Side-by-side distribution
Chief of Staff
$200,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 39.8%
- Live roles
- 284
General Counsel
$265,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 61.5%
- Live roles
- 192
Highest-paying jobs
Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
Sr. Staff Program Manager & Chief of Staff, Operations
Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff (Executive Office) and VP of Strategy & Operations
Chief of Staff to the CEO
Chief of Staff to the COO & GM of Marketplace
Chief of Staff Director, Product
Chief of Staff, Product
Chief of Staff, CEO
Highest-paying jobs
Chief Legal Officer (CLO) ($1M-$5M salary)
General Counsel
Chief Legal Officer
Chief Legal Officer
Assistant General Counsel, M&A
Deputy General Counsel
Chief Legal Officer (Pacific Northwest or Hybrid) (964-SLS)
General Counsel
Associate General Counsel, Product & Commercial
Associate General Counsel, Hardware IP
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Flex
|
$301,500 | 2 |
|
Checkr
|
$282,250 | 2 |
Sonatus
|
$244,000 | 2 |
Nuro
|
$231,520 | 2 |
EliseAI
|
$212,500 | 2 |
Coursera
|
$212,040 | 2 |
Coursera Sourcing
|
$212,040 | 2 |
CHAOS Industries
|
$198,750 | 2 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
FutureSight
|
$5,988 | 10 |
| SA Scale AI | $297,900 | 4 |
| TT The Trade Desk | $214,050 | 4 |
Hadrian Automation
|
$312,500 | 3 |
Fireblocks
|
$257,000 | 3 |
Robinhood
|
$236,000 | 3 |
|
STR
|
$355,000 | 2 |
| AX Axon | $311,345 | 2 |
Chief of Staff salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $300,000 | 3 |
| San Francisco | $220,000 | 19 |
| New York | $200,000 | 34 |
| Los Angeles | $192,500 | 4 |
| Toronto | $128,342 | 3 |
General Counsel salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $270,000 | 25 |
| New York | $250,000 | 37 |
| Los Angeles | $243,575 | 10 |
| Boston | $231,345 | 4 |
| Chicago | $214,045 | 6 |
| Austin | $180,000 | 3 |
Chief of Staff vs General Counsel: which pays more?
The median for Chief of Staff is $200,000 per year (typically $161,250–$232,725), versus $265,000 for General Counsel ($214,050–$297,900). That puts General Counsel about 33% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Chief of Staff and General Counsel are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.