What data & AI executives earn

Base salary and total cash by title, industry, region, company size, and work model — presented as percentile ranges, because executive pay is set by the scale of the seat as much as the title on it.

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Recognized as one of the Top Ten Fastest‑Growing Staffing Firms in the United States.

Burtch Works provides Talent Solutions and Managed Services across AI, Data Science, Analytics, Machine Learning, Data & Cloud Engineering, Cybersecurity, Product, Technology, and Market Research. With expertise, national reach, and curated networks, we support organizations throughout every stage of the AI journey—from initial hire to fully scaled teams.

Our 2025 Compensation Report provides current salary benchmarks and market trends, equipping talent leaders and job seekers with the data and insights needed to pursue value-driven opportunities and achieve sustainable ROI.

Introduction Compensation Segmentation Role & AI What drives pay Takeaways Methodology

01 · BY TITLE

What each title pays

This report benchmarks on title. It is what appears on an offer letter, what a search is briefed against, and what a reader can match themselves to without interpretation. Sample sizes for every group are listed in the methodology.

CIO / CTO

$360K

Chief Data Officer

$354K

Chief AI or Analytics Officer (CAIO, CAO)

$354K

SVP / EVP of Data / Analytics / AI

$314K

Head of Data Science / Engineering / Analytics

$313K

VP of Data / Analytics / AI

$288K

Director of Data / Analytics / AI

$203K

Title — base salary

Mean

25%

Median

75%

CIO / CTO

$360,474

$314,000

$360,000

$420,500

Chief Data Officer (CDO, CDAO, CDAIO)

$354,159

$250,199

$325,000

$400,000

Chief AI or Analytics Officer (CAIO, CAO)

$354,145

$258,750

$317,500

$357,500

SVP / EVP of Data / Analytics / AI

$313,562

$265,000

$300,000

$350,000

Head of Data Science / Engineering / Analytics

$313,333

$295,000

$320,000

$335,000

VP of Data / Analytics / AI

$288,075

$242,500

$285,000

$326,500

Director of Data / Analytics / AI

$203,300

$180,250

$205,000

$248,000

All VP+ (executive cohort)

$316,995

$243,500

$300,000

$365,000

Mean base salary by title group; medians shown alongside. Annual, USD, cash only. Sample sizes for every group are listed in the methodology.

02 · TITLE AND COMPANY SCALE TOGETHER

The cut that explains the most

Every other table holds one variable at a time. This one crosses the two that matter: the title on the door and the size of the company behind it. The three deepest title groups are shown; the rest do not have enough responses in each revenue band to report separately.

MEAN BASE SALARY

Title

Under $1B

$1B–$10B

$10B+

Chief Data Officer

$270,185

$355,835

$465,407

VP of Data / Analytics / AI

$289,167

$279,826

$298,600

CIO / CTO

$320,333

$405,143

—

MEAN TOTAL CASH

Title

Under $1B

$1B–$10B

$10B+

Chief Data Officer

$362,489

$517,576

$836,715

VP of Data / Analytics / AI

$369,384

$361,550

$424,085

CIO / CTO

$383,810

$670,034

—

The same chief data officer title is worth $270,185 at a company below $1B and $465,407 above $10B. On total cash the gap is wider still: $362,489 against $836,715. The VP of data title climbs far less steeply over the same range. Company scale is doing more of the work than the title is.

03 · Total cash, bonus & equity

Bonus targets do the heavy lifting

47%

Target a bonus of 31% of base or more

67%

Have equity — median grant $210K at hire, $500K at the 75th percentile

+43%

Total cash over base at the SVP/EVP level

Title — total cash (OTE)

Mean

25%

Median

75%

Chief Data Officer (CDO, CDAO, CDAIO)

$548,456

$336,208

$450,000

$655,550

CIO / CTO

$517,244

$393,143

$473,000

$660,050

Chief AI or Analytics Officer (CAIO, CAO)

$459,645

$363,750

$445,000

$516,250

SVP / EVP of Data / Analytics / AI

$427,062

$309,029

$400,000

$500,000

VP of Data / Analytics / AI

$385,323

$295,000

$366,000

$462,500

Head of Data Science / Engineering / Analytics

$375,000

$350,000

$387,500

Director of Data / Analytics / AI

$279,932

$244,286

$280,313

$317,050

All VP+ (executive cohort)

$458,828

$300,000

$400,000

$522,500

Base + target annual bonus. OTE below base or above 3× base excluded; see the methodology for validated response counts.

Target bonus as % of base

No bonus target

10%

1–10%

11–20%

15%

21–30%

23%

31–50%

26%

51%+

22%

04 · By industry

The financial services premium is a size effect

Financial services remains the deepest talent market for data & AI executives (32% of the sample) at a $317.5K median. Most of that standing comes from where its respondents sit rather than from the sector itself: it has the largest share of executives at enterprise scale. Held against revenue band, the raw premium is a scale artifact — but the sector does not underpay for an equivalent seat either. Government, education and nonprofit seats still trail the private sector.

Healthcare / Pharmaceuticals / Life Sciences

$372K

Other

$368K

Consulting / Professional Services

$342K

Retail / E-Commerce / Consumer Goods

$340K

Energy / Utilities

$325K

Financial Services / Banking / Insurance

$316K

Real Estate / Construction

$308K

Telecommunications / Media

$292K

Technology / Software / SaaS

$284K

Manufacturing / Industrial

$282K

Education / Nonprofit

$260K

Transportation / Logistics

$251K

Government / Public Sector

$215K

Industry

Mean

25%

Median

75%

Financial Services / Banking / Insurance

$316,484

$246,250

$317,500

$383,000

Healthcare / Pharmaceuticals / Life Sciences

$371,985

$295,000

$317,647

$400,000

Consulting / Professional Services

$341,850

$200,000

$252,500

$352,500

Retail / E-Commerce / Consumer Goods

$340,450

$247,500

$329,000

$424,500

Technology / Software / SaaS

$283,734

$210,000

$315,000

$350,000

Manufacturing / Industrial

$281,556

$250,000

$280,000

$303,750

Education / Nonprofit

$260,083

$202,500

$235,000

$303,750

Other

$368,167

$250,000

$305,000

$377,500

Government / Public Sector

$214,769

$159,675

$175,725

$233,500

Telecommunications / Media

$292,143

$267,500

$295,000

$325,000

Transportation / Logistics

$250,857

$195,500

$250,000

$312,500

Energy / Utilities

$325,099

$302,599

$335,000

$357,500

Real Estate / Construction

$308,250

$286,250

$309,000

$331,000

All VP+ (executive cohort)

$316,995

$243,500

$300,000

$365,000

05 · REGION, COMPANY SIZE & WORK MODEL

Pay follows the company more than the coast

Inside the U.S. regional spread has compressed to roughly 8% between the highest and lowest median — but the sharper divide is international: executives outside the U.S. report a median base of $235K in USD versus $307.5K for U.S.-based peers. Company size matters more than coast — pay peaks in the 10,001–50,000 employees band — and fully on-site executives out-earn fully remote peers by $25K at the median.

U.S. Census region

Mean

25%

Median

75%

Northeast

$338,559

$270,750

$318,500

$375,000

Midwest

$321,719

$222,000

$300,000

$350,000

South

$309,841

$248,750

$310,000

$364,000

West

$376,719

$253,750

$310,000

$378,750

Outside U.S.

$254,110

$170,000

$235,000

$324,000

All VP+ (executive cohort)

$316,995

$243,500

$300,000

$365,000

Organization headcount

Mean

25%

Median

75%

Under 1,000 employees

$265,565

$202,250

$250,000

$310,000

1,001–10,000 employees

$309,715

$225,000

$300,000

$350,000

10,001–50,000 employees

$365,795

$276,000

$327,500

$411,250

50,001+ employees

$338,534

$275,000

$310,000

$368,776

All VP+ (executive cohort)

$316,995

$243,500

$300,000

$365,000

Work arrangement

Mean

25%

Median

75%

Fully in-office / on-site

$340,426

$200,000

$325,000

$400,000

Hybrid (mix of remote and in-office)

$312,750

$241,638

$300,000

$357,500

Fully remote

$305,442

$253,750

$300,000

$352,500

All VP+ (executive cohort)

$316,995

$243,500

$300,000

$365,000

06 · BY OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE

Who owns the company shapes the package

Public companies employ the largest share of this cohort (42%) at a $312.5K median. Late-stage private — the segment holding most private-equity-backed businesses — is 27% at $300K. Government, nonprofit and education trail materially at $270K. Venture-backed companies account for just 6% of executive seats.

Company stage

Mean

25%

Median

75%

Public company

$326,451

$250,000

$312,500

$370,000

Late-stage private

$291,379

$220,000

$300,000

$350,000

Government / Nonprofit / Education

$302,950

$203,000

$270,000

$330,000

Not applicable

$397,625

$250,000

$350,000

$405,000

Growth-stage startup (Series C+)

$297,143

$220,000

$275,000

$375,000

Early-stage startup (Series A–B)

$252,500

$226,250

$270,000

$296,250

Pre-seed / Seed

$237,500

$212,500

$275,000

$300,000

All VP+ (executive cohort)

$316,995

$243,500

$300,000

$365,000

The survey captured company stage rather than ownership directly, so private-equity backing is inferred from the late-stage private segment rather than reported. Future editions will ask about ownership explicitly.

07 · OFFER DYNAMICS

Negotiation works at this level

76%

Negotiated their compensation package

62%

Negotiated and received a higher offer

41%

Had at least one competing offer in hand

Only 24% of executives accepted the initial number — and most (59%) negotiated without a competing offer behind them. Asked to rank the package at time of hire, executives put base salary first (average rank 1.32 of 6), then annual bonus, then equity, then title. For employers the implication is straightforward: win on base and bonus structure; use equity and title to close, not to compensate for a below-market base.

08 · EQUITY

Who gets equity, and what it is worth

67% of respondents hold equity, at a median grant of $210,000 when they were hired. It does not appear to trade off against cash. Respondents with equity report higher total cash than those without, not lower.

$515K

Mean total cash, executives with equity

$394K

Mean total cash, executives without equity

67%

Of the cohort hold equity — $500K at the 75th percentile

Equity status — total cash (OTE)

Mean

25%

Median

75%

Has equity

$514,784

$354,774

$450,000

$584,571

No equity

$394,364

$225,000

$320,000

$450,000

All VP+ (executive cohort)

$458,828

$300,000

$400,000

$522,500

Organization headcount — equity at hire

Mean

25%

Median

75%

Under 1,000 employees

$395,977

$56,466

$300,000

1,001–10,000 employees

$340,478

$25,000

$222,500

10,001–50,000 employees

$389,290

$43,750

$200,000

$425,000

50,001+ employees

$326,834

$60,766

$200,000

$412,500

All VP+ (executive cohort)

$365,860

$100,000

$357,500

Equity tables cover executives who reported holding equity. Grant value is the full award at the time of hire as reported by the respondent, not an annual slice of a multi-year vest. Equity is additive here rather than a substitute for cash: the executives who hold it also report the higher total cash. For a private employer competing with a public one, the grant as a multiple of base — 0.93× at late-stage private against 0.58× at public companies — is the argument to make out loud.

MEDIAN GRANT AS A MULTIPLE OF BASE

Company stage

Median grant ÷ base

Late-stage private

0.93×

Not applicable

0.63×

Public company

0.58×

Equity holders only. Every startup-stage cell is too small to report. A private company competing for an enterprise executive is not usually winning on base; it wins on the multiple.

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