Among small companies, salaries are still all over the map, mainly because compensation is driven more by the philosophy of the founders or CEOs than by hard data.
But companies competing for talent nationwide can't afford to be completely in the dark. Plus, base pay will likely take on a more significant role in compensation packages should there be an economic downturn. That's when stock options lose their luster and salary suddenly counts for more. Here are some salary and bonus ranges to benchmark your company's rates against:
| ORGANIZATION SIZE: $3 MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUES |
| Position |
Annual Compensation |
Total Compensation |
| Chief executive officer |
Salary |
Bonus |
Estimated projected mean compensation
Maximum reasonable compensation |
$108,327
$198,530 |
$39,813
$179,463 |
$148,140
$377,993 |
| Chief operating officer |
Estimated projected mean compensation
Maximum reasonable compensation |
$88,651
$162,474 |
$21,612
$118,880 |
$110,263
$281,354 |
| Chief marketing and sales officer |
Estimated projected mean compensation
Maximum reasonable compensation |
$65,795
$117,694 |
$21,367
$97,578 |
$87,162
$215,272 |
| Chief financial officer |
Estimated projected mean compensation
Maximum reasonable compensation |
$57,863
$102,945 |
$11,425
$66,933 |
$69,288
$169,878 |
| Chief human-resources officer |
Estimated projected mean compensation
Maximum reasonable compensation |
$43,291
$74,297 |
$6,417
$41,749 |
$49,708
$116,046 |
| ORGANIZATION SIZE: $10 MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUES |
| Position |
Annual Compensation |
Total Compensation |
| Chief executive officer |
Salary |
Bonus |
Estimated projected mean compensation
Maximum reasonable compensation |
$163,688
$299,991 |
$51,463
$248,989 |
$215,151
$548,980 |
| Chief operating officer |
Estimated projected mean compensation
Maximum reasonable compensation |
$133,855
$245,321
|
$26,285
$163,305 |
$160,140
$408,626 |
| Chief marketing and sales officer |
Estimated projected mean compensation
Maximum reasonable compensation |
$99,352
$177,720 |
$27,238
$134,931 |
$126,590
$312,651 |
| Chief financial officer |
Estimated projected mean compensation
Maximum reasonable compensation |
$87,253
$155,233 |
$13,378
$91,491 |
$100,631
$246,724 |
| Chief human-resources officer |
Estimated projected mean compensation
Maximum reasonable compensation |
$65,260
$112,000 |
$6,934
$56,540 |
$72,194
$168,540 |
Source: Economic Research Institute (ERI), Redmond, Wash., 800-627-3697, www.erieri.com, January 1999. ERI's figures are projections calculated from compensation data from thousands of companies, as reported in a variety of public and private sources.
