CEO compensation relative to top 0.1% earners is much higher than it was in the 1951–1979 period: Ratio of CEO compensation to top 0.1% wages, 1951–2022
| year | Ratio of CEO pay to top 0.1% wages | 1951–1979 average ratio: 3.61 |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 3.38 | 3.61 |
| 1952 | 3.27 | 3.61 |
| 1953 | 3.62 | 3.61 |
| 1954 | 3.92 | 3.61 |
| 1955 | 3.93 | 3.61 |
| 1956 | 3.80 | 3.61 |
| 1957 | 4.29 | 3.61 |
| 1958 | 4.14 | 3.61 |
| 1959 | 4.83 | 3.61 |
| 1960 | 3.55 | 3.61 |
| 1961 | 4.04 | 3.61 |
| 1962 | 4.14 | 3.61 |
| 1963 | 4.26 | 3.61 |
| 1964 | 3.86 | 3.61 |
| 1965 | 3.65 | 3.61 |
| 1966 | 3.45 | 3.61 |
| 1967 | 3.50 | 3.61 |
| 1968 | 3.47 | 3.61 |
| 1969 | 3.50 | 3.61 |
| 1970 | 3.26 | 3.61 |
| 1971 | 3.25 | 3.61 |
| 1972 | 3.33 | 3.61 |
| 1973 | 3.06 | 3.61 |
| 1974 | 2.96 | 3.61 |
| 1975 | 2.54 | 3.61 |
| 1976 | 2.60 | 3.61 |
| 1977 | 2.68 | 3.61 |
| 1978 | 3.36 | 3.61 |
| 1979 | 3.84 | 3.61 |
| 1980 | 3.10 | 3.61 |
| 1981 | 3.39 | 3.61 |
| 1982 | 3.12 | 3.61 |
| 1983 | 3.20 | 3.61 |
| 1984 | 2.93 | 3.61 |
| 1985 | 3.56 | 3.61 |
| 1986 | 3.31 | 3.61 |
| 1987 | 3.02 | 3.61 |
| 1988 | 2.72 | 3.61 |
| 1989 | 2.95 | 3.61 |
| 1990 | 3.10 | 3.61 |
| 1991 | 3.57 | 3.61 |
| 1992 | 3.26 | 3.61 |
| 1993 | 3.62 | 3.61 |
| 1994 | 4.79 | 3.61 |
| 1995 | 4.59 | 3.61 |
| 1996 | 6.19 | 3.61 |
| 1997 | 6.50 | 3.61 |
| 1998 | 7.06 | 3.61 |
| 1999 | 7.11 | 3.61 |
| 2000 | 8.94 | 3.61 |
| 2001 | 8.62 | 3.61 |
| 2002 | 7.40 | 3.61 |
| 2003 | 6.75 | 3.61 |
| 2004 | 6.36 | 3.61 |
| 2005 | 5.99 | 3.61 |
| 2006 | 6.17 | 3.61 |
| 2007 | 5.17 | 3.61 |
| 2008 | 5.45 | 3.61 |
| 2009 | 5.60 | 3.61 |
| 2010 | 5.82 | 3.61 |
| 2011 | 6.38 | 3.61 |
| 2012 | 8.41 | 3.61 |
| 2013 | 8.00 | 3.61 |
| 2014 | 7.63 | 3.61 |
| 2015 | 7.55 | 3.61 |
| 2016 | 7.13 | 3.61 |
| 2017 | 7.19 | 3.61 |
| 2018 | 7.08 | 3.61 |
| 2019 | 7.81 | 3.61 |
| 2020 | 8.68 | 3.61 |
| 2021 | 7.68 | 3.61 |
Note: Wages of top 0.1% of wage earners reflect W-2 annual earnings, which includes the value of exercised stock options and vested stock awards.
Source: Authors’ analysis of EPI State of Working America Data Library data on top 0.1% wages in Mishel and Kandra 2020 and data on CEO compensation from an extrapolation of Kaplan’s (2012b) CEO compensation series.