- Home >
- Startup hiring data >
- COO Salary and Equity Compensation in Startups 2026
COO Salary and Equity in 2026
How much do COOs expect to make at US-based startups? The average expected salary for COOs in a startup is 120k per year, with a range from 40k to 450k. The salary range for COOs varies depending on factors such as location, industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
119.8k
Average Salary
6 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average COO salary is $119,792, which is 6.2% higher than the average startup salary of $112,833. COO salaries are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: location, years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.
Top of market
$250,000/yr
Range $175k - $450k
Average
$119,792/yr
Range $85k - $175k
Below Average
$83,333/yr
Range $40k - $125k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a COO can get in Denver, that is $152,500. This pay is 27.3% higher than the average COO salary in startups, which is $119,792. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: Denver (avg $152,500 per year), London (avg $135,000 per year), San Francisco Bay Area (avg $110,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
Industries
The highest average salary a COO can get in Sales, that is $373,500. This pay is 86.2% higher than the average COO salary, which is $200,550. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Sales (avg $373,500 per year), Mobile Application (avg $260,000 per year), Nonprofits (avg $225,000 per year).
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a COO can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $150,000. This pay is 25.2% higher than the average COO salary, which is $119,792. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
Popular roles
Software EngineerMobile DeveloperAndroid DeveloperiOS DeveloperFrontend EngineerBackend EngineerFull-Stack EngineerSoftware ArchitectMachine Learning EngineerEmbedded EngineerData EngineerDevOpsEngineering ManagerQA EngineerData ScientistDesignerUI/UX DesignerUser ResearcherVisual DesignerCreative DirectorGraphic Designer Product DesignerProduct ManagerOperationsFinance/AccountingH.R.Office ManagerRecruiterCustomer ServiceOperations ManagerSalesBusiness DevelopmentSales Development RepresentativeAccount ExecutiveBD ManagerAccount ManagerSales ManagerCustomer Success ManagerMarketingGrowth HackerMarketing ManagerContent CreatorCopywriterSocial Media ManagerManagementCEOCFOCMOCOOCTOOther EngineeringHardware EngineerMechanical EngineerSystems EngineerOtherBusiness AnalystProject ManagerAttorneyData AnalystInvestorLimited PartnerStrategic InvestorInstitutional InvestorVenture DebtVCSeed FundIndividual InvestorAngelFounder