How much does a Chief Operating Officer make?

Updated Sep 15, 2022

Experience

Industry

$355,639 / yrTotal Pay
$171,167 / yrBase Pay
$184,472 / yrAdditional Pay

$355,639

 / yr
$206K$651K
Most Likely Range
Possible Range

The estimated total pay for a Chief Operating Officer is $355,639 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $171,167 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated additional pay is $184,472 per year. Additional pay could include cash bonus, commission, tips, and profit sharing. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role.

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Total Pay Trajectory

For Chief Operating Officer

$355,639 /yr
Chief Operating Officer
$306,538 /yr
Deputy Chief Operating Officer
See Full Career Path

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Top Paying Companies

For a Chief Operating Officer in United States

Below is the total pay for the top 10 highest paying companies for a Chief Operating Officer in United States. Employers include Google, Apple and Amazon.

1
Google
$769,238/yr
2
Apple
$649,492/yr
7
$437,096/yr
8
Unknowns
$416,901/yr
Total Pay Trajectory

For Chief Operating Officer

$355,639 /yr
Chief Operating Officer

Download as data table

What are total pay estimates for a Chief Operating Officer at different companies?

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Company
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Total Pay Range
US Army
3.8
Chief Operating OfficerSee 27 salaries from all locations

$264,607

 / yr

$437,096

 / yr

$271,951

 / yr

$372,684

 / yr

$361,962

 / yr

$257,173

 / yr

$305,950

 / yr

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$240,174

 / yr

$769,238

 / yr

$586,399

 / yr

$476,721

 / yr

$342,057

 / yr

$258,291

 / yr

$241,498

 / yr
Private
4.1
Chief Operating OfficerSee 8 salaries from all locations

$332,018

 / yr

$230,639

 / yr

$404,000

 / yr

$486,724

 / yr

$649,492

 / yr

$534,064

 / yr
Download as data table
Viewing 1 - 20 of 5,740

Top Paying Industries

For a Chief Operating Officer in United States

The top 5 paying industries for a Chief Operating Officer in United States are Information Technology with a median total pay of $586,399, Financial Services with a median total pay of $481,723, Media & Communication with a median total pay of $363,683, Restaurants & Food Service with a median total pay of $358,946, and Management & Consulting with a median total pay of $358,585.

IndustryTotal PayTotal Pay Insight
  • Information TechnologyInformation Technology$586,399

    38% Higher than other industries

  • Financial ServicesFinancial Services$481,723

    25% Higher than other industries

  • Media & CommunicationMedia & Communication$363,683

    0% Lower than other industries

  • Restaurants & Food ServiceRestaurants & Food Service$358,946

    1% Lower than other industries

  • Management & ConsultingManagement & Consulting$358,585

    1% Lower than other industries

Information Technology

Top paying companies in Information Technology for Chief Operating Officer are Google, Apple, and Amazon.

GoogleGoogle$769,238/yr
AppleApple$649,492/yr
AmazonAmazon$586,399/yr

Glassdoor Economist Pay Overview

What is the pay outlook for Business?

Jobs in business are in increasing demand, requiring workers with at least a bachelor’s degree and moderate to advanced technical skills, with the use of data often a required job function. To remain competitive, job seekers with little relevant field experience should consider higher degrees or industry-specific certificates to meet evolving requirements.

Recent Salaries Shared

For chief operating officer

Salary Share
Anonymously share your pay to help the community

Job Title

Location

Total Pay

Base Pay | Additional Pay

Total Years of Experience

Years at Recent Employer

Submitted

Date or Time

Chief Operating Officer

United States of America

 | 10-14 years

$200,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

10-14 years
Yesterday
Chief Operating Officer

United States of America

 | 15+ years

$440,000

/yr

$280K | $160K

Submitted Yesterday

15+ years
Yesterday
Chief Nursing Officer

United States of America

 | 1-3 years

$185,000

/yr

$165K | $20K

Submitted Yesterday

1-3 years
Yesterday
President / COO

United States of America

 | 15+ years

$880,000

/yr

$160K | $720K

Submitted Yesterday

15+ years
Yesterday
COO

United States of America

 | 15+ years

$100,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

15+ years
Yesterday
Chief Operating Officer

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$529

/hr

$29 | $500

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday
Chief Operating Officer

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$111,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday
Chief Operating Officer

United States of America

 | 1-3 years

$120,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

1-3 years
Yesterday

Chief Operating Officer pay FAQ

The national average salary for a Chief Operating Officer is $171,167 per year in United States. Filter by location to see a Chief Operating Officer salaries in your area. Salaries estimates are based on 6129 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Chief Operating Officer employees.

The highest salary for a Chief Operating Officer in United States is $313,236 per year.

The lowest salary for a Chief Operating Officer in United States is $99,277 per year.

If you are thinking of becoming a Chief Operating Officer or planning the next step in your career, find details about the role, the career path and salary trajectory of a Chief Operating Officer.

Chief operating officers (COO) are senior ranking members of their firms, so they generally enjoy a high professional salary and substantial decision-making power. Their pay typically lags that of revenue generating executives, but they enjoy total focus on their work as they do not have client-relationship management duties.

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Join thousands of real professionals anonymously talking about salaries in their industry

Chief operating officers (COOs) typically make additional money through bonuses and stock options, leading to an average total pay of $355,623.65 that includes their salary. Based on Glassdoor data, approximately 87% of COOs are satisfied with their salaries.

Join thousands of real professionals anonymously talking about salaries in their industry

The typical career path for a COO or a related field. Total pay ranges from $206,261.71 to $650,791.28, depending on the company and your experience. The total average pay you can expect as a COO is $355,623.65 after gaining experience in the role.

Learn more about negotiating salaries from thousands of other real professionals

A COO's job is to deliver growth and improvements to the business. The best way to make more money is to provide results that increase shareholder value. This can be done through a variety of means, such as increasing revenue, reducing costs, or improving efficiency.

Once you have experience as a COO, moving to a larger company will lead to an increase in salary. Alternatively, you can look to move into the chief executive office (CEO) role, which should come with a pay increase. Increasing your exposure to the board of directors through regular communication can also lead to a pay rise as your profile within the company increases.

If you can demonstrate the value you have brought to your company, you'll be in a strong negotiating position. During your time as COO, if you have directly increased company profit, cut costs across departments, or delivered successful projects, communicate this to your boss when discussing a pay rise.

When looking for new opportunities as a COO, compile your most significant successes to demonstrate your worth to employers. Use a mix of hard evidence and persuasive language to show why you deserve a higher salary. Be sure to talk about the experience you have in project management, such as Six Sigma or Agile, as these will be highly sought after.