.74
51	Hawaii	$62,846	$30.21

Top owner jobs near you

Highest paying cities for owners

The highest-paying cities for owners are New York, NY, Washington, DC, and Manassas, VA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York, NY	$134,539	$64.68
2	Washington, DC	$121,655	$58.49
3	Manassas, VA	$121,448	$58.39
4	Hartford, CT	$121,428	$58.38
5	Providence, RI	$119,148	$57.28
6	Boston, MA	$118,473	$56.96
7	Bellevue, WA	$116,808	$56.16
8	San Francisco, CA	$110,446	$53.10
9	Dearborn, MI	$110,183	$52.97
10	Chicago, IL	$108,571	$52.20
11	Raleigh, NC	$107,908	$51.88
12	Harrisburg, PA	$105,666	$50.80
13	Annapolis, MD	$101,936	$49.01
14	Fargo, ND	$96,200	$46.25
15	Columbus, OH	$93,838	$45.11
16	Saint Paul, MN	$91,369	$43.93
17	Atlanta, GA	$87,627	$42.13
18	Eugene, OR	$84,631	$40.69
19	San Antonio, TX	$80,323	$38.62
20	Lehi, UT	$77,815	$37.41

Owners are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Owner salary details

An owner's salary ranges from $60,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $135,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average owner salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an owner's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$135,000	$11,250	$65
75th Percentile	$111,000	$9,250	$53
Average	$90,334	$7,528	$43
25th Percentile	$72,000	$6,000	$35
10th Percentile	$60,000	$5,000	$29

Highest paying owner jobs

The highest paying types of owners are president/chief executive officer, president, and chief executive officer.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Vice President	$158,637	$13,220	$76.27	119,530
President	$192,329	$16,027	$92.47	49,413
General Manager/Partner	$85,061	$7,088	$40.89	279,155
Chief Operating Officer	$136,604	$11,384	$65.67	128,993
Chief Finance Officer	$143,947	$11,996	$69.21	145,184
Managing Partner	$147,401	$12,283	$70.87	66,916

How would you rate the starting salaries for owners, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Laura Lott Valenti

Assistant Professor of Marketing John C. Daigle Endowed Professor, Nicholls State University

Just yesterday, one of my sales students was told, in an interview, that the starting salary was $50K base and a commission cap of $22.5K for a virtual sales position with a well-branded organization. I think this is great and in line with the industry and expectations! (I also have three former students who work for the company, so he would be in great hands.)

Top companies hiring owners now:

Which companies pay owners the most?

Owner salaries at BP America Inc and Boehringer Ingelheim are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average owner salary at companies like Fairview Health Services and Genentech are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	BP America Inc	$149,144	$71.70
2	Boehringer Ingelheim	$144,588	$69.51
3	Fairview Health Services	$139,541	$67.09
4	Genentech	$139,128	$66.89
5	Medtronic	$136,353	$65.55
6	General Motors	$135,386	$65.09
7	Mars	$133,676	$64.27
8	Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation Inc.	$133,140	$64.01
9	Meta	$132,025	$63.47
10	Veoneer	$129,593	$62.30
11	Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.	$128,638	$61.85
12	Toyota Financial Svc	$128,006	$61.54
13	Visteon	$127,885	$61.48
14	Magna International	$127,714	$61.40
15	Vestas Blades America	$127,236	$61.17
16	Alene Candles	$126,316	$60.73
17	Polaris	$125,030	$60.11
18	Ernst & Young	$124,162	$59.69
19	Cerner	$123,206	$59.23
20	New Life	$121,831	$58.57

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$87,000$85,200$83,400$81,600$79,800$78,000

MaleFemale

Owner salary trends

The average owner salary has risen by $9,250 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average owner earned $81,084 annually, but today, they earn $90,334 a year. That works out to a 3% change in pay for owners over the last decade.

Compare owner salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average owner salary over time

Compare owner salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Owner salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2026	$90,300	$43.43	+0.8%
2025	$89,600	$43.08	-2.8%
2024	$92,100	$44.28	+3.3%
2023	$89,000	$42.80	+1.1%
2022	$88,000	$42.32	+3.4%

Recently added owner salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Get It-Hospitality	Bookkeeper-Work Exclusively With Small Business Owners-Remote	Plymouth, MA	06/29/2025	$52,175
Workday, Inc.	Compliance System Owner	McLean, VA	06/28/2025	$173,600
Workday, Inc.	Compliance System Owner	Pleasanton, CA	06/28/2025	$173,600
Blackberry Farm	Private Owner Housekeeper	Walland, TN	06/28/2025	$33,392
Cleveland Clinic	Owners Representative	Cleveland, OH	06/27/2025	$102,242
KBI Biopharma Inc.	Laboratory Informatics Process Owner	Durham, NC	06/27/2025	$112,320
Baxter	Global Process Owner-Time To Pay	Deerfield, IL	06/26/2025	$184,000
SMBC	Credit Risk Model Owner	New York, NY	06/26/2025	$85,000
Oracle	Oracle Health Engagement Owner	Olympia, WA	06/25/2025	$56,300
Oracle	Oracle Health Engagement Owner	Baton Rouge, LA	06/25/2025	$56,300

Owner salary FAQs

What state pays Owners the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an owner?

What is a good starting salary for an Owner?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated December 15, 2025

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