Salary.com's annual Small Business Executive Compensation Survey found that CEO salaries vary amongst small, medium and large companies. The results, which were revealed yesterday, showed that the national median salary for a small-business CEO is $233,500. For a company with 500-to-5,000 employees, the average CEO salary is $500,000, while for companies with more than 5,000 employees, that number increases to $849,375. "As companies grow, so do the responsibilities and paychecks of their executives," said Christine Midwood, director of survey services for Salary.com. "To attract and retain the best talent, it's important for smaller companies with smaller budgets to emphasize non-cash advantages such as company equity or work/life balance."