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Corporate executive salary

Average corporate executive salary

$116,273

$55.9 hourly rate

Entry-level corporate executive salary
$76,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Corporate Executive Salary

The average salary for a corporate executive in the United States is $116,273 annually, translating to approximately $56 per hour. Salaries can fluctuate significantly depending on factors such as industry, years of experience, and geographical location.

Factors Influencing Salary

Experience plays a crucial role in determining salary levels. Entry-level corporate executives may earn less, while those with extensive experience in leadership positions can command significantly higher salaries. Additionally, industries such as technology and finance tend to offer higher compensation compared to others.

Where to Find Higher Salaries

Corporate executives in states like California, New York, and Texas often see the highest salaries. Exploring job opportunities in these locations can lead to attractive compensation packages. Moreover, certain sectors, including healthcare and technology, consistently report higher salaries for corporate executives.

Conclusion

Understanding the corporate executive salary landscape can aid in career planning and development. Utilize resources like Zippia to compare salaries by state and industry, and position yourself for success in your corporate career.

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Where can a Corporate Executive earn more?

Compare salary by location
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Columbus, OH$180,046
Atlanta, GA$100,177
Compare salary by company
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Fenwick & West$213,596
Bank of America$101,637

Corporate executive salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a corporate executive typically falls between $63,250 and $249,043.
zippia
$116,273yearly
glassdoor[1]
$249,043yearly
comparably[2]
$239,795yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$63,250yearly

Average corporate executive salary by state

The highest-paying states for corporate executives are Washington, California, and Nevada. The lowest average corporate executive salary states are Oklahoma, Indiana, and Kentucky.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for corporate executives

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Washington$166,792$80.19
2Nevada$158,400$76.15
3Illinois$133,130$64.00
4New Jersey$136,273$65.52
5Florida$135,942$65.36
6Arizona$125,793$60.48
7Massachusetts$125,828$60.49
8Maryland$137,538$66.12
9Connecticut$129,544$62.28
10California$162,646$78.20
11Ohio$124,323$59.77
12Oregon$140,512$67.55
13Hawaii$144,841$69.64
14Delaware$117,564$56.52
15Missouri$115,795$55.67
16Texas$111,434$53.57
17North Carolina$113,837$54.73
18Rhode Island$114,549$55.07
19New Mexico$121,421$58.38
20Alaska$128,574$61.81
21Colorado$113,026$54.34
22Virginia$114,666$55.13
23District of Columbia$137,886$66.29
24New York$128,229$61.65
25Louisiana$108,978$52.39
26Utah$99,146$47.67
27Pennsylvania$103,302$49.66
28Michigan$104,227$50.11
29Georgia$100,037$48.09
30Nebraska$103,720$49.87
31Minnesota$98,329$47.27
32New Hampshire$101,062$48.59
33Vermont$96,952$46.61
34North Dakota$94,590$45.48
35Montana$93,184$44.80
36Alabama$99,847$48.00
37West Virginia$98,445$47.33
38Wyoming$95,429$45.88
39Wisconsin$95,513$45.92
40Kansas$92,731$44.58
41Idaho$91,934$44.20
42Arkansas$88,732$42.66
43South Carolina$90,968$43.73
44South Dakota$90,756$43.63
45Iowa$87,904$42.26
46Indiana$86,514$41.59
47Tennessee$82,013$39.43
48Oklahoma$87,104$41.88
49Kentucky$83,636$40.21
50Maine$77,026$37.03
51Mississippi$66,139$31.80

Highest paying cities for corporate executives

The highest-paying cities for corporate executives are Mountain View, CA, Olympia, WA, and Carson City, NV.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Mountain View, CA$180,046$86.56
2Olympia, WA$176,879$85.04
3Carson City, NV$173,632$83.48
4Washington, DC$139,305$66.97
5Baltimore, MD$139,158$66.90
6Jersey City, NJ$137,853$66.28
7Hartford, CT$130,591$62.78
8Albany, NY$129,967$62.48
9Boston, MA$126,343$60.74
10Columbus, OH$124,427$59.82
11Jefferson City, MO$115,926$55.73
12Providence, RI$114,730$55.16
13Raleigh, NC$114,620$55.11
14Austin, TX$112,460$54.07
15Baton Rouge, LA$109,463$52.63
16Lansing, MI$104,048$50.02
17Lincoln, NE$103,662$49.84
18Harrisburg, PA$102,950$49.50
19Concord, NH$100,813$48.47
20Atlanta, GA$100,177$48.16

Corporate executive salary details

A corporate executive's salary ranges from $76,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $176,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average corporate executive salary graph
Average corporate executive salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a corporate executive's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$176,000$14,667$85
75th Percentile$144,000$12,000$69
Average$116,273$9,689$56
25th Percentile$93,000$7,750$45
10th Percentile$76,000$6,333$37

Highest paying corporate executive jobs

The highest paying types of corporate executives are president/chief executive officer, executive vice president, and senior vice president.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Owner$90,334$7,528$43.4386,486
President$192,329$16,027$92.4749,413
Board Member$70,751$5,896$34.017,581
Co-Founder$105,022$8,752$50.494,214
Co-Owner$86,704$7,225$41.6852,915
Vice President$158,637$13,220$76.27119,530

Top companies hiring corporate executives now:

  1. Apple jobs (2)
  2. Biogen jobs (5)
  3. Safeway jobs (2)
  4. Citi jobs (3)
  5. IBM jobs (3)

Which companies pay corporate executives the most?

Corporate executive salaries at Fenwick & West and Biogen are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average corporate executive salary at companies like Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Macy's are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Fenwick & West$213,596$102.69
2Biogen$169,445$81.46
3Alnylam Pharmaceuticals$148,438$71.36
4Macy's$144,850$69.64
5HSBC Bank$124,122$59.67
6Rockley Photonics$120,487$57.93
7Jefferies$117,182$56.34
8*n/a*$113,540$54.59
9Randstad North America, Inc.$109,485$52.64
10Overstock.com$107,694$51.78
11Ceres$106,629$51.26
12Huitt-Zollars$105,468$50.71
13Lifespace Communities$104,759$50.36
14Womble$104,093$50.04
15Bank of America$101,637$48.86

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$111,000$108,800$106,600$104,400$102,200$100,000
MaleFemale

Corporate Executive salary by industry

The average corporate executive salary varies across industries:

  • The average corporate executive salary in the health care industry is $125,228, the highest of any industry.
  • The average corporate executive salary in the finance industry is $123,998.
  • Corporate executives in the government industry earn an average salary of $78,599, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for corporate executives

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Health Care$125,228$60.21
2Technology$123,998$59.61
3Retail$115,127$55.35
4Professional$106,437$51.17
5Hospitality$100,955$48.54
6Finance$84,865$40.80
7Government$78,599$37.79

High paying corporate executive jobs

Corporate executive salary trends

The average corporate executive salary has risen by $11,906 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average corporate executive earned $104,367 annually, but today, they earn $116,273 a year. That works out to a 3% change in pay for corporate executives over the last decade.

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

Average corporate executive salary over time

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

Corporate executive salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$116,000$55.90+0.8%
2025$115,000$55.45-2.8%
2024$119,000$57.00+3.3%
2023$115,000$55.09+1.1%
2022$113,000$54.48+3.4%

Recently added corporate executive salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Whistlepig WhiskeyCorporate & Executive Gifting Associate-LocatedShoreham, VT04/24/2025$41,740
State Street CorporationHead of Corporate FunctionsClifton, NJ04/23/2025$170,000
iJETCorporate Executive Protection AgentEmeryville, CA04/06/2025$104,350
Crisis24Corporate Executive Protection AgentEmeryville, CA04/06/2025$104,350
GE AerospaceExecutive-Corporate FP&A and Allocations LeaderEvendale, OH03/22/2025$200,000
GE AerospaceExecutive-Corporate FP&A and Allocations LeaderChicago, IL03/22/2025$200,000
GE AerospaceExecutive-Corporate FP&A and Allocations LeaderBoston, MA03/22/2025$200,000
GE AerospaceExecutive-Corporate FP&A and Allocations LeaderNorwalk, CA03/22/2025$200,000
IntelCorporate Executive Security SpecialistSanta Clara, CA02/27/2025$116,850
General Electric CompanyExecutive-Corporate FP&A and Allocations LeaderNorwalk, CA02/21/2025$200,000

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