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California / CA Health Benefit Exchange / Chief Financial Officer

Job-title file

Chief Financial Officer

Maintain financial records, prepare budgets and reports, and ensure compliance with fiscal rules.

1 employees hold this title in CA Health Benefit Exchange. Median total compensation for the role is $281,541, above the department median of $71,826.

Employees
1
Total payroll
$281.5K
Role median
$281,541
Agency median
$71,826
Comparison
Above

Compared with the local labor market

Chief Financial Officer pay vs. California

Across all employers in California, the median wage for Chief Executivesabout 34,700 people is $218,600. CA Health Benefit Exchange pays a median base salary of $277,821 for this role, 27% above that figureabout the 61st percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where CA Health Benefit Exchange sits in the local pay range

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$85,790
$133,610
$218,600
$351,090
$486,830
CA Health Benefit Exchange median · $277,821

The bar is the range of annual wages for Chief Executives across every employer in California, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows CA Health Benefit Exchange’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

And across the country

Nationwide, the median wage for Chief Executivesabout 204,350 people is $213,990. CA Health Benefit Exchange’s median base salary is 30% above that national figure, about the 61st percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
CA Health Benefit Exchange median · $277,821

Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the California range relative to the national one.

Median total compensation for this role at CA Health Benefit Exchange is $281,541, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across California

Chief Financial Officer is held in 6 California departments. In CA Health Benefit Exchange, the median of $281,541 ranks #3 of 6.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Median total compensation for the Chief Financial Officer role in other Californiadepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

Chief Financial Officer beyond California

This role is reported in 8 jurisdictions. In California, the median of $231,443 ranks #1 of 8. See Chief Financial Officer across all of California

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

Georgia
$195,149 · 8
Vermont
$137,176 · 7
Metro Nashville
$68,514 · 9
Rhode Island
$38,057 · 20

Median total compensation for comparable Chief Financial Officer roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Jim Watkins

Chief Financial Officer/CA Health Benefit Exchange

2025 total comp
$281,541
Base pay
$277,821
Overtime
$0
Other pay
$3,720
Benefits
$0
Total compensation
$281,541
Employment type
Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit
E99
Work county
Sacramento
Middle name
J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay
$24,444
Cs/csu
Cs
Position Number
8011606063001
Salary Total
$23,711
Total Pay
$281,541

Jim Watkins works as a Chief Financial Officer for CA Health Benefit Exchange. Their status is full-time. Jim earned $281,541 in 2025. They are represented by E99.