Careers / Chief Executives

Chief Executives — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$213,990

United States, 2025

Employment

204,350

United States, 2025

Typical education

Master's Degree

Job Zone 5

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

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.

O*NET code
11-1011.00
Job zone
5
Experience required
Over 10 years

Typical tasks

  • 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.
  • Direct human resources activities, including the approval of human resource plans or activities, the selection of directors or other high-level staff, or establishment or organization of major departments.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$75,700
10th
$129,540
25th
$213,990
Median
$356,200
75th
$507,730
90th

10th percentile

$75,700

25th percentile

$129,540

75th percentile

$356,200

90th percentile

$507,730

Most important skills

  • Judgment and Decision Making4.8
  • Complex Problem Solving4.4
  • Critical Thinking4.4
  • Speaking4.3
  • Management of Financial Resources4.3
  • Systems Evaluation4.3
  • Coordination4.3
  • Management of Personnel Resources4.3
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Writing4.1
  • Social Perceptiveness4.1
  • Negotiation4.1

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 24 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

24

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Judgment and Decision Making4.85.4Not selected5.4
Management of Financial Resources4.35.3Not selected5.3
Management of Personnel Resources4.35.3Not selected5.3
Complex Problem Solving4.44.9Not selected4.9
Systems Evaluation4.35.0Not selected5.0
Systems Analysis4.15.1Not selected5.1
Monitoring4.05.3Not selected5.3
Critical Thinking4.44.8Not selected4.8
Coordination4.34.9Not selected4.9
Speaking4.34.8Not selected4.8
Negotiation4.14.8Not selected4.8
Reading Comprehension4.14.6Not selected4.6
Management of Material Resources4.04.8Not selected4.8
Active Listening4.04.8Not selected4.8
Time Management4.04.8Not selected4.8
Persuasion4.04.8Not selected4.8
Writing4.14.4Not selected4.4
Social Perceptiveness4.14.3Not selected4.3
Active Learning3.84.5Not selected4.5
Instructing3.43.9Not selected3.9
Operations Analysis3.13.9Not selected3.9
Learning Strategies3.13.8Not selected3.8
Mathematics3.33.5Not selected3.5
Service Orientation3.13.4Not selected3.4

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Medford, OR$615,500402025
Midland, MI$587,950602025
Midland, TX$389,3301002025
Bridgeport, CT$388,0604802025
Durham, NC$381,3301402025
Portland, OR$375,8106902025
Seattle, WA$370,0002,0602025
Greensboro, NC$354,3101602025
Chicago, IL$344,9603,6102025
OR$341,6309102025
WA$339,8103,1702025
Evansville, IN$339,330402025
Springfield, IL$338,570802025
Ann Arbor, MI$335,9002602025
IL$331,9204,6202025
Charlotte, NC$329,0307402025
Richmond, VA$326,1608202025
Rockford, IL$323,030902025
Dallas, TX$320,0602,5802025
Charlottesville, VA$317,9001802025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Chief Executives to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.