Chief Executives Salary
Chief Executives in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA make a median of $209,080 a year, or about $100.52 an hour. The range runs from $90K at the entry level to $442K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.9), so that salary is closer to $190,246 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $4,214/month, about 35.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $209K actually covers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Cruz-Watsonville’s Regional Price Parity (109.9). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About chief executives
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What this looks like in Santa Cruz-Watsonville
Chief executives pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville tracks closely to the national median, $209K locally vs. $214K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $4,214/month, which is 36.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 10% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.9), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for chief executives in metros near Santa Cruz-Watsonville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $234K | $206K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $289K | $250K |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $170K | $159K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $238K | $213K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Entry-level chief executives (10th percentile) start around $90K. Mid-career wages sit at $209K. Top earners bring in $442K or more, a $352K spread from bottom to top.
Chief Executives pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Chief Executives salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $342K | +60% | 910 |
| Washington | $340K | +59% | 3,170 |
| Illinois | $332K | +55% | 4,620 |
| North Carolina | $314K | +47% | 1,930 |
| Virginia | $311K | +45% | 4,870 |
| New Jersey | $310K | +45% | 2,430 |
| Connecticut | $295K | +38% | 1,660 |
| Hawaii | $282K | +32% | 470 |
| South Dakota | $281K | +31% | 510 |
| New York | $258K | +21% | 8,430 |
| Texas | $258K | +20% | 8,780 |
| Michigan | $256K | +19% | 4,950 |
| Indiana | $254K | +19% | 1,820 |
| Maryland | $249K | +16% | 3,180 |
| Rhode Island | $235K | +10% | 460 |
| Pennsylvania | $233K | +9% | 8,850 |
| California | $219K | +2% | 34,700 |
| Nebraska | $215K | +0% | 2,510 |
| Colorado | $213K | -0% | N/A |
| Iowa | $211K | -1% | 3,050 |
| Wisconsin | $208K | -3% | N/A |
| Georgia | $208K | -3% | 4,080 |
| Delaware | $200K | -7% | 390 |
| Tennessee | $199K | -7% | 4,700 |
| Minnesota | $196K | -9% | 6,740 |
| Montana | $182K | -15% | 670 |
| Kentucky | $180K | -16% | 2,070 |
| Idaho | $177K | -17% | 2,920 |
| Ohio | $176K | -18% | 4,470 |
| Vermont | $175K | -18% | 360 |
| Missouri | $172K | -19% | 2,550 |
| Utah | $172K | -20% | 3,140 |
| South Carolina | $169K | -21% | 1,740 |
| New Hampshire | $169K | -21% | N/A |
| Alaska | $167K | -22% | 640 |
| Alabama | $166K | -22% | 810 |
| North Dakota | $165K | -23% | 380 |
| Oklahoma | $164K | -23% | 2,390 |
| Kansas | $158K | -26% | 1,960 |
| West Virginia | $152K | -29% | 1,700 |
| Nevada | $150K | -30% | 1,370 |
| Wyoming | $148K | -31% | 60 |
| Mississippi | $139K | -35% | 310 |
| Maine | $139K | -35% | 1,580 |
| New Mexico | $124K | -42% | 100 |
| Arkansas | $120K | -44% | 3,550 |
Showing 1–10 of 46 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track chief executives salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Santa Cruz-Watsonville numbers change.
Related careers in Management
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a chief executif afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $209K, rent takes 36.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $4,214/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $3,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for chief executives in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new chief executives typically earn — is $90K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,602/month. At HUD’s $4,214/month FMR, rent would take 75% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is chief executif a high-paying job in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $209K locally vs. $214K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville compare to the national average for chief executives?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville pays $209K median vs. the U.S. average of $214K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $190K — below the national median.
How much do chief executives make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The median is $209,080 a year, that works out to about $101 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $90,040, and experienced chief executives can clear $442,310. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $209K enough to live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $11,670/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $4,214/month, which eats 36.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a chief executives salary go in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville has a Regional Price Parity of 109.9 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median chief executives salary is worth about $190,246 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do chief executives get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.