Executive & Leadership Salaries.
33 roles. 30 cities.
National salary data. Last updated April 2026.
Highest Paying
$310,000
Chief AI Officer
Industry Median
$255,000
VP of AI Product
Entry Level
$115,000
Founder / Entrepreneur
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Last updated April 2026.
The executive & leadership industry includes 33 tracked roles with national median salaries ranging from $115,000 to $310,000. The highest-paying role is Chief AI Officer at $310,000 national median. Executive and leadership roles carry the highest base salaries and total compensation packages in most organizations.
About executive & leadership salaries
Executive and leadership roles carry the highest base salaries and total compensation packages in most organizations. These positions require proven track records of strategic decision-making, team building, and revenue generation. The emergence of AI-focused C-suite roles like Chief AI Officer reflects the growing strategic importance of technology leadership.
All executive & leadership roles by salary
| # | Role | Median | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Chief AI Officer | $310,000 | $230,000 – $400,000 |
| 2 | Chief Data & AI Officer | $295,000 | $220,000 – $385,000 |
| 3 | Chief Technology Officer | $290,000 | $215,000 – $380,000 |
| 4 | SVP of AI Innovation | $285,000 | $215,000 – $375,000 |
| 5 | Chief Revenue Officer | $280,000 | $210,000 – $370,000 |
| 6 | Chief Algorithm Officer | $280,000 | $210,000 – $365,000 |
| 7 | CEO | $275,000 | $200,000 – $380,000 |
| 8 | Head of AI | $270,000 | $200,000 – $350,000 |
| 9 | Chief Product Officer | $270,000 | $200,000 – $355,000 |
| 10 | Head of AI Research | $270,000 | $200,000 – $355,000 |
| 11 | VP of AI Engineering | $265,000 | $200,000 – $345,000 |
| 12 | CFO | $260,000 | $195,000 – $345,000 |
| 13 | Chief Marketing Officer | $260,000 | $195,000 – $340,000 |
| 14 | Chief Data Officer | $260,000 | $195,000 – $340,000 |
| 15 | VP of Engineering | $260,000 | $195,000 – $340,000 |
| 16 | Chief Operating Officer | $255,000 | $190,000 – $340,000 |
| 17 | VP of AI Product | $255,000 | $190,000 – $330,000 |
| 18 | Head of Applied AI | $255,000 | $190,000 – $335,000 |
| 19 | Head of AI Platform | $248,000 | $185,000 – $325,000 |
| 20 | Chief Human Resources Officer | $245,000 | $185,000 – $318,000 |
| 21 | VP of Product | $245,000 | $185,000 – $315,000 |
| 22 | VP of Sales | $240,000 | $180,000 – $320,000 |
| 23 | VP of Product Design | $235,000 | $175,000 – $305,000 |
| 24 | VP of Marketing | $235,000 | $175,000 – $310,000 |
| 25 | Head of AI Partnerships | $235,000 | $175,000 – $310,000 |
| 26 | Director of Generative AI | $232,000 | $175,000 – $305,000 |
| 27 | Director of Engineering | $220,000 | $170,000 – $285,000 |
| 28 | Director of AI Strategy | $218,000 | $165,000 – $285,000 |
| 29 | Director of Data Science | $215,000 | $165,000 – $280,000 |
| 30 | Director of Product | $200,000 | $155,000 – $260,000 |
| 31 | Director of Product Design | $195,000 | $150,000 – $250,000 |
| 32 | Director of Marketing | $185,000 | $140,000 – $240,000 |
| 33 | Founder / Entrepreneur | $115,000 | $55,000 – $245,000 |
Top cities for executive & leadership
Cities ranked by average median salary across all 33 executive & leadership roles.
| # | City | Avg Median | COL Index |
|---|
| 1 | San Jose, CA | $340,515 | 1.38x |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $334,788 | 1.35x |
| 3 | Honolulu, HI | $322,152 | 1.30x |
| 4 | New York, NY | $315,364 | 1.28x |
| 5 | Washington DC, DC | $308,636 | 1.25x |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $304,212 | 1.24x |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $300,364 | 1.22x |
| 8 | Newark, NJ | $291,879 | 1.18x |
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