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Section chief salary
Average section chief salary
$78,816
Overview of Section Chief Salary
The salary for a Section Chief typically ranges from $60,000 to over $100,000 depending on location, experience, and the specific sector. With an average salary of $78,816, Section Chiefs manage critical functions within organizations, often supervising teams and implementing strategic initiatives.
Salary by State
Section Chief salaries vary significantly across states. For example, states like California and New York tend to offer higher salaries due to higher living costs and demand for skilled professionals. In contrast, states with lower living costs may offer reduced salaries, yet can still provide competitive compensation based on local market conditions.
Job Opportunities
Aside from salary, potential Section Chiefs should consider job opportunities in various fields such as healthcare, engineering, and finance. As organizations continue to seek skilled leadership, the demand for Section Chiefs is expected to grow, providing numerous avenues for advancement.
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Where can a Section Chief earn more?
Average section chief salary by state
The highest-paying states for section chiefs are New York, New Jersey, and Washington. The lowest average section chief salary states are Tennessee, Montana, and South Carolina.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for section chiefs
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $104,640 | $50.31 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $108,287 | $52.06 |
| 3 | Virginia | $92,905 | $44.67 |
| 4 | Washington | $93,536 | $44.97 |
| 5 | Alaska | $90,387 | $43.46 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $89,371 | $42.97 |
| 7 | Delaware | $87,303 | $41.97 |
| 8 | Nevada | $86,029 | $41.36 |
| 9 | California | $92,657 | $44.55 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $87,730 | $42.18 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $94,616 | $45.49 |
| 12 | Ohio | $88,502 | $42.55 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $86,029 | $41.36 |
| 14 | West Virginia | $87,633 | $42.13 |
| 15 | Iowa | $82,239 | $39.54 |
| 16 | Oregon | $81,596 | $39.23 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $89,813 | $43.18 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $82,445 | $39.64 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $82,623 | $39.72 |
| 20 | Michigan | $79,379 | $38.16 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $77,491 | $37.26 |
| 22 | Maine | $76,017 | $36.55 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | $78,992 | $37.98 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $73,925 | $35.54 |
| 25 | Maryland | $79,251 | $38.10 |
| 26 | Utah | $77,844 | $37.42 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $77,566 | $37.29 |
| 28 | Louisiana | $75,108 | $36.11 |
| 29 | Colorado | $78,349 | $37.67 |
| 30 | Kentucky | $77,162 | $37.10 |
| 31 | Illinois | $77,058 | $37.05 |
| 32 | Alabama | $71,459 | $34.36 |
| 33 | Vermont | $72,146 | $34.69 |
| 34 | Arizona | $69,076 | $33.21 |
| 35 | Idaho | $70,641 | $33.96 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $53,007 | $25.48 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $69,919 | $33.61 |
| 38 | Georgia | $69,071 | $33.21 |
| 39 | Kansas | $70,925 | $34.10 |
| 40 | Texas | $65,815 | $31.64 |
| 41 | Missouri | $71,011 | $34.14 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $70,771 | $34.02 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $67,868 | $32.63 |
| 44 | Montana | $60,871 | $29.26 |
| 45 | Florida | $48,474 | $23.30 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $55,810 | $26.83 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $60,895 | $29.28 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $63,163 | $30.37 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $64,250 | $30.89 |
| 50 | Indiana | $63,191 | $30.38 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $55,224 | $26.55 |
Highest paying cities for section chiefs
The highest-paying cities for section chiefs are Washington, DC, New York, NY, and San Francisco, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $111,624 | $53.67 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $107,685 | $51.77 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | $101,116 | $48.61 |
| 4 | Lacey, WA | $97,461 | $46.86 |
| 5 | Hampton, VA | $93,913 | $45.15 |
| 6 | Reno, NV | $90,379 | $43.45 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $86,997 | $41.83 |
| 8 | Salem, OR | $82,487 | $39.66 |
| 9 | Hartford, CT | $82,112 | $39.48 |
| 10 | Baltimore, MD | $79,730 | $38.33 |
| 11 | Colorado Springs, CO | $78,922 | $37.94 |
| 12 | Grand Rapids, MI | $77,681 | $37.35 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $77,673 | $37.34 |
| 14 | Salt Lake City, UT | $77,441 | $37.23 |
| 15 | Baton Rouge, LA | $75,166 | $36.14 |
| 16 | Omaha, NE | $70,443 | $33.87 |
| 17 | Kansas City, MO | $70,312 | $33.80 |
| 18 | Wichita, KS | $70,118 | $33.71 |
| 19 | Raleigh, NC | $69,601 | $33.46 |
| 20 | Amarillo, TX | $69,556 | $33.44 |
Section chief salary details
A section chief's salary ranges from $37,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $163,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a section chief's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $163,000 | $13,583 | $78 |
| 75th Percentile | $115,000 | $9,583 | $55 |
| Average | $78,816 | $6,568 | $38 |
| 25th Percentile | $53,000 | $4,417 | $25 |
| 10th Percentile | $37,000 | $3,083 | $18 |
Highest paying section chief jobs
The highest paying types of section chiefs are section manager, section leader, and electrical supervisor.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance Supervisor | $57,674 | $4,806 | $27.73 | 86,333 |
| Lead Mechanic | $54,471 | $4,539 | $26.19 | 86,668 |
| Technical Supervisor | $89,670 | $7,472 | $43.11 | 83,226 |
| Mechanics Supervisor | $65,285 | $5,440 | $31.39 | 7,956 |
| Maintenance Manager | $72,269 | $6,022 | $34.74 | 61,748 |
| Facility Supervisor | $41,114 | $3,426 | $19.77 | 19,423 |
Top companies hiring section chiefs now:
Which companies pay section chiefs the most?
Section chief salaries at Learjet and Pediatric Academic Assoc are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average section chief salary at companies like United Nations and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Learjet | $127,245 | $61.18 |
| 2 | Pediatric Academic Assoc | $115,526 | $55.54 |
| 3 | United Nations | $111,022 | $53.38 |
| 4 | Oak Ridge National Laboratory | $101,029 | $48.57 |
| 5 | Maryland Environmental Service | $100,116 | $48.13 |
| 6 | Carilion Clinic | $94,202 | $45.29 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | $91,876 | $44.17 |
| 8 | St Joseph Medical Group | $90,496 | $43.51 |
| 9 | Provider Solutions & Development | $90,132 | $43.33 |
| 10 | United States Department of Justice | $89,101 | $42.84 |
| 11 | National Medical Association | $88,937 | $42.76 |
| 12 | Witt O'Brien's | $86,580 | $41.63 |
| 13 | Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson Inc | $86,364 | $41.52 |
| 14 | HealthTrust | $84,227 | $40.49 |
| 15 | Merritt Hawkins | $84,188 | $40.48 |
| 16 | LifePoint Health | $83,409 | $40.10 |
| 17 | The Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County | $76,497 | $36.78 |
| 18 | Shirley Ryan AbilityLab | $76,146 | $36.61 |
| 19 | Baylor College of Medicine | $70,920 | $34.10 |
| 20 | Maryland Transportation Authority | $70,171 | $33.74 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Section chief salary trends
The average section chief salary has risen by $11,658 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average section chief earned $67,158 annually, but today, they earn $78,816 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for section chiefs over the last decade.
Compare section chief salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average section chief salary over time
Compare section chief salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Section chief salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $78,800 | $37.89 | +4.0% |
| 2024 | $75,700 | $36.39 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $74,200 | $35.68 | +2.1% |
| 2022 | $72,700 | $34.95 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | $71,300 | $34.28 | +0.8% |
Recently added section chief salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Maryland | Planning Section Chief | Maryland | 06/27/2025 | $96,000 |
| The Agency | Services Development Section Chief (Technical Manager V) | Springfield, MO | 06/19/2025 | $78,228 |
| ESC Region 12 | Head of Section-Elementary-Gateway College Prep Georgetown TX | Georgetown, TX | 06/16/2025 | $73,100 |
| City of Harrisonburg, Va | Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Section Chief | Harrisonburg, VA | 06/13/2025 | $88,774 |
| City of Harrisonburg | Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Section Chief | Harrisonburg, VA | 06/13/2025 | $88,774 |
| Anderson Hospital | Section Head-Pathology-Days | Maryville, IL | 06/11/2025 | $62,151 |
| State of Illinois | Section Chief Transit Capital-Statewide-(Technical Manager V) | Ione, WA | 05/21/2025 | $78,228 |
| State of Washington | Section Chief-Social & Health Services Division | Olympia, WA | 04/26/2025 | $80,592 |
| TDEM-Texas A&M University System | Regional Section Chief, Region 1 | Lubbock, TX | 04/25/2025 | $165,375 |
| Nj Department of Environmental Protection | Aems Section Chief, Environmental Protection (Internal Posting) | Trenton, NJ | 04/24/2025 | $93,816 |
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