Side-by-side distribution
Contract Manager
$98,010
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 26.8%
- Live roles
- 1,584
General Counsel
$231,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 57.5%
- Live roles
- 416
Highest-paying jobs
Contracts Administrator
Principal Product Manager, Search & Contract Understanding
Risk & Independence Contract Specialist Senior Manager - Advisory Consulting Services
Risk & Independence Contract Specialist Senior Manager - Managed Services
Senior / Principal Product Manager, Contract Orchestration
Contract Lifecycle Management Lead, Sr. Manager
Director, Contract Lifecycle Management Product Manager
CV Invasive Specialist Contract $68/hr
Marketing Operations Manager (Contract)
Product Manager — Future Contract Opportunities
Highest-paying jobs
Chief Legal Officer
Deputy General Counsel and Vice President, Intellectual Property
Divisional Chief Legal Officer West Florida Division
General Counsel, San Francisco Bay Area (1003-SLS)
Associate General Counsel, Commercial – Infrastructure
Sector General Counsel - Global I&S
Assistant General Counsel, Healthcare Compliance and Investigations
Senior Director, Assistant General Counsel – Market Access Legal
Associate General Counsel, Content, Music, & Marketing
General Counsel
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Northrop Grumman
|
$117,700 | 21 |
Protiviti
|
$72,652 | 15 |
Loblaw
|
$71,250 | 13 |
| GV GE Vernova | $159,500 | 8 |
CVS Health
|
$96,450 | 8 |
Intel
|
$126,000 | 7 |
CACI
|
$121,950 | 7 |
GDIT
|
$88,174 | 7 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| TT The Trade Desk | $214,050 | 5 |
| CG Cboe Global Markets | $278,438 | 4 |
OKX
|
$250,444 | 4 |
Orchard
|
$242,500 | 4 |
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$232,900 | 4 |
|
Solutuslegal
|
$325,000 | 3 |
Roku
|
$270,000 | 3 |
Neuberger Berman
|
$250,000 | 3 |
Contract Manager salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $202,000 | 5 |
| Atlanta | $202,000 | 9 |
| Boston | $182,000 | 10 |
| New York | $165,500 | 23 |
| San Francisco | $160,200 | 17 |
| Los Angeles | $136,225 | 6 |
| Denver | $135,000 | 11 |
| Chicago | $114,400 | 13 |
| Dublin | $93,538 | 3 |
| Toronto | $92,526 | 29 |
General Counsel salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $270,603 | 28 |
| Los Angeles | $259,000 | 17 |
| Austin | $256,500 | 6 |
| New York | $240,000 | 60 |
| Boston | $235,941 | 12 |
| Denver | $233,750 | 6 |
| Chicago | $214,100 | 17 |
| Atlanta | $211,363 | 5 |
| Toronto | $190,000 | 3 |
Contract Manager vs General Counsel: which pays more?
The median for Contract Manager is $98,010 per year (typically $74,051–$132,173), versus $231,000 for General Counsel ($191,245–$275,000). That puts General Counsel about 136% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Contract Manager 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.