Weed wages 2021: Who earns how much in the pot industry?

Competition for experienced, talented workers is exploding, leading to sizable salary hikes in a number of fields over the last year. That competition is also forcing some companies to expand their search beyond the limits of the cannabis industry.

A new survey from CannabizTeam, an executive search and staffing company focused on the weed world, gives the median salary for a wide variety of jobs. However, it warns, median salaries can vary widely from area to area.

Salaries in some big cities, such as Oakland; Washington, D.C.; and Stamford, Conn., are significantly higher than the median—generally between 39% and 47% higher. Other cities, including Des Moines, Tulsa, and Springfield, Ill., are 9% to 14% lower.

That’s what happens as legalization spreads, though. And the fact that the median salary continues to climb underscores the growing potential of the industry.

So who’s making what? As in many fields, it largely depends on the job you hold.

C-level

CEO: $229,000 to $471,600
Median salary: $350,300 (an 11% increase over the past year)

COO: $193,400 to $320,800
Median salary: $257,100 (a 10% increase)

Chief scientific officer: $165,000 to $252,300
Median salary: $208,650 (an 11% increase)

General counsel: $131,400 to $237,500
Median salary: $184,450 (a 9% increase)

Cultivation

Vice president of cultivation: $137,000 to $281,300
Median salary: $209,150 (an 11% increase)

Director of cultivation: $93,000 to $186,500
Median salary: $139,750 (a 10% increase)

Plant breeder: $59,000 to $97,800
Median salary: $78,400 (a 10% increase)

Extraction

Director of extraction: $89,500 to $171,000
Median salary: $130,250 (a 10% increase)

Extraction lab manager: $67,000 to $105,000
Median salary: $86,000 (an 8% increase)

Testing

Testing lab manager: $115,000 to $144,500
Median salary: $129,750 (a 6% increase)

Chemist: $63,000 to $92,700
Median salary: $77,850 (a 5% increase)

Manufacturing

Vice president of operations: $137,800 to $251,200
Median salary: $194,500 (a 10% increase)

Vice president of product development: $115,000 to $225,000
Median salary: $170,000 (an 11% increase)

Warehouse technician: $59,000 to $74,500
Median salary: $66,750 (a 6% increase)

Retail

Vice president of retail (multi-state): $162,000 to $252,000
Median salary: $207,000 (a 9% increase)

Director of retail: $116,000 to $161,400
Median salary: $138,700 (a 5% increase)

General manager: $85,000 to $120,000
Median salary: $102,500 (a 7% increase)

Dispensary manager: $76,500 to $103,800
Median salary: $90,150 (a 6% increase)

Assistant dispensary manager: $57,100 to $79,500
Median salary: $68,300 (a 6% increase)

Sales and marketing

Vice president of sales: $114,000 to $190,600
Median salary: $152,300 (a 5% increase)

Area sales manager: $75,000 to $123,800
Median salary: $99,400 (a 10% increase)

Sales representative: $52,800 to $71,500
Median salary: $62,150 (a 4% increase)