CTO.
Los Angeles.
$368,000
median salary, 23% above the national average
$287,000 to $479,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
Orbyt estimates CTO pay in Los Angeles at $368,000, within a range of $287,000 to $479,000. That is 23% above the national average. Los Angeles blends a thriving entertainment industry with a growing tech and startup ecosystem, often called Silicon Beach. 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 Los Angeles, 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 $234,290 for Chief Executives (SOC 11-1011) in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area, based on 10,800 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$101,250
25th percentile
$159,990
Median
$234,290
75th percentile
$369,330
90th percentile
$522,060
Workers surveyed
10,800
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $368,000 is 57% higher than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Chief Executives covers a different population than the CTO title as it is typically advertised. Both are shown, unreconciled, so you can judge which one describes the job you mean.
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 Los Angeles 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 $331,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$239,000
to $294,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$313,000
to $386,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$405,000
to $478,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$460,000
to $570,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $97,000 to the total package.
Base
$368,000
Equity
$55,000
Bonus
$35,000
Signing
$7,000
Estimated total: $465,000
How Los Angeles compares.
Los Angeles, CA
$368,000
Cost of living: 18% above average
National Average
$300,000
Los Angeles is $68,000 above
CTO salary by city.
Salary by role in Los Angeles.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for CTO roles in Los Angeles, here is what you are walking into. Los Angeles blends a thriving entertainment industry with a growing tech and startup ecosystem, often called Silicon Beach. The city's diverse economy spans aerospace, healthcare, fashion, and gaming. LA offers strong salaries that, while below San Francisco levels, pair with a broader lifestyle appeal and lower housing costs relative to the Bay Area. 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 Los Angeles, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 18% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
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: california's 13.3% top state income tax rate applies to LA earners as well. There is no city income tax, but the high state rate makes take home pay lower than cities in no income tax states. When someone quotes you $368,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight cross industry skills. LA employers value candidates who bridge entertainment and tech, so framing your experience across verticals can unlock higher offers. The range for CTOs in Los Angeles runs from $287,000 to $479,000. 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?
- A General Counsel in Los Angeles earns $327,000 (11% less)
- The highest-paying role in Los Angeles is General Counsel at $327,000
Common questions.
CTO salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Los Angeles.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to CTOs in Los Angeles.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"CTO Salary in Los Angeles, CA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/cto/los-angeles
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