CTO.
Austin.
$318,000
median salary, 6% above the national average
$248,000 to $414,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median CTO salary in Austin is $318,000, 6% above the national average. Entry level starts near $248,000. Experienced professionals push past $414,000. Austin has transformed into one of America's fastest growing tech hubs, attracting relocations from Apple, Tesla, Oracle, and Samsung. That spread is your negotiation window. 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 in Austin, 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 $288,150 for Chief Executives (SOC 11-1011) in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metropolitan area, based on 950 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$126,800
25th percentile
$174,990
Median
$288,150
75th percentile
$407,210
90th percentile
$647,020
Workers surveyed
950
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 specifically. The Austin 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 $286,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$207,000
to $254,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$270,000
to $334,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$350,000
to $413,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$398,000
to $493,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $84,000 to the total package.
Base
$318,000
Equity
$48,000
Bonus
$30,000
Signing
$6,000
Estimated total: $402,000
How Austin compares.
Austin, TX
$318,000
Cost of living: 3% above average
National Average
$300,000
Austin is $18,000 above
CTO salary by city.
Salary by role in Austin.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for CTO roles in Austin, here is what you are walking into. Austin has transformed into one of America's fastest growing tech hubs, attracting relocations from Apple, Tesla, Oracle, and Samsung. The city's combination of no state income tax, a vibrant startup scene, and a strong university pipeline makes it highly competitive. Salaries have risen sharply over the past five years, narrowing the gap with coastal cities. Years of experience, technology specialization, and system scale are the primary differentiators. CTOs who have built and maintained systems at scale, handled complex distributed systems challenges, or contributed to widely used open source projects command higher compensation. Company stage and funding level create additional variance.
Entry-level CTOs start near $234,000. Mid-career professionals with three to five years of experience reach $300,000 to $390,000. Senior-level roles command $384,000 to $465,000. Management transitions to director-level positions offer $495,000 and above. In Austin, 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 at top-tier companies adds 30% to 60% above base salary. Annual bonuses of 15% to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $25,000 to $75,000 are common when changing roles. Refresher equity grants vest annually. Relocation packages and executive benefits like financial planning are typical. And on the tax side: texas has no state income tax, which can mean 5 to 10% more take home pay compared to California roles. Property taxes are above average, however, running about 1.8% of home value. When someone quotes you $318,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Use the no income tax advantage as a negotiation lever. Ask employers to match 90% of a Bay Area offer and show that your net pay will actually be higher. The range for CTOs in Austin runs from $248,000 to $414,000. 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
Common questions.
CTO salary in other cities.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"CTO Salary in Austin, TX." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/cto/austin
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