General and Operations Managers
Median $105,770
Occupation · SOC 11-1011
Chief Executives: pay and where the jobs are
What chief executives earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$213,990 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $269,630
- Median hourly wage
- $102.88
- Mean hourly wage
- $129.63
- Employment
- 204,350
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 11-1011.
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See where your pay falls among chief executives nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do chief executives make?
The median annual wage for chief executives was $213,990 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $75,700 and the highest-paid 10% more than $507,730. As an hourly rate, the median is $102.88. About 204,350 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Oregon ($341,630), Washington ($339,810) and Illinois ($331,920). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in South Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for chief executives looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $75,700 | $36.39 | $6,308 | $5,174 |
| 25th percentile | $129,540 | $62.28 | $10,795 | $8,317 |
| Median | $213,990 | $102.88 | $17,833 | $13,127 |
| 75th percentile | $356,200 | $171.25 | $29,683 | $20,096 |
| 90th percentile | $507,730 | $244.10 | $42,311 | $27,337 |
Chief Executives: pay by state
48 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$223,469 take-home in national prices
2
$217,416 take-home in national prices
3
$213,326 take-home in national prices
Where a median chief executive paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 910 | $341,630 | $179,550 | $772,840 | $199,907 | $193,406 |
| Washington | 3,170 | $339,810 | $160,110 | $607,100 | $228,287 | $213,326 |
| Illinois | 4,620 | $331,920 | $133,170 | $589,720 | $210,792 | $210,880 |
| North Carolina | 1,930 | $314,290 | $114,210 | $624,990 | $205,080 | $217,416 |
| Virginia | 4,870 | $310,740 | $130,000 | $604,090 | $198,022 | $195,859 |
| New Jersey | 2,430 | $310,440 | $173,560 | $666,030 | $196,409 | $180,515 |
| Connecticut | 1,660 | $295,120 | $156,680 | $680,080 | $188,081 | $181,528 |
| Hawaii | 470 | $281,640 | $100,030 | $493,870 | $177,255 | $161,213 |
| South Dakota | 510 | $280,900 | $175,590 | $546,760 | $197,962 | $223,469 |
| New York | 8,430 | $257,980 | $140,410 | $657,630 | $169,435 | $156,999 |
| Texas | 8,780 | $257,850 | $121,130 | $558,550 | $184,308 | $189,897 |
| Michigan | 4,950 | $255,560 | $104,010 | $547,090 | $172,316 | $179,091 |
| Indiana | 1,820 | $254,180 | $97,340 | $494,080 | $174,625 | $187,107 |
| Maryland | 3,180 | $248,660 | $139,990 | $486,860 | $166,263 | $158,408 |
| Rhode Island | 460 | $235,360 | $113,970 | $561,080 | $159,656 | $156,097 |
| Pennsylvania | 8,850 | $232,560 | $118,810 | $528,200 | $161,744 | $165,768 |
| California | 34,700 | $218,600 | $85,790 | $486,830 | $141,695 | $127,976 |
| Nebraska | 2,510 | $214,680 | $107,200 | $515,360 | $149,111 | $165,490 |
| Colorado | Not published | $213,370 | $88,400 | $402,230 | $147,613 | $143,241 |
| Iowa | 3,050 | $211,190 | $86,090 | $365,320 | $148,241 | $168,912 |
| Wisconsin | Not published | $208,350 | $103,560 | $426,290 | $143,271 | $152,262 |
| Georgia | 4,080 | $208,180 | $57,290 | $517,910 | $143,917 | $149,458 |
| Delaware | 390 | $199,990 | $119,990 | $523,940 | $135,363 | $135,623 |
| Tennessee | 4,700 | $198,830 | $64,520 | $474,740 | $147,166 | $160,190 |
| Minnesota | 6,740 | $195,670 | $92,540 | $449,270 | $131,665 | $133,506 |
| Montana | 670 | $182,340 | $73,970 | $432,240 | $126,954 | $134,137 |
| Kentucky | 2,070 | $179,530 | $72,800 | $466,660 | $127,809 | $141,759 |
| Idaho | 2,920 | $177,210 | $103,360 | $403,230 | $124,105 | $129,961 |
| Ohio | 4,470 | $176,440 | $79,390 | $484,820 | $127,447 | $137,374 |
| Vermont | 360 | $175,070 | $108,300 | $428,080 | $121,483 | $124,015 |
| Missouri | 2,550 | $172,320 | $75,040 | $416,060 | $121,885 | $134,209 |
| Utah | 3,140 | $171,880 | $72,480 | $424,690 | $121,097 | $122,489 |
| South Carolina | 1,740 | $168,840 | $49,760 | $393,490 | $118,838 | $126,761 |
| New Hampshire | Not published | $168,590 | $103,990 | $397,850 | $126,497 | $121,439 |
| Alaska | 640 | $166,710 | $75,870 | $428,990 | $124,941 | $122,062 |
| Alabama | 810 | $166,420 | $101,670 | $317,400 | $118,367 | $133,261 |
| North Dakota | 380 | $164,560 | $104,590 | $464,030 | $121,793 | $136,909 |
| Oklahoma | 2,390 | $163,790 | $68,630 | $387,310 | $116,391 | $132,499 |
| Kansas | 1,960 | $158,100 | $51,120 | $453,350 | $111,305 | $123,579 |
| West Virginia | 1,700 | $151,950 | $72,160 | $403,020 | $109,054 | $121,852 |
| Nevada | 1,370 | $149,770 | $58,670 | $517,310 | $113,634 | $113,658 |
| Wyoming | 60 | $147,940 | $34,690 | $276,940 | $112,383 | $121,245 |
| Mississippi | 310 | $139,250 | $101,930 | $304,040 | $101,605 | $116,851 |
| Maine | 1,580 | $138,770 | $73,680 | $401,950 | $96,974 | $99,922 |
| New Mexico | 100 | $123,500 | $43,710 | $302,440 | $90,958 | $98,640 |
| Arkansas | 3,550 | $119,990 | $49,830 | $330,480 | $89,004 | $102,377 |
| Virgin Islands | 130 | $104,010 | $82,430 | $275,030 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 2,690 | $97,510 | $49,000 | $213,810 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 11-1011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.