Chief Executives Salary in Los Angeles, CA (2024)
Chief Executives in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earn a median of $231,500 per year ($111.30 per hour) based on 12,420 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is +12.1% against the national median of $206,420 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where chief executives actually sit across the pay range in Los Angeles, CA, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46.79 | $97,330 | |
| 25th percentile | $74.67 | $155,320 | |
| Median | $111.30 | $231,500 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | — | — | |
| 90th percentile | — | — | |
| Average (mean) | $144.16 | $299,860 |
How Los Angeles, CA compares
The local median of $231,500 runs +12.1% above the US median of $206,420 for this occupation; it pays 332.8% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($53,490); within the metro it ranks 2nd of 733 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA — this occupation | $231,500 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $206,420 | +12.1% |
| Los Angeles, CA — all occupations | $53,490 | +332.8% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $231,500 | 0.0% |
At a location quotient of 1.46, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 146% of the national share of these workers.
High confidence The relative standard error on this estimate is 2.6%, which is a tight margin — the figure is stable enough to plan around.
Ranked 2nd of 733 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Los Angeles, CA
To put $231,500 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 2nd.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $235,930 | — |
| Chief Executives | $231,500 | 12,420 |
| Lawyers | $205,900 | 40,990 |
| Podiatrists | $193,510 | 370 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $191,410 | 24,260 |
| Nurse Midwives | $190,230 | 190 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $181,400 | 8,850 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $179,990 | — |
| Commercial Pilots | $177,300 | 2,110 |
| Dentists, General | $176,200 | 4,300 |
Where chief executives earn the most
Across the 6 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $164,980 to $231,500. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $231,500 | 12,420 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $210,000 | 4,590 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $206,990 | — |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $197,190 | 2,070 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $172,600 | 1,840 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $164,980 | 2,160 |
See the full national picture on the Chief Executives salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for chief executives in Los Angeles, CA?
The median annual wage is $231,500, or $111 per hour. That means half of the chief executives working in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $299,860.
Is chief executives pay in Los Angeles, CA above the local average?
Yes, it is 332.8% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $53,490. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Los Angeles, CA pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $231,500 the metro median is 12.1% higher than the US median of $206,420 for chief executives. Across the 6 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $164,980 to $231,500.
How many chief executives work in Los Angeles, CA?
BLS counts about 12,420 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 2.00 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. At a location quotient of 1.46, this occupation is over-represented locally: the metro has about 146% of the national share of these workers.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 5.2%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.