The salary of a CEO in the United States varies depending on several factors, including experience, location, education level, marketing trend and company sizes.
As of April 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a CEO in the United States is $725,600. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $645,100 to $804,500, with most professionals earning between $571,809 and $876,334.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $804,500 | $67,042 | $15,471 | $387 |
| Average | $725,600 | $60,467 | $13,954 | $349 |
| 25th Percentile | $645,100 | $53,758 | $12,406 | $310 |
An entry-level CEO with less than 1 year of experience earns about $676,339. With 1-2 years of experience, the average salary increases to $683,548. For 2-4 years of experience, the pay typically rises to $693,160. Senior-level professionals with 5-8 years of experience earn around $707,578, and those with over 8 years of experience can expect an average of $725,600.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level CEO | $676,339 |
| Intermediate Level CEO | $683,548 |
| Senior Level CEO | $693,160 |
| Specialist Level CEO | $707,578 |
| Expert Level CEO | $725,600 |
| Entry Level | 7% |
| Mid Level | 6% |
| Senior Level | 4% |
| Top Level | 2% |
| Experienced | 0% |
Salaries in the United States differ widely between states due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary greatly between cities due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
As of April 01, 2025, our research reveals a significant shift in CEO compensation over the past six years. For example, the median salary increased from $273,062 in 2023 to approximately $269,796 in 2024. (For a detailed analysis of CEO salary trends, click here.)
Key factors like location, experience, industry demand, and economic growth significantly influence salary variations, making them important to consider.
Salary.com job board provides millions of CEO information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see CEO job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for CEO and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $725,600 | 82.2% | ||
| Bonus | $0 | 0.0% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $20,974 | 2.4% | ||
| 401K/403B | $10,500 | 1.2% | ||
| Disability | $14,512 | 1.6% | ||
| Healthcare | $8,352 | 0.9% | ||
| Pension | $13,500 | 1.5% | ||
| Time Off | $89,305 | 10.1% | ||
| Total Compensation | $882,743 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 1.4% |
| High School | 6.8% |
| Associates | 4.6% |
| Bachelors | 36.9% |
| Masters | 40.3% |
| Doctorate | 10.0% |
What Am I Worth?
The average annual salary of CEO is $725,600. In case you are finding an easy salary calculator, the average hourly pay of CEO is $349; the average weekly pay of CEO is $13,954; the average monthly pay of CEO is $60,467.
A CEO's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer. According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, a CEO earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of a CEO is $915,200.
The highest pay for CEO is $876,334.
The lowest pay for CEO is $571,809.
The CEO organizes leadership and staff to meet strategic goals. Responsible for the short and long-term profitability and growth of the company. Being a CEO identifies and delivers value to stakeholders. Ensures appropriate governance and controls. In addition, CEO may require an advanced degree or its equivalent. Responsible for the development of functional or business unit strategy for the entire organization. Defines corporate vision and strategy establishes company direction and focus. Executes multiple high impact initiatives to achieve overall corporate goals. Working as a CEO typically requires 15+ years of related experience.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Leadership: Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
Health Care: Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration, or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people.
Childcare: Child care, otherwise known as day care, is the care and supervision of a child or multiple children at a time. Child care is a broad topic that covers a wide spectrum of professionals, institutions, contexts, activities, and social and cultural conventions.
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)
With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.
