Chief Executives vs Financial Managers

Side-by-side salary and career comparison using Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Chief Executives

$206,420

median annual salary

Financial Managers

$161,700

median annual salary

Chief Executives earns $44,720 more per year (28% higher)

Salary & Career Comparison

Metric Chief Executives Financial Managers
Median Salary $206,420 $161,700
Median Hourly $99.24/hr $77.74/hr
Mean Salary $262,930 $180,470
10th Percentile $73,710 $86,490
90th Percentile N/A N/A
Total Employment 211,850 818,620
Job Growth (2023–2033) +4.3% +14.8%
Annual Openings 22.2 74.6
Education Bachelor's degree Bachelor's degree
Work Experience 5 years or more 5 years or more

Salary by State

States where both occupations have reported wage data, sorted by salary difference.

State Chief Executives Financial Managers Difference
Hawaii $231,500 $127,370 +$104,130
Michigan $219,230 $135,290 +$83,940
Pennsylvania $220,510 $137,960 +$82,550
West Virginia $181,930 $105,760 +$76,170
Ohio $208,590 $133,450 +$75,140
Indiana $205,780 $132,320 +$73,460
Nebraska $206,080 $134,410 +$71,670
Wisconsin $209,090 $137,530 +$71,560
Montana $194,460 $126,190 +$68,270
South Carolina $181,830 $127,610 +$54,220
Virgin Islands $139,160 $85,530 +$53,630
Rhode Island $211,810 $160,490 +$51,320
Idaho $173,070 $123,570 +$49,500
Iowa $178,530 $130,600 +$47,930
Alaska $168,680 $122,770 +$45,910
California $220,600 $174,920 +$45,680
North Dakota $171,310 $130,070 +$41,240
Tennessee $173,870 $133,010 +$40,860
Georgia $201,750 $163,450 +$38,300
Minnesota $194,160 $158,040 +$36,120

Showing top 20 of 40 states.

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Common Questions

Which pays more, Chief Executives or Financial Managers?
Chief Executives pays more, with a median annual salary of $206,420 compared to $161,700 — a difference of $44,720 per year.
Which has better job outlook?
Financial Managers has faster projected growth at 14.8% from 2023 to 2033, compared to 4.3% for Chief Executives.
Where does this data come from?
All salary data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. Job outlook data comes from the BLS Employment Projections program covering 2023-2033.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024.