Occupation salary profile

Chief Executives

SOC 11-1011 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

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.

National median · BLS
$213,990
▲ +3.67% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$240,000
▼ -0.84% YoY · 637 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$269,630
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
204,350
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Chief Executives

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 637 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$75,700$125,000
25th$129,540$165,000
Median (50th)$213,990$240,000
75th$356,200$314,000
90th — top pay$507,730$400,000
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $240,000 for Chief Executives — 12.2% above the BLS national median of $213,990.

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Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Chief Executives

BLS projects employment of chief executives to grow 3.2% from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 19,100 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
291,600 → 300,900
+9,300 jobs
Projected change
+3.2%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
19,100
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Plus 5 years or more experience
Self-employed
26.6% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $240,000
Change vs prior year -0.84%
After inflation (CPI-U) -3.85%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 188 29.5% $120,000 $138,550 $160,000
Level II 173 27.2% $200,000 $232,086 $261,261
Level III 104 16.3% $273,750 $306,644 $350,000
Level IV 79 12.4% $345,550 $418,808 $500,000
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Chief Executives

The 8 most-filed job titles inside SOC 11-1011, from 637 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Chief Executive Officer 178 27.94% $150,000 $225,000 $300,000 -5.94%
Chief Operating Officer 56 8.79% $140,000 $225,500 $300,088 -6.31%
Chief Financial Officer 33 5.18% $190,000 $275,000 $350,000 +10%
President generic 28 4.4% $169,500 $235,282 $270,001 -19.56%
Chief Technology Officer 22 3.45% $140,000 $176,326 $257,500 -21.32%
Executive Vice President 14 2.2% $265,196 $328,100 $348,888 +28.67%
Managing Director generic 12 1.88% $150,000 $170,984 $281,250 -37.82%
Vice President generic 10 1.57% $150,000 $199,341 $250,000 -16.94%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Chief Executives

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Judgment and Decision Making4.8
  • Complex Problem Solving4.4
  • Critical Thinking4.4
  • Coordination4.3
  • Management of Financial Resources4.3
  • Management of Personnel Resources4.3
  • Speaking4.3
  • Systems Evaluation4.3
  • Negotiation4.1
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
Top knowledge areas
  • Administration and Management4.8
  • Personnel and Human Resources4.5
  • English Language4.4
  • Customer and Personal Service4.4
  • Economics and Accounting4.0
  • Public Safety and Security3.9
  • Computers and Electronics3.8
  • Sales and Marketing3.8
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointAdobe AcrobatAtlassian JIRAExtensible markup language XMLIntuit QuickBooksMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft WordOracle PeopleSoftPHPSAP softwareStructured query language SQLAdSense TrackerBlackbaud The Raiser's Edge

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What chief executives do

  • Direct or coordinate an organization's financial or budget activities to fund operations, maximize investments, or increase efficiency.
  • Confer with board members, organization officials, or staff members to discuss issues, coordinate activities, or resolve problems.
  • Prepare budgets for approval, including those for funding or implementation of programs.
  • Direct, plan, or implement policies, objectives, or activities of organizations or businesses to ensure continuing operations, to maximize returns on investments, or to increase productivity.
  • Prepare or present reports concerning activities, expenses, budgets, government statutes or rulings, or other items affecting businesses or program services.
  • Implement corrective action plans to solve organizational or departmental problems.
  • Analyze operations to evaluate performance of a company or its staff in meeting objectives or to determine areas of potential cost reduction, program improvement, or policy change.
  • Direct or coordinate activities of businesses or departments concerned with production, pricing, sales, or distribution of products.
Also called
CEO (Chief Executive Officer)Chief Financial Officer (CFO)Chief Operating Officer (COO)PresidentChief Diversity Officer (CDO)Chief Information Officer (CIO)Chief Technical Officer (CTO)Executive DirectorExecutive Vice President (EVP)Operations Vice President (Operations VP)
Specialties within this occupation
  • Chief Sustainability Officers
More job titles for this occupation (80)
Aeronautics Commission DirectorAgency OwnerAgricultural Services DirectorArts and Humanities Council DirectorBank PresidentBureau ChiefBusiness Development Executive (BD Executive)Business Development Officer (BD Officer)Business Enterprise OfficerBusiness ExecutiveChief Administrative Officer (CAO)Chief Environmental Commitment Officer (CECO)Chief Green Officer (CGO)Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)Chief Innovation Officer (CINO)Chief Nursing Officer (CNO)Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO)Chief Technology Officer (CTO)Chief WardenClimate Change and Sustainability ManagerCommissionerConsumer Affairs DirectorCorporate ExecutiveCorporate Sustainability ManagerCorporate Sustainability Process ManagerCorrectional Agency DirectorCounty CommissionerCounty Executive DirectorCSR and Sustainability VP (Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Vice President)Deputy District Customs DirectorDeputy Insurance CommissionerDistrict Customs DirectorEmployment Research and Planning DirectorEmployment Services DirectorEnergy and Sustainability ManagerEnergy Sustainability ManagerEnergy, Sustainability, and Infrastructure ManagerEnvironmental and Sustainability ManagerEnvironmental Sustainability ManagerESG Manager (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance Manager)Executive OfficerFinance Vice President (Finance VP)Financial Institution PresidentFinancial Responsibility Division DirectorFoundation DirectorGlobal Sustainability ManagerGovernment Service ExecutiveHealth CommissionerHighway CommissionerHospital CFO (Hospital Chief Financial Officer)Institution DirectorInsurance CommissionerInternal Revenue CommissionerLabor CommissionerLabor Standards DirectorLaw Enforcement DirectorLicensing and Registration DirectorLiquor CommissionerLiquor Stores and Agencies SupervisorMedia ExecutiveMedical Facilities Section DirectorMusic ExecutiveNonprofit DirectorPolice CommissionerPrivate Sector ExecutivePublic Health DirectorPublic Works CommissionerPublic Works DirectorRailroad CommissionerRegulatory Agency DirectorRelocation CommissionerRoad CommissionerSafety Council DirectorStaff ChiefState Assessed Properties DirectorSustainability ChancellorTax CommissionerUnemployment Insurance DirectorWater CommissionerWelfare Director

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.