Figure A
CEO compensation tracks the stock market: Realized CEO compensation and the S&P 500 Index, 1965–2019
| Year | CEO realized compensation (millions, 2019$) | S&P 500 Index (2019$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | $0.94 | 626.20 |
| 1966 | $1.02 | 588.45 |
| 1967 | $1.09 | 617.16 |
| 1968 | $1.17 | 635.27 |
| 1969 | $1.18 | 604.44 |
| 1970 | $1.19 | 490.04 |
| 1971 | $1.20 | 554.98 |
| 1972 | $1.22 | 598.07 |
| 1973 | $1.23 | 554.13 |
| 1974 | $1.32 | 388.13 |
| 1975 | $1.41 | 373.38 |
| 1976 | $1.50 | 418.00 |
| 1977 | $1.59 | 378.35 |
| 1978 | $1.68 | 346.60 |
| 1979 | $1.81 | 339.28 |
| 1980 | $1.94 | 351.65 |
| 1981 | $2.08 | 346.56 |
| 1982 | $2.21 | 305.56 |
| 1983 | $2.34 | 392.83 |
| 1984 | $2.47 | 377.11 |
| 1985 | $2.60 | 424.47 |
| 1986 | $2.73 | 527.88 |
| 1987 | $2.87 | 619.58 |
| 1988 | $3.00 | 553.98 |
| 1989 | $3.13 | 644.90 |
| 1990 | $3.94 | 636.63 |
| 1991 | $4.74 | 690.57 |
| 1992 | $5.55 | 744.67 |
| 1993 | $5.82 | 789.01 |
| 1994 | $4.75 | 787.95 |
| 1995 | $6.07 | 905.27 |
| 1996 | $7.93 | 1,091.41 |
| 1997 | $12.05 | 1,391.65 |
| 1998 | $17.70 | 1,706.43 |
| 1999 | $15.84 | 2,043.09 |
| 2000 | $21.91 | 2,124.75 |
| 2001 | $12.17 | 1,728.60 |
| 2002 | $10.55 | 1,416.42 |
| 2003 | $13.56 | 1,344.96 |
| 2004 | $15.32 | 1,534.02 |
| 2005 | $18.40 | 1,584.25 |
| 2006 | $18.93 | 1,665.73 |
| 2007 | $19.43 | 1,825.88 |
| 2008 | $12.68 | 1,452.24 |
| 2009 | $10.38 | 1,132.43 |
| 2010 | $12.86 | 1,339.57 |
| 2011 | $14.10 | 1,444.07 |
| 2012 | $21.38 | 1,538.74 |
| 2013 | $18.06 | 1,806.98 |
| 2014 | $19.33 | 2,087.75 |
| 2015 | $19.29 | 2,224.11 |
| 2016 | $17.00 | 2,231.57 |
| 2017 | $18.95 | 2,554.23 |
| 2018 | $18.66 | 2,795.97 |
| 2019 | $21.28 | 2,913.36 |
Notes: Realized average annual CEO compensation is computed using salary, bonus, vested stock awards, options realized, and long-term incentive payouts for CEOs at the top 350 U.S. firms ranked by sales.
Source: Authors’ analysis of data from Compustat’s ExecuComp database and the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) database from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
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