How much does a chief finance officer make?

The average chief finance officer salary in the United States is $143,947. Chief finance officer salaries typically range between $80,000 and $257,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for chief finance officers is $69.21 per hour. Chief finance officer salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Chief finance officers earn the highest average salary in California.

Chief finance officer salary

Q: What state pays Chief Finance Officers the most?

California pays Chief Finance Officers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $151,846 per year, or $73.00 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a chief finance officer?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a chief finance officer if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in California you should be paid close to $150,852 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Chief Finance Officer?

A good starting salary for a chief finance officer is $84,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a chief finance officer in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for chief finance officers is $144,285, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a chief finance officer can vary by state.

Q: How much money does a CFO make?

A chief financial officer (CFO) makes an average annual salary in the low to mid-six figures, with further compensation in the form of stock options. Reported average annual chief financial officer salaries vary greatly, depending on the source. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the 2020 average annual chief executive salary -- including all C-suite level employees -- at $197,840, with the bottom ten percent earning just over $60,000.

Q: Who gets paid more: CEO or CFO?

Chief executive officers (CEOs) typically get paid more in base pay than chief financial officers (CFOs), with CFO compensation largely based on variable pay. CEO and CFO salaries vary greatly, depending on organization location, size, and industry.

Quoted expert

Dr. Francis Cai Ph.D.

Average chief finance officer salary

$143,947

$69.21 hourly rate

Entry-level chief finance officer salary

$80,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Chief Finance Officer Salaries

The average salary for a Chief Finance Officer (CFO) is $143,947 per year. This figure can vary based on several factors, including the industry, location, and years of experience. For instance, CFOs in finance and insurance tend to earn higher salaries compared to those in other sectors.

Factors Influencing Salaries

Geographic location plays a significant role in salary variation. States like California, New York, and Massachusetts are known for offering some of the highest salaries for CFOs. Moreover, experience levels greatly impact earnings; seasoned executives typically command more significant compensation.

High-Paying CFO Opportunities

The highest-paying industries for CFOs include technology, healthcare, and finance. Companies in these sectors often provide additional benefits, such as bonuses and stock options, enhancing overall compensation packages. As demand for financial expertise continues to grow, CFO positions remain highly sought after, offering numerous opportunities for career advancement.

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Chief finance officer salary by:

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Where can a Chief Finance Officer earn more?

Compare salary by location

184k

164k

144k

124k

104k

84k

Columbus, OH$164,149

Raleigh, NC$113,696

Compare salary by company

229k

209k

189k

169k

149k

Baker McKenzie$210,633

CHRISTUS Health$178,899

Chief finance officer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Ziprecruiter, the average salary for a chief finance officer typically falls between $143,947 and $226,000.

zippia

$143,947yearly

glassdoor[1]

$182,287yearly

ZipRecruiter[2]

$226,000yearly

Average chief finance officer salary by state

The highest-paying states for chief finance officers are California, New Jersey, and New York. The lowest average chief finance officer salary states are Alaska, Hawaii, and Kansas.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for chief finance officers

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York	$149,128	$71.70
2	Nevada	$144,744	$69.59
3	New Jersey	$149,930	$72.08
4	California	$150,852	$72.53
5	Massachusetts	$139,359	$67.00
6	District of Columbia	$151,846	$73.00
7	Illinois	$137,229	$65.98
8	Rhode Island	$132,888	$63.89
9	Virginia	$133,818	$64.34
10	Washington	$135,880	$65.33
11	Pennsylvania	$133,469	$64.17
12	Connecticut	$135,949	$65.36
13	Michigan	$134,904	$64.86
14	Texas	$129,667	$62.34
15	Maryland	$133,249	$64.06
16	Arizona	$124,490	$59.85
17	Delaware	$127,040	$61.08
18	Colorado	$122,958	$59.11
19	Nebraska	$120,695	$58.03
20	Louisiana	$125,781	$60.47
21	Minnesota	$112,869	$54.26
22	Florida	$108,369	$52.10
23	Georgia	$112,884	$54.27
24	Tennessee	$109,426	$52.61
25	North Carolina	$110,747	$53.24
26	New Hampshire	$115,005	$55.29
27	South Dakota	$114,548	$55.07
28	Ohio	$109,654	$52.72
29	Missouri	$109,808	$52.79
30	North Dakota	$98,094	$47.16
31	Vermont	$105,568	$50.75
32	West Virginia	$107,169	$51.52
33	Maine	$105,340	$50.64
34	Oregon	$108,107	$51.97
35	Wisconsin	$95,993	$46.15
36	New Mexico	$102,546	$49.30
37	South Carolina	$102,549	$49.30
38	Idaho	$89,915	$43.23
39	Kentucky	$102,124	$49.10
40	Alabama	$95,819	$46.07
41	Utah	$98,170	$47.20
42	Mississippi	$89,507	$43.03
43	Iowa	$91,900	$44.18
44	Indiana	$90,477	$43.50
45	Wyoming	$83,240	$40.02
46	Montana	$87,198	$41.92
47	Kansas	$83,342	$40.07
48	Hawaii	$83,624	$40.20
49	Alaska	$84,799	$40.77
50	Oklahoma	$78,010	$37.50
51	Arkansas	$73,092	$35.14

Top chief finance officer jobs near you

Highest paying cities for chief finance officers

The highest-paying cities for chief finance officers are Washington, DC, Santa Clara, CA, and Jersey City, NJ.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Washington, DC	$164,149	$78.92
2	Santa Clara, CA	$161,215	$77.51
3	Jersey City, NJ	$160,488	$77.16
4	Albany, NY	$159,757	$76.81
5	Las Vegas, NV	$151,259	$72.72
6	Boston, MA	$146,205	$70.29
7	Chicago, IL	$142,942	$68.72
8	Alexandria, VA	$141,408	$67.98
9	El Paso, TX	$140,684	$67.64
10	Detroit, MI	$140,065	$67.34
11	Baltimore, MD	$138,766	$66.71
12	Philadelphia, PA	$138,670	$66.67
13	Seattle, WA	$138,620	$66.64
14	Newark, DE	$130,598	$62.79
15	New Orleans, LA	$129,703	$62.36
16	Phoenix, AZ	$127,109	$61.11
17	Denver, CO	$124,308	$59.76
18	Atlanta, GA	$115,158	$55.36
19	Tampa, FL	$114,399	$55.00
20	Raleigh, NC	$113,696	$54.66

Chief Finance Officers are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Chief finance officer salary details

A chief finance officer's salary ranges from $80,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $257,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average chief finance officer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a chief finance officer's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$257,000	$21,417	$124
75th Percentile	$195,000	$16,250	$94
Average	$143,947	$11,996	$69
25th Percentile	$106,000	$8,833	$51
10th Percentile	$80,000	$6,667	$38

Highest paying chief finance officer jobs

The highest paying types of chief finance officers are president/chief executive officer, president & chief operating officer, and chief executive officer.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Accounting Director	$132,126	$11,011	$63.52	56,323
Controller, Vice President	$161,965	$13,497	$77.87	67,401
Manager Finance Planning And Analysis	$106,888	$8,907	$51.39	111,706
Director Of Administration & Finance	$109,366	$9,114	$52.58	80,486
Director Of Operations And Finance	$118,503	$9,875	$56.97	186,569
Business Manager-Finance Manager	$106,036	$8,836	$50.98	180,161

How would you rate the starting salaries for chief finance officers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Francis Cai Ph.D.

Professor, William Paterson University of New Jersey

The latest data from the website Payscale.com indicates that graduates with finance majors generally have a higher starting salary than the average college graduate salary. There are many career advancement opportunities in finance, either on Wall Street or within finance and treasury departments at corporates.

Top companies hiring chief finance officers now:

Which companies pay chief finance officers the most?

Chief finance officer salaries at Baker McKenzie and Morgan Lewis are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average chief finance officer salary at companies like Tully Rinckey PLLC and Community Health Systems are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Baker McKenzie	$210,633	$101.27
2	Morgan Lewis	$202,470	$97.34
3	Tully Rinckey PLLC	$198,115	$95.25
4	Community Health Systems	$193,075	$92.82
5	Scripps Health	$192,923	$92.75
6	E A Hawse Health Center, Inc.	$192,014	$92.31
7	Meta	$190,591	$91.63
8	Marshall University	$188,836	$90.79
9	White-Wilson Medical Center	$188,050	$90.41
10	Archdiocese of Omaha	$185,319	$89.10
11	Charles River Community Health	$181,710	$87.36
12	Surgery Partners	$181,334	$87.18
13	Opportunity International	$180,902	$86.97
14	Ciena Healthcare	$180,481	$86.77
15	UnitedHealth Group	$179,987	$86.53
16	Blavity	$179,889	$86.49
17	Bloomberg	$179,781	$86.43
18	Google	$179,648	$86.37
19	Providence Health & Services	$178,961	$86.04
20	CHRISTUS Health	$178,899	$86.01

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$135,000$131,400$127,800$124,200$120,600$117,000

MaleFemale

Chief Finance Officer salary by industry

The average chief finance officer salary varies across industries:

The average chief finance officer salary in the construction industry is $149,797, the highest of any industry.
The average chief finance officer salary in the finance industry is $149,770.
Chief finance officers in the finance industry earn an average salary of $135,581, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for chief finance officers

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Construction	$149,797	$72.02
2	Manufacturing	$149,770	$72.00
3	Hospitality	$149,617	$71.93
4	Health Care	$143,683	$69.08
5	Technology	$140,259	$67.43
6	Professional	$135,660	$65.22
7	Finance	$135,581	$65.18

High paying chief finance officer jobs

Chief finance officer salary trends

The average chief finance officer salary has risen by $14,739 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average chief finance officer earned $129,208 annually, but today, they earn $143,947 a year. That works out to a 3% change in pay for chief finance officers over the last decade.

Compare chief finance officer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average chief finance officer salary over time

Compare chief finance officer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Chief finance officer salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$144,000	$69.21	+0.8%
2024	$143,000	$68.65	-2.8%
2023	$147,000	$70.56	+3.3%
2022	$142,000	$68.21	+1.1%
2021	$140,000	$67.44	+3.4%

Recently added chief finance officer salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Bellevue School District	Chief Financial Officer	Bellevue, WA	06/30/2025	$209,697
Ntrs	Senior Auditor-CFO	Chicago, IL	06/30/2025	$74,200
Central Park Hibachi Inc.	Chief Financial Officer	Hartsdale, NY	06/29/2025	$180,000
Soros Fund Management	Family Office CFO	New York, NY	06/29/2025	$250,000
Get It-Real Estate	Chief Financial Officer-Remote \| WFH	Horsham, PA	06/29/2025	$158,567
Actalent	CFO	Sioux Falls, SD	06/29/2025	$120,000
Alvarez & Marsal	Pepi: Associate, CFO Services--Digital Finance (Open To All US Locations)	Phoenix, AZ	06/28/2025	$90,000
Alvarez & Marsal	Director, CFO Services (Open To All US Locations)	Washington, DC	06/28/2025	$150,000
Alvarez & Marsal	Pepi: Director, CFO Services--Financial Reporting Advisory (Open To All US Locations)	Denver, CO	06/28/2025	$150,000
Alvarez & Marsal	Director, CFO Services (Open To All US Locations)	New York, NY	06/28/2025	$150,000