An independent member of a public company's board who oversees management, strategy, risk and executive pay on behalf of shareholders. Spencer Stuart 2025 US Board Index puts typical pay at $336,352 a year (2025). BLS does not publish separate figures for chief executives; it counts them within chief executive (SOC 11-1011), whose median pay is $213,990 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 11-1011
- Management
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Public Company Board Director in four numbers
- Median pay
- $213,990a year, or $102.88/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $76KTop 10% $508K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.2%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.2%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.2% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 19,100291,600 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025291.6K
- Projected 2035300.9K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 291.6K Projected 2035 300.9K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school4.5%
- Associate's5.2%
- Bachelor's32.3%
- Master's45.9%
- Post-master’s certificate3.9%
- Doctorate4.9%
Highest education held by chief executives Segment Value High school 4.5% Associate's 5.2% Bachelor's 32.3% Master's 45.9% Post-master’s certificate 3.9% Doctorate 4.9%
Also advertised as: Independent Director, Non-Executive Director, Corporate Board Member, Outside Director, Lead Independent Director.
Pay
How much do Chief Executives make?
Industry-reported pay
$336,352
Average total annual compensation (cash and stock) of independent S&P 500 directors, excluding independent chair fees.
Source: Spencer Stuart 2025 US Board Index, 2025 (published pay scale or filing). This is not a BLS figure: BLS counts chief executives within chief executive, whose pay is shown below. Spencer Stuart: 2025 US Board Index compensation snapshot · Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance: 2025 US Board Index
Every public company board director in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$213,990
Middle half earn $129,540 to $356,200
- 10th
- $75,700
- 25th
- $129,540
- 75th
- $356,200
- 90th
- $507,730
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $75,700 |
| 25th | $129,540 |
| Median | $213,990 |
| 75th | $356,200 |
| 90th | $507,730 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $213,990
- Median hourly wage
- $102.88/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $269,630
- People employed
- 204,350
Versus all US occupations
At $213,990, Chief Executives earn 320% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $163,010 a year.
Versus management occupations
Inside the Management group, where the middle occupation pays $126,060, this is 70% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $507,730 or more while the bottom 10% earn $75,700, a gap of 6.7×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 96% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Oregon posts the highest raw median ($341,630), but once local prices are taken into account North Carolina leads at $333,196 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Chief Executives the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oregon | $341,630 | $330,521 | 910 |
| 2Washington | $339,810 | $317,541 | 3,170 |
| 3Illinois | $331,920 | $332,059 | 4,620 |
| 4North Carolina | $314,290 | $333,196 | 1,930 |
| 5Virginia | $310,740 | $307,347 | 4,870 |
| 6New Jersey | $310,440 | $285,318 | 2,430 |
| 7Connecticut | $295,120 | $284,837 | 1,660 |
| 8Hawaii | $281,640 | $256,150 | 470 |
| 9South Dakota | $280,900 | $317,093 | 510 |
| 10New York | $257,980 | $239,045 | 8,430 |
Job outlook
Is Public Company Board Director a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.2% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Chief Executives | +3.2% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Chief Executives to change 3.2% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 9,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 19,100 openings are projected each year, 6.6% of the 291,600 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Public Company Board Director
Directors are usually senior executives or recently retired leaders, often current or former CEOs, CFOs, general counsel or partners at major firms, with expertise the board needs, such as finance, technology, cybersecurity or a specific industry. Audit committee members often qualify as financial experts under SEC rules.
Seats are typically filled through the board's own networks and executive search firms. The National Association of Corporate Directors offers director education and the NACD.DC credential.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
5 years or more
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Considerable preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as chief executives.
- Master's Degree45.9%
- Bachelor's Degree32.3%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree5.2%
- Doctoral Degree4.9%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)4.5%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | 45.9% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 32.3% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 5.2% |
| Doctoral Degree | 4.9% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 4.5% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Public Company Board Director do?
Board directors are elected by shareholders to oversee a company's management. They do not run the business day to day; instead they hire, evaluate and, when needed, replace the CEO, approve strategy and major transactions, oversee financial reporting and risk, and set executive compensation.
Most of the detailed work happens in committees. The audit committee oversees the auditors and financial controls, the compensation committee designs executive pay, and the nominating and governance committee recruits new directors. Independent directors are paid an annual retainer, usually part cash and part stock, and many sit on two or three boards at once.
Day-to-day tasks
- Review and approve company strategy and annual budgets
- Hire, evaluate and plan succession for the CEO
- Oversee financial reporting and the external auditor
- Set executive pay as a compensation committee member
- Approve major acquisitions, financings and dividends
- Monitor enterprise risk, cybersecurity and compliance
- Recruit and evaluate fellow directors
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Directors attend scheduled board and committee meetings several times a year at company headquarters or by video, plus annual meetings and strategy sessions. Between meetings they read board materials and take calls. Crises, deals or CEO searches can demand far more time.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Critical Thinking4.4
- Speaking4.3
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Writing4.1
- Active Listening4.0
- Monitoring4.0
- Active Learning3.8
- Mathematics3.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Critical Thinking | 4.4 |
| Speaking | 4.3 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 |
| Writing | 4.1 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 4.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.8 |
| Mathematics | 3.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Judgment and Decision Making4.8
- Complex Problem Solving4.4
- Coordination4.3
- Systems Evaluation4.3
- Management of Financial Resources4.3
- Management of Personnel Resources4.3
- Social Perceptiveness4.1
- Negotiation4.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.8 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.4 |
| Coordination | 4.3 |
| Systems Evaluation | 4.3 |
| Management of Financial Resources | 4.3 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 4.3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.1 |
| Negotiation | 4.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Content workflow software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise application integration software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web platform development software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Public Company Board Director?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ECI) built on O*NET's Chief Executive profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Public Company Board Director |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 1 |
| Investigative | 4 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 4 |
| Enterprising | 7 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Enterprising7.0
- Conventional5.4
- Investigative3.9
- Social3.5
- Artistic2.2
- Realistic1.3
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Public Company Board Director
O*NET related occupations
- Management
- Management
- Business and Financial Operations
- Management
- Management
- Management
- Legislator · N/A median
More management careers
Median annual pay, with chief executives highlighted
- Public Company Board Director$213,990
- IT Manager$175,140
- Marketing Manager$166,790
- Financial Manager$166,570
- Human Resources Manager$149,280
- Sales Manager$148,270
- Construction Manager$114,990
- Supply Chain Manager$107,230
- Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Manager$69,990
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Public Company Board Director | $213,990 |
| IT Manager | $175,140 |
| Marketing Manager | $166,790 |
| Financial Manager | $166,570 |
| Human Resources Manager | $149,280 |
| Sales Manager | $148,270 |
| Construction Manager | $114,990 |
| Supply Chain Manager | $107,230 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Manager | $69,990 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Public Company Board Director appears on
Questions
Public Company Board Director: frequently asked questions
How much do Chief Executives make?
Spencer Stuart 2025 US Board Index reports $336,352 (average total annual compensation (cash and stock) of independent S&P 500 directors, excluding independent chair fees, 2025). BLS does not publish a separate wage for chief executives. It counts them within chief executive, whose median pay is $213,990 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $129,540 and $356,200, and the top 10% earn $507,730 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Public Company Board Director?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Chief Executives, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. Employers typically expect 5 years or more of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 45.9% hold master's degree.
Is Public Company Board Director a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.2% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 19,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Public Company Board Director do?
Board directors are elected by shareholders to oversee a company's management. A typical task: review and approve company strategy and annual budgets. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Content workflow software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Chief Executives the most?
The highest state medians for Chief Executives are Oregon ($341,630), Washington ($339,810), Illinois ($331,920) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Carolina moves to the top at $333,196.
What personality type suits a Public Company Board Director?
O*NET scores Chief Executives highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ENTJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.