Chief Executives: salary, outlook & degrees
Determine and formulate policies and provide overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations within guidelines set up by a board of directors or similar governing body. Plan, direct, or coordinate operational activities at the highest level of management with the help of subordinate executives and staff managers.
Middle half $129,540–$356,200. 204,350 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 19,100 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Extensive preparation (usually a graduate degree).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Oregon | $341,630 |
| Washington | $339,810 |
| Illinois | $331,920 |
| North Carolina | $314,290 |
| Virginia | $310,740 |
| New Jersey | $310,440 |
| Connecticut | $295,120 |
| Hawaii | $281,640 |
| South Dakota | $280,900 |
| New York | $257,980 |
| Texas | $257,850 |
| Michigan | $255,560 |
| Indiana | $254,180 |
| Maryland | $248,660 |
| Rhode Island | $235,360 |
| Pennsylvania | $232,560 |
| California | $218,600 |
| Nebraska | $214,680 |
| Colorado | $213,370 |
| Iowa | $211,190 |
| Wisconsin | $208,350 |
| Georgia | $208,180 |
| Delaware | $199,990 |
| Tennessee | $198,830 |
| Minnesota | $195,670 |
| Montana | $182,340 |
| Kentucky | $179,530 |
| Idaho | $177,210 |
| Ohio | $176,440 |
| Vermont | $175,070 |
| Missouri | $172,320 |
| Utah | $171,880 |
| South Carolina | $168,840 |
| New Hampshire | $168,590 |
| Alaska | $166,710 |
| Alabama | $166,420 |
| North Dakota | $164,560 |
| Oklahoma | $163,790 |
| Kansas | $158,100 |
| West Virginia | $151,950 |
| Nevada | $149,770 |
| Wyoming | $147,940 |
| Mississippi | $139,250 |
| Maine | $138,770 |
| New Mexico | $123,500 |
| Arkansas | $119,990 |
| VI | $104,010 |
| PR | $97,510 |
Largest metro areas for this job
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA$234,290
- New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ$301,440
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA$288,690
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI$209,980
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD$292,770
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA$169,770
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN$344,960
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ$138,900
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA$238,440
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX$320,060
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA$275,820
- San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR$98,800
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Active Listening
Knowledge used
- Administration and Management
- Personnel and Human Resources
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Economics and Accounting
Work styles
- Leadership Orientation
- Dependability
- Integrity
- Achievement Orientation
- Adaptability
People in this job tend to have Enterprising (leading), Conventional (organizing) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Chief Executives: questions
How much do chief Executives make?
Chief Executives earn a U.S. median $213,990 a year; the middle half earn $129,540 to $356,200 (BLS, May 2025).
Is chief Executives a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 3.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 19,100 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a chief Executive?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 90% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 11-1011. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Chief Executives: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/chief-executives.