Comparing Results from Three Reports on Salary Data

In my humble opinion, the Chief of Staff position is one of the most exciting in business. The years I spent as Chief of Staff were some of the most rewarding in my own professional experiences. I learned so much working alongside our company’s Chief Executive Officer and the rest of the leadership team. 

Maybe you’re looking to add one to your team and you’d like to make an efficient decision that fits your budget. Maybe you’re eyeing some Chief of Staff job openings yourself. Or maybe you’ve got an interview lined up and you want to gut check your target number. 

How Much Does a Chief of Staff Make? 

So, how much does a Chief of Staff make?

The average core compensation for a Chief of Staff falls between $150,000 and $185,000.

Salary ranges can vary a lot based on any number of important factors. Experience, region, industry, company budgets and more can all play a role. And of course, the full job description and responsibilities for Chiefs of Staff can vary a lot from company to company.

Sources: Three Reports

We’ll take a look at three main reports on Chief of Staff salary. Each presents a slightly different result, and a slightly different explanation for pay differentials. 

COS Network Report 

Our first source comes from the Chief of Staff Network. Per their 2023 Chief of Staff Salary Report, the average Chief of Staff salary comes to $144,121.

The COS Network is a membership organization for corporate Chief of Staff, with events, networking opportunities, a job board, advice and insights on the role, and more. I had the chance to talk with the General Manager of the COS Network, Rahul Desai, on my podcast, Leveraging Leadership (check out Rahul’s full episode here). He broke down their annual salary report, including: 

• Average Salary by Chief of Staff Level (1-5)

• Average Salary by Company Size

• Average Salary by Education

• Average Salary by Gender

• Average Salary by Geographic Region

• Percentage of Compensation by Base Salary vs. Bonus

• What Roles Former Chiefs of Staff are Currently in

Check out the full episode here for more information. 

COS Association Report

Our next report comes from the Chief of Staff Association (CSA). The CSA’s 2022 Chief of Staff Compensation Report provides an average salary of $185,100.

The Chief of Staff Association is a broad, international network of Chiefs of Staff, including corporate, non-profit, government, and military sectors. 

This reports examines:

• Effect of job titles on compensation

• Effect of education and experience

• Effect of location

• Effect of industry or sector

Ask a Chief of Staff Report

Our third report is from Ask a Chief of Staff, whose 2023 Chief of Staff Salary Report provides an average annual salary of $170,649 for women and $179,798 for men. 

Ask a Chief of Staff describes themselves as a community where Chiefs of Staff can share their experiences and knowledge with one another. 

This report includes salary breakdowns by:

• Gender

• Geography

• Education

Key Summary Points

While there are some interesting differences between these three reports (more on that below), I want to provide an upfront look at the three factors that influence Chief of Staff salary the most:

1. Location

2. Years of experience

3. Industry

Chiefs of Staff in North America earn more. People with more experience earn more. And, some industries just pay more than others.

Comparison of Reports and Factors

So, how do each of these factors (and more) compare across these different reports?

First, a note on recency. The reports from COS Network and Ask a Chief of Staff are from last year (2023), while CSA’s report is from 2022. This is about as close as you can get to real-time compensation data if you’re looking for Chief of Staff information. I’m keeping an eye out for new numbers from CSA and I’ll update this post when they’re ready.

A little about the salary survey data and the salary surveys behind each report.

Sample size matters! Here are the number of respondents from each report:

CSA: 244

Ask a Chief of Staff: 403

COS Network: ~400

COS Network doesn’t include the number of respondents in their report. But you can access the raw dataset if you sign up for a membership. I got the ~400 number from my conversation with Rahul Desai. Interestingly, he also told me that 400 is about 1% of Chiefs of Staff globally—giving them a 97.5% confidence interval. The report does include some interesting comparisons on year-over-year demographics of their respondents. Which the numbers geek in me appreciated.

Education 

All three reports looked at education—with some interesting and divergent results.

The numbers from CSA might look how you’d expect: more education = more money. 

Interestingly, Ask a Chief of Staff respondents almost showed the opposite, with respondents reporting similar salaries on average across educational levels. Sample size likely plays a large factor here. Respondents with a bachelor’s degree were the largest group, with smaller representation from advanced degrees such as Master’s and MBA, and very little representation at other levels of education, which may skew results.

However—Chief of Staff Network’s report follows along the same lines. Their data shows no relation between educational level and average salary. 

Experience

Nothing too surprising here. Salary goes up according to the number of years on the job or years of managerial experience. 

COS Network reports that salary increases with years of experience—but strangely takes a dip at 20+ years. Why would that be? The report speculates “that this may be due to ageism in the workplace.”

CSA’s report also shows salary rising with years of experience. While their numbers cap out at 5+ years, they do break things down year-by-year, so it’s important to keep in mind that these are slightly different categories in that respect.

Gender

Both COS Network and Ask a Chief of Staff include gender in their report. And they don’t show the same thing!

COS Network shows women Chiefs of Staff making more than men on average, to the tune of $134,751 for women and $122,337 for men. 

Ask A Chief of Staff, on the other hand, shows a gender gap of $170,649 for women and $179,798 for men.

Not too sure what could explain this discrepancy. We’d have to dig into the data to find out. 

Region

All three reports took geography into account. 

COS Network shows that Chiefs of Staff make the most in North America, followed by the Middle East and Europe.

CSA shows the same, but only shows categories for “North America” and “Outside North America.”

Ask a Chief of Staff’s respondents are overwhelmingly from the United States, but their report does compare salaries in San Francisco and New York, which look roughly the same (taking sample size across categories into account).

Industry 

All three reports touched on salary by industry. No clear consensus here, but some commonalities.

Per the COS Network report, the top-earning industries for Chiefs of Staff are:

1. Energy

2. Enterprise SaaS

3. Sports & Media

Compare that to the top three from the CSA report:

1. Healthcare/Pharma

2. Banking & Finance

3. IT/Tech

And...from Ask a Chief of Staff:

1. Technology, Information and Media

2. Financial Services

3. Hospitals and Healthcare

So we see similar results from two reports, with some divergence from the COS Network. No real surprise that healthcare, tech, and finance all come out near the top.

How To Use This Data

Going into your job search, interview, or negotiation, learn all you can about the scope of the role at that particular organization so that you can come to a FAIR number in terms of compensation.

Expect the typical, annoying (and accurate) answer to all questions related to the Chief of Staff: "It Depends." Know the main factors that “it depends” ON.

• Make sure the org is aligned with your personal goals. The job of Chief of Staff is not a “phone it in” job.

• If it's your first career path, you might take a little less than benchmark compensation or your exact pay target if it provides other opportunities—namely acquiring additional skills, exposure to top management, solving critical issues, and gaining insight into daily operations and operational activities. You can learn a LOT on the job. I often compare it to an on-the-job advanced degree or mini-MBA.

• Be sure to read the full job description and understand the scope, expectation, and how the organization sees this role. Don't just chase after a fancy new job title. If you're going to be doing a lot of heavy lifting make sure they have the right organizational structures in place.

• Take a look at the lowest chief of staff salary and the highest chief of staff salary for the data points that match your own scenario. Knowing your market value will help enormously during negotiations. Keep in mind a base salary number that makes you comfortable and be armed with the average total compensation for people with similar backgrounds.

• Understand the job leveling structure—does it include Junior Chief of Staff or Deputy Chief of Staff positions, or is the Chief of Staff serving at the highest levels.

Salary Matters, But...

Salary is just one factor when you’re looking for a new job. An important one...but just one among many. How the role suits you, the opportunities for growth, how you fit into your team or department, and the overall culture of the company are important to consider, too. 

Is the COS Role Right For You?

The Chief of Staff is such an exciting, dynamic role. You’re the point of contact between top management and staff members. You’re trusted to bring a unique perspective on operational activities to solve critical issues and achieve the organization’s major goals. Your comprehensive knowledge of the overall departmental function gives your principal an invaluable leadership edge. You may be trusted with the management of executive support staff. You may work directly with the organization’s president. Chiefs of Staff provide strong leadership at the highest levels and play a critical role as the right hand to the CEO or other principles.

The Chief of Staff plans special projects and broad functional objectives. You see the big picture and the little details, tyring various sub-functions to the broader corporate function. You’re heading up strategic initiatives and projects of high importance. 

Since this is such a unique role, there’s no clear linear career path or sequence of jobs to get there. Each Chief of Staff’s path will look different. Some transition from executive assistant, project management, or strategic initiatives. While Chief of Staff may be the end goal or final career path for many—it’s that rewarding—it can also lead to other roles on the executive team such as Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and founder and CEO.

More Resources

If you’re looking for the very best Chief of Staff insights, or ways to build out additional skills, check out my book: An Insider’s Perspective on the Chief of Staff. I’m also running a special Chief of Staff series on my podcast, Leveraging Leadership, and have more resources available at https://chiefofstaffbook.com.

If you want to make sure you’re updated when the latest info comes out, you can sign up for my weekly newsletter.

About The Author

Emily Sander is an ICF-certified leadership coach with more than 15 years of experience in the business world and the author of Hacking Executive Leadership. She’s been featured in several print publications, online articles, and podcasts, including CEO Today Magazine, Leading to Fulfillment, and Leadership Powered by Common Sense. 

Emily has a passion for helping business leaders reach their full potential. Go here to read her story from seasoned executive to knowledgeable coach. If you want to send Emily a quick message, then visit her contact page here.