VP Finance / CFO

💰 $177K–$240K salary range

Median: $205K  ·  Based on 408 public job postings  ·  Updated August 30, 2026

📊 Salary breakdown

VP Finance / CFO salary by location

• All locations: $205K median ($177K–$240K typical range)
• New York: $208K median, $175K–$253K range (+1% vs. national)
• San Francisco: $251K median, $213K–$280K range (+22% vs. national)
• Boston: $210K median, $169K–$236K range (+2% vs. national)
• Chicago: $175K median, $156K–$192K range (-15% vs. national)
• Denver: $203K median, $175K–$235K range (-1% vs. national)
• Los Angeles: $196K median, $190K–$241K range (-4% vs. national)
• Dallas: $193K median, $189K–$193K range (-6% vs. national)
• Seattle: $284K median, $190K–$315K range (+38% vs. national)

Highest paying companies

San Francisco

• Anthropic: $293K median
• OpenAI: $281K median
• Airwallex: $195K median

New York

• NBCUniversal: $150K median

Based on companies with 3+ active postings. Median of publicly advertised salary range.

What's typically included

• Health insurance: 74% of postings
• Equity (RSU/options): 71% of postings
• Flexible PTO: 50% of postings
• Parental leave: 35% of postings
• Learning/education budget: 24% of postings
• Visa sponsorship: 5% of postings

Typical experience required: 10–11 years.

Finance salaries by seniority

• Director of Finance: $90K
• Financial Analyst: $114K
• Senior Financial Analyst: $118K
• FP&A Manager: $135K
• Finance Manager: $139K
• Finance Lead: $172K
• VP Finance / CFO: $205K

What does a VP Finance / CFO do?

VP Finance / CFOs are finance and accounting professionals who own planning, reporting, and controls. This benchmark reflects Director-level base compensation at high-growth and AI-native companies.

Government wage data

For corroboration, U.S. Department of Labor certified wage filings (FY2026) show a median of $210K for VP Finance / CFO roles, ranging $180K–$250K, across 77 filings. This is reported separately from — never blended with — the job-posting median above.

Common questions

What is the average VP Finance / CFO salary at an AI startup?
The median pay is $205K, with a typical range of $177K–$240K, based on 408 public job postings collected in 2025–2026.

What is the VP Finance / CFO salary in New York?
New York VP Finance / CFOs at AI-native startups earn a median of $208K, with a typical range of $175K–$253K (25th–75th percentile). That's 1% above the $205K US national median. 17% below San Francisco's $251K. Based on 65 qualifying postings, 2025–2026.

What is the VP Finance / CFO salary in San Francisco?
San Francisco VP Finance / CFOs at AI-native startups earn a median of $251K, with a typical range of $213K–$280K (25th–75th percentile). That's 22% above the $205K US national median. Based on 54 qualifying postings, 2025–2026.

Where does this salary data come from?
It is aggregated from public job postings on company career pages — no private placement or client data. We require a minimum of 15 postings per role.

Methodology

Figures are the midpoint of each posting's advertised USD salary range, aggregated from 408 public job postings (2025–2026). The range shown is the 25th–75th percentile; the median is the 50th percentile. Equity is separate and not included; where a posting's range reflects on-target earnings (OTE) for commission roles, that is included in the midpoint. Roles require at least 15 postings to be published. Last refreshed August 30, 2026.

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