CEO pay is up 997% since 1978: Percent change in CEO compensation, stock prices, and typical worker compensation, 1978-2014
| CEO pay | S&P 500 | Typical worker pay | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.0% | -2.2% | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 0.0% | 1.5% | -3.8% |
| 1981 | 0.0% | -0.1% | -4.3% |
| 1982 | 0.1% | -11.9% | -4.1% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | 13.3% | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 0.1% | 8.8% | -4.0% |
| 1985 | 0.1% | 22.5% | -4.2% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | 52.2% | -3.5% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | 78.8% | -4.6% |
| 1988 | 0.2% | 59.7% | -5.0% |
| 1989 | 86.2% | 86.1% | -5.3% |
| 1990 | 86.3% | 83.6% | -5.6% |
| 1991 | 86.4% | 99.2% | -5.7% |
| 1992 | 229.9% | 114.7% | -4.5% |
| 1993 | 270.0% | 127.6% | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 192.8% | 127.2% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 294.2% | 161.1% | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 401.4% | 214.8% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 663.0% | 301.3% | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 1036.7% | 391.9% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 904.3% | 489.2% | 0.8% |
| 2000 | 1270.8% | 513.0% | 1.4% |
| 2001 | 668.6% | 398.9% | 2.9% |
| 2002 | 579.0% | 308.7% | 5.0% |
| 2003 | 768.3% | 288.2% | 6.2% |
| 2004 | 854.2% | 342.7% | 6.0% |
| 2005 | 1017.2% | 357.4% | 5.5% |
| 2006 | 1144.3% | 380.7% | 5.6% |
| 2007 | 1163.3% | 427.0% | 6.5% |
| 2008 | 792.4% | 319.1% | 6.5% |
| 2009 | 611.2% | 226.9% | 10.9% |
| 2010 | 751.5% | 286.7% | 11.9% |
| 2011 | 765.1% | 316.8% | 10.5% |
| 2012 | 908.6% | 344.4% | 9.5% |
| 2013 | 956.6% | 421.9% | 10.1% |
| 2014 | 997.2% | 503.4% | 10.9% |
Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of data from Compustat's ExecuComp database, Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Current Employment Statistics program, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis NIPA tables, as seen in Top CEOs Make 300 Times More than Typical Workers.