CTO, AI Startup.
Nashville.
$237,000
median salary, 3% above the national average
$185,000 to $309,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
Orbyt estimates CTO, AI Startup pay in Nashville at $237,000, within a range of $185,000 to $309,000. That is 3% above the national average. Nashville has diversified well beyond music into healthcare, finance, and technology. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for CTO, AI Startup in Nashville, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $218,190 for Chief Executives (SOC 11-1011) in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metropolitan area, based on 1,730 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$83,260
25th percentile
$132,960
Median
$218,190
75th percentile
$330,300
90th percentile
$487,440
Workers surveyed
1,730
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Chief Executives (SOC 11-1011) rather than CTO, AI Startup specifically. The Nashville range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 11-1011Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $213,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$154,000
to $190,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$201,000
to $249,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$261,000
to $308,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$296,000
to $367,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $67,000 to the total package.
Base
$237,000
Equity
$38,000
Bonus
$24,000
Signing
$5,000
Estimated total: $304,000
How Nashville compares.
Nashville, TN
$237,000
Cost of living: at average
National Average
$230,000
Nashville is $7,000 above
CTO, AI Startup salary by city.
Salary by role in Nashville.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for CTO, AI Startup roles in Nashville, here is what you are walking into. Nashville has diversified well beyond music into healthcare, finance, and technology. The city is home to HCA Healthcare and a growing corridor of health tech startups. Nashville's moderate cost of living, combined with Tennessee's lack of state income tax on wages, makes it increasingly popular for corporate relocations and remote workers. Base salary is influenced by funding stage, company size, and the CTO's equity stake. Early-stage CTOs may accept lower base salary in exchange for larger equity. Series B+ CTOs with proven track records command both high base salaries and meaningful equity. Technical depth in AI architecture and ability to recruit top talent are the primary differentiators.
Pre-seed and seed CTOs earn $120,000 to $180,000 base with significant equity. Series A CTOs earn $180,000 to $230,000. Series B+ CTOs reach $230,000 to $320,000 base. Successful exits can generate life-changing wealth through equity. Some transition to CEO roles or become serial technical cofounders. In Nashville, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity is the most significant component, often representing 1% to 5% of the company at founding, decreasing with later-stage hiring. At funded startups, this can be worth $500,000 to several million dollars annually on paper. Base salary increases substantially after Series B as the company can afford market rates. And on the tax side: tennessee has no state income tax on wages or salaries. This gives Nashville workers a meaningful take home advantage over peers in states with 5 to 10% income tax rates. When someone quotes you $237,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Use the healthcare industry concentration as leverage. Nashville healthcare employers are accustomed to national pay scales and will often match or beat coastal health sector offers. The range for CTO, AI Startups in Nashville runs from $185,000 to $309,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An IC6 Engineer in Nashville earns $245,000 (3% more)
- The highest-paying role in Nashville is CTO at $306,000
- See all ai executive roles tracked in Orbyt Intelligence
Common questions.
CTO, AI Startup salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Nashville.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to CTO, AI Startups in Nashville.
Related tools.
Do you work as a cto, ai startup in Nashville?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"CTO, AI Startup Salary in Nashville, TN." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/cto-ai-startup/nashville
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools