Are you tired of guessing games regarding executive salaries? Whether transitioning to a new position or negotiating your next compensation package, accurate salary insights can distinguish between underselling yourself and earning true market value.

In this expert salary benchmarking guide, we’ll walk you through free and effective strategies to determine accurate executive salaries. Do you know which states have salary transparency laws? Do you know the secret of H1-B visa salary data, a hidden gem of salary information? After reading this guide, you will! By understanding executive salary benchmarking tools, you’ll move from uncertainty to confidence, ensuring your salary expectations align with market realities.

Table of Contents

• The Salary Transparency Trend
  • • Salary Transparency Laws
    • Salary Transparency = Great Benchmarking Data
  • Real Benchmarking Example Using Salary Data
• H-1B Visa Data: A Hidden Gem of Salary Information
  • • Why H-1B Visa Data Matters
    • H-1B Visa Public Information
• SEC Filings for Top Executive Compensation
• Using IRS 990 Insights to Learn Nonprofit Pay
• Maximizing Salary Reporting Platforms
• Actionable Tips for Job Seekers When Benchmarking Executive Salaries
• Salary Negotiation Coach

The Salary Transparency Trend

Salary transparency laws are reshaping the hiring landscape with more transparency laws being enacted each year. These laws impact the job search in a variety of ways: 

1. Increased Equity and Fairness: Salary transparency discourages employers from offering lower salaries based on gender, race, or other biases. Research in this Forbes article states that the gender pay gap could be reduced by 40% with broad pay transparency. 
   
2. Changing Candidate Behavior: Transparency encourages candidates to prioritize opportunities that align with their executive compensation expectations. According to ResumeLab, 80% of candidates would not apply for a position if it lacked salary information. 
   
3. Promoting Organizational Transparency: Employers embracing executive salary transparency can attract top talent. According to a study conducted by Glassdoor, 70% of employees believe that salary transparency is essential for building trustworthy relationships in the workplace.

Salary Transparency Laws

As of November 2024, 14 states have salary negoation laws in place. These states include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and New Jersey. These laws require companies to disclose salary ranges in their job postings.

Some cities and districts have also adopted wage transparency laws as well. For example, in Cincinnati, OH, employers must provide the pay range for a job upon an applicant’s request and cannot ask an applicant for their salary history. 

Executive job seekers targeting senior leadership roles can use this information for the following:

• Serve as a starting point for executive compensation discussions
• Highlight industry and role-specific executive salary trends
• Offer clarity on regional salary differences

For the most current list of state by state salary transparency laws in 2025, SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management) has compiled them here. The map below shows information on pay transparency based on their overview. 

Salary Transparency = Great Benchmarking Data

Even if your state does not have pay transparency laws on the books, this information benefits you, too! Reviewing the data for similar positions across other states builds a solid understanding of executive salary expectations for specific roles and geographical regions. 

With knowledge of these laws, you can begin collecting executive salary data by performing simple Boolean searches such as “job title” + “location” (a state with transparency laws). This will help you quickly uncover job postings with benchmark salary data. When using Google, narrow the results to job postings through the Jobs tab. From there, click on the results to see the salary information. Here are a few search examples:  

• “Chief Operating Officer” + “New York”
  • Chief Operating Officer in Farmingdale, NY with total compensation of $250k – $350k
  • Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer in New York, NY with a salary range of $225k – $285k
  • Chief Operating Officer (non-profit role) in Brooklyn, NY with a salary of $150k – $175k
• “Chief Marketing Officer” + “California”
  • Chief Marketing Officer in Palo Alto, CA with a salary range of $375k – $475k
  • SVP, Chief Marketing Officer in California City, CA with a salary range of $250k – $350k
  • Chief Marketing & Development Officer (non-profit role) in Irvine, CA with a salary range of $182k – $221k

As the results come in, use the listings to identify patterns in executive salary ranges. To further narrow your salary range, factor in cost of living adjustments using tools like the cost of living calculator on Salary.com. This helps you estimate the executive compensation for similar positions in your home state.

Real Benchmarking Example Using Salary Data

Let’s take Nathan Jones as an example. Nathan is a Senior Product Manager looking for new job opportunities. Nathan resides in South Carolina, a state without statewide salary transparency laws.

To figure out what he might earn in similar roles, Nathan uses the following steps:

Nathan conducts a Boolean search for salary data using keywords like:
“Sr. Product Manager” + “Colorado” + jobs

He chooses Colorado in his search query because Colorado is one of the 14 states that require a salary range in the job description.
From his search, Nathan discovers that there’s a wide salary range for Senior Product Manager roles.

• Some organizations, like DaVita, are offering salaries on the lower-end, ranging from $91,000 to $133,000.
• Most companies, like Checkr and Gusto, are offering salaries in the mid-to-high range, typically between $160,000 and $210,000.

This insight helps Nathan understand the variability in compensation and identify companies offering competitive salaries for his role. He takes it a step further by comparing the size of the companies he’s interested in to those he’s benchmarking. Additionally, he considers whether the organization is private equity-owned, privately held, or publicly traded, as these factors can significantly influence compensation structures.

H-1B Visa Data: A Hidden Gem of Salary Information

What if I told you there’s a publicly available database with the salaries of hundreds of thousands of workers? The H-1B program, the largest U.S. temporary work visa program, employs approximately 600,000 workers across 50,000 employers. As part of this program, salary data is published in a comprehensive database, offering valuable insights into compensation trends across industries and roles.

H-1B visas are designed for foreign workers, but federal law requires companies to offer salaries comparable to those of non-H-1B employees in similar roles. As a result, this data serves as a valuable benchmark for all executive job seekers when preparing for salary negotiations.

You can download an Excel spreadsheet and run your own search queries using data from the US Department of Labor’s website or or opt for an aggregator like H1BInfo.Org for cleaner and more streamlined reports.

Why H-1B Visa Data Matters

Tech-Driven Insights: Approximately 66% of H-1B visa approvals are for tech-related roles, making it especially useful for executives targeting positions in tech-driven organizations, such as Chief Product Officer, VP of Engineering, or other leadership roles in technology sectors.

Transparency: It provides detailed salary data broken down by job title, company, and location.

Market Relevance: Salaries listed reflect real, up-to-date market trends, making it an excellent resource for benchmarking.

If you’re a data person, you can really geek out over websites like H1BGrader which has over ten years of data in their easy to search database. According to an article by Kate Gibson in MoneyWatch, below is a list of the top 20 companies as listed by the number of H-1B petitions for initial employment the U.S. approved in fiscal-year 2024:

• Amazon. The e-commerce company had the most approved H-1B petitions for initial employment in 2024, with 3,871. That figure was down from more than 4,000 H-1B visas in 2023 and nearly 6,400 in 2022.
• Cognizant. The information technology services firm had the second most H-1B petitions approved in 2024, tallying 2,837. 
• Infosys. The digital services and consulting company had 2,504 petitions approved in fiscal-year 2024.
• TCS. Tata Consultancy Services ranked forth, with 1,452. 
• IBM. The technology company nicknamed Big Blue tallied 1,348 petitions.
• Microsoft. The technology conglomerate saw 1,264 petitions approved.
• HCL America. The computer programming solutions provider had 1,248 approved H-1B visas.
• Google. The search engine ranked No. 8, with 1,058 H-1Bs.
• Capgemini. The information technology company accounted for 1,041 H-1B visas last 2024.
• Meta Platforms. Formerly known as Facebook, Meta was behind 920 approved petitions.
• Deloitte. The audit and tax consultancy company had 891 petitions approved. 
• Apple. The iPhone and laptop maker accounted for 864.
• Intel. The semiconductor company’s count came to 851.

H-1B Visa Public Information

H-1B records disclose information such as job titles, company names and company locations. They list the approved salaries and often provide information by specific position level. You can search the 2024 H-1B Salary Database for information by employer, by job title, or by city. You can also review files with data from previous years here. When benchmarking executive salary for a Senior Product Manager as shown in the example above, results demonstrate that H-1B salaries for this position in 2024 had a high of $262k in California. There were lower salaries for this executive role in Michigan and Florida.  

H1BGrader’s website features a chart that tracks salary ranges for each fiscal year, going back to 2015.

The increased understanding of recent salary trends provided by H-1B visa data is important because salary negotiations can have an outsized impact on executive-level job seekers. Just a 10% increase in salary due to salary negotiation can mean upwards of a $20k difference in annual salary for a C-suite executive in the $200,000 salary range. According to Ben Cook, CEO of the job-negotiation platform Riva, “Two thirds of American workers fail to negotiate their pay. That costs the average worker a million dollars over the course of their career. For a CIO or anyone on the path to the C-suite, that number is much higher.” Strategically armed with H-1B visa data, the senior product manager job seeker in our example above would know their worth when negotiating salary.

SEC Filings for Top Executive Compensation

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires publicly traded companies to disclose executive compensation information in their annual proxy statements.  The company must disclose information concerning the amount and type of compensation paid to its chief executive officer, chief financial officer and the three other most highly compensated executive officers. A company also must disclose the criteria used in reaching executive compensation decisions and the degree of the relationship between the company’s executive compensation practices and corporate performance.” (from Investor.gov)

These filings provide increasingly robust insights into the executive pay philosophy, pay levels, pay mix, pay delivery vehicles and other pay practices of publicly traded companies.

To find SEC filings, you’ll go to its database known commonly as EDGAR.

Once you’re in the database, you can search by company name. For the sake of this article, we pulled Cisco’s 2024 SEC filing.

In the filing, you’ll find annual base compensation as well as incentive pay.

Cisco’s annual report goes into a lot of detail on how the Compensation Committee at Cisco established salary and award criteria and various incentives. Below is a screenshot from the report that highlights incentive awards.

These insights can help you understand how your peers or the leadership team at your target company are being compensated and incentivized.

Using IRS 990 Insights to Learn Nonprofit Pay

Nonprofit organizations, tax-exempt organizations, nonexempt charitable trusts, and Section 527 political organizations are required to file Form 990 with the IRS. As part of this filing, organizations must report the compensation of their five highest-paid employees who receive reportable compensation exceeding $100,000 from the organization and related entities. Additionally, they must disclose the five highest-paid independent contractors who were compensated over $100,000 for their services.

In addition to salary, fees, bonuses, and severance payments, compensation reports must also include deferred compensation, vacation and other leave, retirement benefits, health and life insurance, housing, and personal expenses related to business travel (e.g., dry cleaning, health club use, and movie rentals). Other reportable items include the personal use of employer-owned property (e.g., cars, cell phones, and computers), non-cash awards, tuition reimbursements, wardrobe allowances, spouse travel expenses, and club memberships. Employment agreements should clearly outline all terms and conditions of the compensation package, not just the salary and bonuses. (source)

To find an organization, go to the IRS website and search Tax Exempt Organizations.

Just to give you an example, we pulled a report for a respected North Carolina private school.

In part VII of the filing, organizations are required to list the compensation of officers, directors, trustees, key employees and the highest paid employees and contractors.

Understanding how your peers are compensated can give you valuable insights into what you should be aiming for and can help you make a stronger case for yourself during negotiations.

Maximizing Salary Reporting Platforms

Salary data reporting platforms are another beneficial tool for job seekers as they benchmark executive salary data. This is especially true when looking for salary information on positions in states with no salary transparency laws, in fields that do not lend themselves well to H-1B data, or when looking to find information on full executive compensation packages beyond salary. Additionally, comparing data from multiple areas to increase accuracy helps mitigate the potential biases or inconsistencies drawn from only reviewing a single source. 

Platforms like Glassdoor and Salary.com are excellent data sources for the following research objectives: 

• Comparing salary ranges across industries
• Gaining insight into executive compensation packages with benefits, bonuses, and perks
• Spotting potential discrepancies to refine your search when benchmarking executive salaries

In addition to salary, executives also benefit from an understanding of full compensation packages. Salary reporting platforms may include additional information, such as what companies offer in terms of benefits, stock options, and bonuses. Particularly on Glassdoor, users report information on bonuses, stock, overtime policies, and more while also providing reviews of the companies themselves. 

A total compensation package may include bonuses, stock, and relocation expenses. This compensation chart outlines some of the various factors to consider when analyzing executive compensation data. A fuller description, along with a helpful checklist comparison spreadsheet on benefits, can be found in the Briefcase Coach article “How to Choose Between Job Offers.” Did you know that some companies also offer executive coaching credits or executive outplacement services? Briefcase Coach partners with companies to offer these services.

As Mr. Jones completes his benchmarking strategy, he looks to Glassdoor and Salary.com to add to the data collected from searching based on salary trends and reviewing H-1B data. He’s beginning to list which companies will also offer stock and bonuses in addition to salary and to understand all of the options available to consider for negotiating executive compensation. Now that he knows his value in the market he can enter salary negotiations with confidence!

Actionable Tips for Job Seekers When Benchmarking Executive Salaries

For executives making six to seven figures, benchmarking isn’t just about numbers – it’s about understanding your market value. Here’s a checklist of how to elevate your executive salary research in preparation for job searches and salary negotiation:

1. Use the Salary Transparency Trend: Use your knowledge of salary transparency laws to guide Boolean searches and determine salary expectations. 
   
2. Cross-Check Sources:
   Use H-1B data and information from salary platforms like Glassdoor to get a full picture of salary ranges for your targeted job type. 
   
3. Adjust for Role and Industry:
   A VP role in finance differs significantly from a similar title in healthcare. Align your search terms with industry-specific trends.
   
4. Stay Regionally Informed:
   Leadership roles in New York City may offer higher salaries than similar positions in smaller markets.
   
5. Focus on Target Companies: To hone in on your specific needs when benchmarking executive salaries, you can visit the websites of executive search firms, such as Scion Executive Search or Witt Keifer. Additionally, you can determine your target companies through independent research. Review the Briefcase Coach Expert’s Guide to Creating Targeted Company Lists to get started. Curating a list of 20-35 companies that match your job search criteria (location, size, and industry) and understanding the salary ranges offered at these companies can be valuable in your efforts to benchmark executive salaries. Do you need help to hone your target list? Briefcase Coach offers Target Company Research as a service! 

Salary Negotiation Coach

“I’ve got all of the data and insights I need but I’m just in my head. Can I really ask for that?” is a common statement from our executive clients negotiating C Suite compensation for the first time.

Knowledge is power and can help you advocate for your worth. However, sometimes it’s valuable to get an outsider’s perspective. When our clients need additional support, we often refer them to Kate Dixon of DC Consulting.

Kate Dixon, an expert in executive salary negotiations, is not affiliated with Briefcase Coach, but she’s our top recommendation. She’s led global compensation at some of the world’s most admired companies including Nike and Intel. We’ve referred many of our C-suite clients to her during their negotiations, and she has successfully helped them secure significant compensation increases.

Following these tips and accessing free executive salary benchmarking tools empowers you to align your compensation with industry standards and negotiate effectively. With actionable insights from salary transparency laws, H-1B data, and salary data platforms, you can confidently navigate the transition into new executive roles and avoid surprises during salary negotiations.

Ready to take the next step in your career search? For additional career strategies tailored to executives, explore Briefcase Coach’s comprehensive resources.