# Chief Executives

US SOC code 11-1011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/11-1011

Also called: CEO, Chief executive officer, President, President and CEO, Executive director.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **204,350** US chief executives, with median pay of **$213,990** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **389,880**, in May 2003. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Modern_Corporation_and_Private_Property) of **40,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for chief executives: Real-time analytics, 2005 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 3.2% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=11-1011&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **35%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.015** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.015. BLS counted **248,760** of these jobs in May 2013 and **204,350** in May 2025 (-18%, a change derived by Future History).

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Chief Executives employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1811
- Latest US employment: 204,350 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $213,990 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +3.2% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [24]

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 40,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Berle & Means (1932) [1] |
| 1932 | 65,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Berle & Means (1932) [1] |
| 1970 | 110,000 (estimate) | $50,000 (estimate) | Est., Wikipedia (employment) [2]; Est., Conference Board (pay) [5] |
| 1990 | n/a | $120,000 (estimate) | Est., Wikipedia [5] |
| 2000 | 519,890 | $113,810 | BLS OEWS 2000 [3] |
| 2003 | 389,880 | $134,740 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 346,590 | $140,350 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 321,300 | $142,440 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 299,520 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 299,160 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 301,930 | $158,560 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 297,640 | $160,720 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 273,500 | $165,080 | BLS OEWS May 2010 (employment) [4]; BLS OEWS May 2010 (pay) [8] |
| 2011 | 267,370 | $166,910 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 255,940 | $168,140 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 248,760 | $171,610 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 246,240 | $173,320 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 238,940 | $175,110 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 223,260 | $181,210 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 210,160 | $183,270 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 195,530 | $189,600 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 205,890 | $184,460 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 202,360 | $185,950 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 200,480 | $179,520 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 199,240 | $189,520 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 211,230 | $206,680 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 211,850 | $206,420 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 204,350 | $213,990 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (90)

### Employment series

1. [Berle & Means (1932) — "The Modern Corporation and Private Property": quantitative context on the number of large US corporations and their management structure, early 20th century](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Modern_Corporation_and_Private_Property), Harcourt, Brace and World / Wikipedia
2. [Wikipedia — Business Roundtable: founded 1972 by leading US CEOs; original membership of approximately 200 CEOs of major US corporations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Roundtable), Wikipedia
3. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [Conference Board — Executive Compensation Survey (historical series, 1970s); academic literature on CEO pay growth (Frydman & Jenter 2010). Note: the $50,000 figure represents the broad median across all 11-1011-equivalent employers including smaller firms and nonprofits, not just S&P 500 CEOs whose total comp was substantially higher.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_compensation_in_the_United_States), Conference Board / Wikipedia
6. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
8. [BLS OEWS May 2010 — 11-1011 Chief Executives: median annual wage $165,080](https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_arch.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

10. [Wikipedia — Act Relative to Incorporations for Manufacturing Purposes of 1811: the first general incorporation statute in the United States; democratized corporate formation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_Relative_to_Incorporations_for_Manufacturing_Purposes_of_1811), Wikipedia
11. [Wikipedia — Chief executive officer: "chief executive officer" attested as early as 1782; evolution of the corporate executive role through the 19th century](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_executive_officer), Wikipedia
12. [Wikipedia — McKinsey & Company: founded 1926 by James O. McKinsey; Marvin Bower joined 1933 and established foundational professional norms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McKinsey_%26_Company), Wikipedia
13. [Wikipedia — Alfred P. Sloan and General Motors: multidivisional M-form structure (1921); the organizational architecture that made the modern CEO role necessary at scale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Sloan), Wikipedia
14. [Wikipedia — Growth–share matrix: created collaboratively at BCG; Bruce Henderson published "The Product Portfolio" in BCG Perspectives, 1970; first systematic visual tool for CEO portfolio capital allocation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth%E2%80%93share_matrix), Wikipedia
15. [Wikipedia — Executive compensation in the United States: Jensen-Meckling agency theory (1976), stock option adoption in the 1980s, and the transformation of CEO pay structure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_compensation_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia
16. [Wikipedia — Business Roundtable: adopted shareholder-primacy principle in 1970 based on Milton Friedman's economic theory; promoted throughout North American boardrooms through the 1980s via Alfred Rappaport's shareholder value teachings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Roundtable), Wikipedia
17. [Wikipedia — SAP R/3: released 1992; first client-server ERP; transformed the data infrastructure available to corporate executives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP_R/3), Wikipedia
18. [Wikipedia — Sarbanes-Oxley Act: signed July 30, 2002; Section 302 CEO personal certification of financial reports; Section 906 criminal penalties for false certification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarbanes%E2%80%93Oxley_Act), Wikipedia
19. [Wikipedia — Tableau Software: founded 2003; pioneered self-service visual analytics; acquired by Salesforce for $15.7B (2019)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tableau_Software), Wikipedia
20. [Wikipedia — OKR (Objectives and Key Results): developed at Intel by Andy Grove; adopted at Google from 1999; popularized for the broader executive class by Doerr (2018)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OKR), Wikipedia
21. [Frey & Osborne (2013) — "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?" (Oxford Martin School): Chief Executives assigned 0.015 computerization probability — second-lowest of any occupation in the 702-occupation dataset](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School
22. [OpenAI — ChatGPT Enterprise: launched August 28, 2023; enterprise AI with enhanced privacy; immediately adopted for C-suite communications and strategy drafting](https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-enterprise/), OpenAI
23. [Microsoft — Copilot for Microsoft 365: general availability November 1, 2023; enterprise AI productivity suite; Forrester TEI: meeting recap time 30 min → 5 min; up to 116% ROI](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/copilot-for-microsoft-365), Microsoft

### Forecasts and exposure studies

24. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 11-1011 Chief executives (2025: 291.6 thousand; 2035: 300.9 thousand; +3.2%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=11-1011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
25. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 11-1011 Chief Executives: probability 0.015, rank 70 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
26. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 11-1011.00, human-rated β 0.35)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

27. [Wikipedia — Act Relative to Incorporations for Manufacturing Purposes of 1811: first general incorporation statute; democratized corporate formation and established the precondition for the professional CEO role](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_Relative_to_Incorporations_for_Manufacturing_Purposes_of_1811), Wikipedia
28. [Wikipedia — Cornelius Vanderbilt: railroad executive and president of the New York Central; archetypal owner-manager CEO of the Gilded Age](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelius_Vanderbilt), Wikipedia
29. [Wikipedia — Alfred P. Sloan: General Motors multidivisional structure (1921); separation of corporate CEO from divisional GM; Chandler's "most important organizational innovation of the 20th century"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Sloan), Wikipedia
30. [Wikipedia — The Modern Corporation and Private Property (1932): Berle & Means' analysis of ownership-control separation; the 200 largest corporations controlling American industry; the agency problem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Modern_Corporation_and_Private_Property), Wikipedia
31. [Wikipedia — Business Roundtable: shareholder-primacy principle adopted 1970, based on Milton Friedman's 1970 NYT Magazine essay; operationalized through boardroom incentive design in the 1980s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Roundtable), Wikipedia
32. [Wikipedia — Sarbanes-Oxley Act: signed July 30, 2002; Section 302 CEO certification of financial reports; Section 906 criminal penalties; enacted after Enron, WorldCom, Tyco scandals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarbanes%E2%80%93Oxley_Act), Wikipedia
33. [Wikipedia — Benefit corporation: Maryland first state to pass legislation, April 2010; 36 states + DC with enabling legislation by March 2018; legal framework for mission-beyond-profit corporate governance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benefit_corporation), Wikipedia
34. [OpenAI — ChatGPT Enterprise: launched August 28, 2023; enterprise AI with enhanced privacy and longer context; immediately adopted for executive communications and strategy documentation](https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-enterprise/), OpenAI

### Predecessors & successors

35. [BLS OOH — Top Executives (11-1011 + 11-1021): the GM-to-CEO promotion track as the standard career path at large organizations](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/top-executives.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
36. [O\*NET 29.3 / BLS Employment Matrix 2024 — 11-1011.00: self-employed chief executives number 80,100 of the 309,400 total jobs in 2024; a persistent structural feature of the occupation](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-1011.00), O\*NET / BLS

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Chief Executives (11-1011.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-1011.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [BLS — Top Executives Occupational Outlook Handbook (2024-2034): 2,540 annual CEO-level openings; median annual wage $189,520](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/top-executives.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [McKinsey — Superagency in the Workplace: C-suite is the least displaced tier; value is in setting the agenda AI executes (2025)](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/tech-and-ai/our-insights/superagency-in-the-workplace-empowering-people-to-unlock-ais-full-potential-at-work), accessed 2026-05-23
- [McKinsey — State of AI: How Organizations Are Rewiring to Capture Value (2025)](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-how-organizations-are-rewiring-to-capture-value), accessed 2026-05-23
- [KPMG 2025 Global CEO Outlook (11th edition): 71 percent of CEOs say AI is a top investment priority, up from 64 percent a year earlier, and 69 percent are allocating 10 to 20 percent of their budget to AI](https://kpmg.com/xx/en/our-insights/value-creation/global-ceo-outlook-survey.html), accessed 2026-10-07
- [PwC 2025 Global CEO Survey press release (Jan 20, 2025): 56 percent of CEOs report efficiency gains from GenAI, and about a third report profitability (34 percent) and revenue (32 percent) increases](https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/news-room/press-releases/2025/pwc-2025-global-ceo-survey.html), accessed 2026-10-07
- [BCG: "As AI Changes Work, CEOs Must Change How Work Happens" (November 2025): CEOs must set the agenda for how the organization learns to use AI and clearly communicate their AI vision](https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/as-ai-changes-work-ceos-must-change-how-work-happens), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Goldman Sachs — The Jobs AI Is Likely to Boost and Those It May Disrupt: accountable decision-makers vs. middle managers who only synthesize reports (2025)](https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/the-jobs-ai-is-likely-to-boost-and-those-it-may-disrupt), accessed 2026-05-23
- [AlphaSense press release (Sep 28, 2023): $150 million Series E led by BOND at a $2.5 billion valuation; more than 4,000 enterprise customers including the majority of the S&P 500](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alphasense-grows-to-2-5-billion-valuation-securing-150-million-in-series-e-funding-led-by-bond-301941224.html), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Hebbia: Hebbia Raises Series B Led by Andreessen Horowitz (Jul 8, 2024): $130 million Series B; deployed at leading asset managers, law firms, banks and Fortune 100 companies](https://www.hebbia.com/blog/hebbia-raises-usd130m-series-b), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Bain: AI-Enabled Transformation Starts and Stops With the CEO (May 27, 2026): scaling AI beyond pilots needs clear CEO ownership; CEOs who spend 15 to 25 percent of their time on AI improve adoption and results](https://www.bain.com/insights/ai-enabled-transformation-starts-and-stops-with-the-ceo/), accessed 2026-10-07
- [Tableau Pulse — September 2025: correlated-metrics alerts, anomaly detection, proactive insights delivered to Slack/Teams/email without dashboard login](https://www.tableau.com/2025-2-september-features), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Glean — $200M ARR (December 2025); 27B documents indexed across 100+ SaaS apps; enterprise AI search for instant knowledge retrieval](https://www.glean.com/press/glean-surpasses-200m-in-arr-for-enterprise-ai-doubling-revenue-in-nine-months), accessed 2026-05-23

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.