Fractional executive day rates in the United States
Eleven seats, in US dollars, with the sum already done: what each one costs a month and a year at one, two and three days a week. Open data, free to reuse with attribution.
Monthly cost by seat and days a week
Day rate first, then what that works out to a month at each of the three commonest commitments. A month is 4.33 weeks, not four.
| Seat | Day rate | 1 day a week | 2 days a week | 3 days a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fractional CFO | $1,000–$2,200 | $4,300–$9,500 | $8,700–$19,100 | $13,000–$28,600 |
| Fractional CMO | $900–$1,800 | $3,900–$7,800 | $7,800–$15,600 | $11,700–$23,400 |
| Fractional CTO | $1,000–$2,000 | $4,300–$8,700 | $8,700–$17,300 | $13,000–$26,000 |
| Fractional COO | $900–$1,800 | $3,900–$7,800 | $7,800–$15,600 | $11,700–$23,400 |
| Fractional Sales Director | $900–$1,800 | $3,900–$7,800 | $7,800–$15,600 | $11,700–$23,400 |
| Fractional Growth Lead | $800–$1,500 | $3,500–$6,500 | $6,900–$13,000 | $10,400–$19,500 |
| Fractional Product Lead | $900–$1,700 | $3,900–$7,400 | $7,800–$14,700 | $11,700–$22,100 |
| Fractional People Lead | $800–$1,500 | $3,500–$6,500 | $6,900–$13,000 | $10,400–$19,500 |
| Fractional CISO | $1,200–$2,300 | $5,200–$10,000 | $10,400–$19,900 | $15,600–$29,900 |
| Fractional Data Lead | $900–$1,700 | $3,900–$7,400 | $7,800–$14,700 | $11,700–$22,100 |
| Fractional General Counsel | $1,100–$2,100 | $4,800–$9,100 | $9,500–$18,200 | $14,300–$27,300 |
Annual cost, at two days a week
The figure to put next to a full-time salary. 46 billable weeks rather than 52: an operator takes holiday, and so does the company that engages one. Nothing sits on top of these numbers from us.
How to read the bands
A band is not a price list. The bottom of each one is a competent operator early in their fractional career or working outside the expensive parts of the United States; the top is somebody who has done the specific thing you are about to attempt, and who is usually booked. Quote the band rather than its midpoint, because the midpoint is a number nobody actually charges.
National bands, stated as market observation rather than survey data. New York and the Bay Area sit at and above the top of every one of them; the Midwest and the South generally below the midpoint. American engagements are more often quoted as a monthly retainer than a day rate, and the equivalent retainer is roughly the day rate multiplied by eight or nine for two days a week.
Where these numbers come from
Compiled from rates quoted to us during Operator Search briefs, from operators on the bench serving the United States, and from published rates for the equivalent seats. They are market observation rather than survey data, and they rest on less underlying data than our UK set, which comes off live listings. That is stated here rather than buried, because a number presented with more confidence than it has earned is worse than no number.
How we research sets out what this desk will and will not publish. The eleven seats and what each one owns are on the US seat pages, and the cities inside this market have their own guides: New York, San Francisco and the Bay Area. Where to actually hire one, with the other platforms in this market named and compared without ranking.
Take the data
Published as open data under a Creative Commons Attribution licence. No key, no gate, CORS on: JSON or CSV. Attribute it to getoperators.co and link back to this page.
Common questions
What does a fractional CFO cost per month in the United States?
At two days a week, $8,700 to $19,100 a month, from a day rate of $1,000 to $2,200. One day a week is half that and three days is half as much again. The annual figures on this page assume 46 billable weeks rather than 52, because neither side works every week of the year.
Which fractional seat is the most expensive in the United States?
Fractional CISO, at up to $2,300 a day. The lowest floor of the eleven is fractional Growth Lead at $800. The spread across all eleven seats is narrower than most people expect, because what you are paying for is seniority and scarcity rather than the function itself.
How were these numbers worked out?
They are bands compiled from rates quoted to us during Operator Search briefs, from operators on the bench serving the United States, and from published rates for the equivalent seats. They are market observation rather than survey data, and they carry less underlying data than our UK set, which comes off live listings. The monthly and annual columns are arithmetic on the band: day rate multiplied by days a week, by 4.33 weeks a month or 46 billable weeks a year.
Can I reuse this data?
Yes. It is published as open data under a Creative Commons Attribution licence, as JSON and as CSV, and there is no key and no gate. Attribute it to getoperators.co and link back to this page. If you are quoting a single figure, quote the band rather than the midpoint: the midpoint of a band is a number nobody actually charges.
Do these rates include anything besides the operator's time?
No. The day rate is what the operator invoices and nothing else sits on top of it from us: a company books direct and we take no share. What a day rate does not carry is the employment cost side of a permanent hire, which is the comparison worth making, and it does not carry expenses, which should be agreed separately and in writing before the engagement starts.
Reviewed September 2026. Rates move, and tax and employment rules in the United States move faster, so check anything you are about to rely on against current official guidance.
Every operator publishes their own rate
The bands above are the market. The bench is the actual people, each with their own day rate on their own profile, booked direct with nothing taken from it. If you would rather not sift, Operator Search runs it for you: three researched candidates against your brief in five business days.