Chief Executives · SOC 11-1011
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Chief Executivess
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas
Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for chief executives. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (14 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Top 25 of 317 metro areas
| # | Metro area | Median annual | Employment | Per 1,000 jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medford, OR | $615,500 | 40 | 0.4 |
| 2 | Midland, MI | $587,950 | 60 | 1.5 |
| 3 | Midland, TX | $389,330 | 100 | 0.8 |
| 4 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $388,060 | 480 | 1.2 |
| 5 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $381,330 | 140 | 0.4 |
| 6 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $375,810 | 690 | 0.6 |
| 7 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $370,000 | 2,060 | 1.0 |
| 8 | Greensboro-High Point, NC | $354,310 | 160 | 0.4 |
| 9 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $344,960 | 3,610 | 0.8 |
| 10 | Evansville, IN | $339,330 | 40 | 0.3 |
| 11 | Springfield, IL | $338,570 | 80 | 0.8 |
| 12 | Ann Arbor, MI | $335,900 | 260 | 1.2 |
| 13 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $329,030 | 740 | 0.5 |
| 14 | Richmond, VA | $326,160 | 820 | 1.2 |
| 15 | Rockford, IL | $323,030 | 90 | 0.6 |
| 16 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $320,060 | 2,580 | 0.6 |
| 17 | Charlottesville, VA | $317,900 | 180 | 1.6 |
| 18 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $315,920 | 340 | 0.8 |
| 19 | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | $312,730 | 50 | 0.3 |
| 20 | New Haven, CT | $311,110 | 270 | 1.0 |
| 21 | Champaign-Urbana, IL | $310,740 | 70 | 0.7 |
| 22 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $304,110 | 2,070 | 1.1 |
| 23 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $301,440 | 7,180 | 0.8 |
| 24 | Rapid City, SD | $301,420 | 70 | 0.9 |
| 25 | Wilmington, NC | $298,730 | 30 | 0.2 |
Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Chief Executives overview.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.