As of March 01, 2026, the average hourly rate for a Chief Risk Officer in the United States is $132, which translates to an annual salary of about $275,317.
However, the hourly wage can vary significantly based on several factors. Here’s a detailed look at the typical pay range per hour:
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A Chief Risk Officer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.
Experience is a primary driver of a Chief Risk Officer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
| Job Role | Years of Experience | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Risk Manager | 5+ years | $130,645 |
| Senior Risk Manager | 5+ years | $151,991 |
| Risk Management Director | 5+ years | $183,703 |
| Vice President of Risk Management | 5+ years | $229,578 |
| Chief Risk Officer | 5+ years | $275,317 |
What Am I Worth?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Chief Risk Officers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Demanded Skills for the Role:
| Skills | Demand Percentage |
|---|---|
| Risk Management | 27.57% |
| Operational Risk Management | 1.8% |
| Portfolio Management | 1.26% |
| Skill | Salary | Salary % Increase |
|---|---|---|
|
Influencing
|
$330,380 |
20%
|
|
Accountability
|
$319,368 |
16%
|
|
AML
|
$319,368 |
16%
|
|
HIPAA
|
$316,615 |
15%
|
|
Innovation
|
$302,849 |
10%
|
|
Purchasing
|
$302,849 |
10%
|
Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Chief Risk Officers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Chief Risk Officer with a Bachelor's Degree is between $262,562 and $284,964).
Chief Risk Officer Salaries by Degree Level
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 0.6% |
| High School | 3.1% |
| Associates | 2.5% |
| Bachelors | 40.9% |
| Masters | 44.7% |
| Doctorate | 8.2% |
Understanding how a Chief Risk Officer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Last Updated on March 01, 2026
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Oversees all aspects of an organization's risk management function. Responsible for planning and developing business analysis, risk modeling, and loss prevention programs. Designs strategic initiatives to protect assets from economic, market, and regulatory risks that the organization is exposed to. Requires a bachelor's degree. Typically reports to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Top level or C level management. Responsible for the development of functional or business unit strategy for the entire organization. Defines corporate vision and strategy establishes company direction and focus. Executes multiple high impact initiatives to achieve overall corporate goals.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Risk Management: Risk management is the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of risks (defined in ISO 31000 as the effect of uncertainty on objectives) followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities. Risks can come from various sources including uncertainty in financial markets, threats from project failures (at any phase in design, development, production, or sustainment life-cycles), legal liabilities, credit risk, accidents, natural causes and disasters, deliberate attack from an adversary, or events of uncertain or unpredictable root-cause. There are two types of events i.e. negative events can be classified as risks while positive events are classified as opportunities. Several risk management standards have been developed including the Project Management Institute, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, actuarial societies, and ISO standards. Methods, definitions and goals vary widely according to whether the risk management method is in the context of project management, security, engineering, industrial processes, financial portfolios, actuarial assessments, or public health and safety.
Operational Risk Management: Operational risk is the risk of loss resulting from ineffective or failed internal processes, people, systems, or external events that can disrupt the flow of business operations.
Portfolio Management: Portfolio management is the selection, prioritisation and control of an organisation's programmes and projects. The goal is to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimising ROI.
Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.
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