Discover Salaries

CTO
Seattle
Select skill
Select industry

CTO Salary and Equity in Seattle 2026

How much does a CTO expect to make at Seattle-based startups? The average expected salary for CTOs in Seattle-based startups is 111k per year, with a range from 14k to 210k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for CTOs in Seattle startups varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.

110.5k

Average Salary

5 years

Average years of experience

Hiring data hero image

Salary

By quarter
The average salary for a CTO in Seattle is $110,521, which is 20.6% lower than the average Seattle startup salary of$139,125. CTO salaries in Seattle are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.

Top of market

$160,625/yr

Range $130k - $210k

Average

$110,521/yr

Range $43k - $210k

Below Average

$60,333/yr

Range $14k - $150k


Industries

The highest average salary a CTO in Seattle can get in Machine Learning, that is $145,000. This pay is 12.3% higher than the average CTO salary in Seattle, which is $129,167. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Machine Learning (avg $145,000 per year), Artificial Intelligence (avg $145,000 per year), Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (avg $135,000 per year).

Years of experience

Below Average

Average

Top of Market

The highest average salary a CTO in Seattle can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $190,000. This pay is 36.6% higher than the average salary in Seattle startups, which is $139,125. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.