Chief Executives pay in the U.S.
$269,630avg. a year
$129.63 an hour · 204,350 employed
Chief Executives in the U.S. earn an average of $269,630 a year and a median of $213,990. Pay is highest in Oregon ($403,380) and lowest in New Mexico ($152,720).
$213,990Median pay
$129.63Average hourly
+36%Avg. pay since 2020
204,350Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for chief executives
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1910 jobs
Oregon
$403,380
$193.93 an hour
21,660 jobs
Connecticut
$376,840
$181.17 an hour
32,430 jobs
New Jersey
$372,910
$179.29 an hour
43,170 jobs
Washington
$360,290
$173.22 an hour
58,430 jobs
New York
$351,160
$168.83 an hour
61,930 jobs
North Carolina
$347,690
$167.16 an hour
74,620 jobs
Illinois
$347,550
$167.09 an hour
8460 jobs
Rhode Island
$341,100
$163.99 an hour
94,870 jobs
Virginia
$340,580
$163.74 an hour
10510 jobs
South Dakota
$336,560
$161.81 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Chief Executives pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $222k$222k–$251k$251k–$303k$303k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $447,290 | $215.04 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $425,580 | $204.61 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $420,320 | $202.08 |
| Midland, TX | $400,240 | $192.43 |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | $393,980 | $189.41 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $393,060 | $188.97 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $392,410 | $188.66 |
| New Haven, CT | $361,010 | $173.56 |
Related jobs
- General and Operations Managers$134,940
- Financial Managers$186,910
- Computer and Information Systems Managers$192,160
- Sales Managers$164,350
- Managers, All Other$153,890
- Medical and Health Services Managers$140,970
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Chief Executives pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $201,200 | $166,420 | 810 |
| Alaska | $220,770 | $166,710 | 640 |
| Arkansas | $164,930 | $119,990 | 3,550 |
| California | $272,920 | $218,600 | 34,700 |
| Colorado | $240,440 | $213,370 | – |
| Connecticut | $376,840 | $295,120 | 1,660 |
| Delaware | $277,630 | $199,990 | 390 |
| Georgia | $275,840 | $208,180 | 4,080 |
| Hawaii | $302,620 | $281,640 | 470 |
| Idaho | $221,580 | $177,210 | 2,920 |
| Illinois | $347,550 | $331,920 | 4,620 |
| Indiana | $284,910 | $254,180 | 1,820 |
| Iowa | $237,270 | $211,190 | 3,050 |
| Kansas | $222,710 | $158,100 | 1,960 |
| Kentucky | $238,100 | $179,530 | 2,070 |
| Maine | $191,480 | $138,770 | 1,580 |
| Maryland | $299,580 | $248,660 | 3,180 |
| Michigan | $298,740 | $255,560 | 4,950 |
| Minnesota | $246,240 | $195,670 | 6,740 |
| Mississippi | $173,720 | $139,250 | 310 |
| Missouri | $222,200 | $172,320 | 2,550 |
| Montana | $223,550 | $182,340 | 670 |
| Nebraska | $264,120 | $214,680 | 2,510 |
| Nevada | $235,840 | $149,770 | 1,370 |
| New Hampshire | $221,460 | $168,590 | – |
| New Jersey | $372,910 | $310,440 | 2,430 |
| New Mexico | $152,720 | $123,500 | 100 |
| New York | $351,160 | $257,980 | 8,430 |
| North Carolina | $347,690 | $314,290 | 1,930 |
| North Dakota | $225,920 | $164,560 | 380 |
| Ohio | $254,170 | $176,440 | 4,470 |
| Oklahoma | $200,930 | $163,790 | 2,390 |
| Oregon | $403,380 | $341,630 | 910 |
| Pennsylvania | $302,990 | $232,560 | 8,850 |
| Rhode Island | $341,100 | $235,360 | 460 |
| South Carolina | $211,720 | $168,840 | 1,740 |
| South Dakota | $336,560 | $280,900 | 510 |
| Tennessee | $239,970 | $198,830 | 4,700 |
| Texas | $310,660 | $257,850 | 8,780 |
| Utah | $225,320 | $171,880 | 3,140 |
| Vermont | $250,520 | $175,070 | 360 |
| Virginia | $340,580 | $310,740 | 4,870 |
| Washington | $360,290 | $339,810 | 3,170 |
| West Virginia | $192,840 | $151,950 | 1,700 |
| Wisconsin | $252,660 | $208,350 | – |
| Wyoming | $162,830 | $147,940 | 60 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$302,780
10,800 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$392,410
7,180 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$320,210
5,190 jobsMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$266,450
4,500 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$338,450
4,120 jobsSacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
$189,390
3,680 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$357,220
3,610 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
$198,290
3,140 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do chief executives make?
The average is $269,630 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $213,990 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $129.63, and the median is $102.88 an hour.
Which state pays chief executives the most?
Oregon, with an average of $403,380 a year. The best-paying metro area is Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT at $447,290.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $75,700 a year, and the top 10% earn over $507,730.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 11-1011. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.