CEO Pay
CEO-to-worker pay ratio skyrocketed no matter how you measure it: CEO-to-worker pay ratio using average compensation, average compensation rolling average, average compensation for the middle 340, and median compensation, 1965-2024
| Year | Average CEO Compensation to worker pay ratio | Average CEO Compensation (Rolling) to worker pay ratio | Average CEO Compensation (Middle 340) to worker pay ratio | Median CEO Compensation to worker pay ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 20.6 | |||
| 1966 | 21.9 | |||
| 1967 | 23.1 | 21.9 | ||
| 1968 | 24.3 | 23.1 | ||
| 1969 | 24.0 | 23.8 | ||
| 1970 | 23.8 | 24.0 | ||
| 1971 | 23.5 | 23.8 | ||
| 1972 | 23.2 | 23.5 | ||
| 1973 | 23.0 | 23.2 | ||
| 1974 | 24.5 | 23.6 | ||
| 1975 | 26.1 | 24.5 | ||
| 1976 | 27.6 | 26.1 | ||
| 1977 | 29.2 | 27.6 | ||
| 1978 | 30.7 | 29.2 | ||
| 1979 | 33.4 | 31.1 | ||
| 1980 | 36.1 | 33.4 | ||
| 1981 | 38.8 | 36.1 | ||
| 1982 | 41.4 | 38.8 | ||
| 1983 | 44.1 | 41.4 | ||
| 1984 | 46.8 | 44.1 | ||
| 1985 | 49.4 | 46.8 | ||
| 1986 | 52.1 | 49.4 | ||
| 1987 | 54.8 | 52.1 | ||
| 1988 | 57.4 | 54.8 | ||
| 1989 | 60.1 | 57.4 | ||
| 1990 | 75.6 | 64.4 | ||
| 1991 | 91.2 | 75.6 | ||
| 1992 | 106.7 | 91.2 | 106.0 | 52.7 |
| 1993 | 108.2 | 102.0 | 102.4 | 56.7 |
| 1994 | 87.6 | 100.8 | 85.9 | 58.5 |
| 1995 | 117.1 | 104.3 | 111.0 | 66.7 |
| 1996 | 150.0 | 118.2 | 141.1 | 79.5 |
| 1997 | 223.1 | 163.4 | 194.1 | 105.6 |
| 1998 | 304.2 | 225.8 | 434.8 | 88.8 |
| 1999 | 275.3 | 267.5 | 416.0 | 96.3 |
| 2000 | 379.6 | 319.7 | 534.0 | 96.9 |
| 2001 | 214.3 | 289.7 | 347.6 | 83.0 |
| 2002 | 186.2 | 260.0 | 250.7 | 84.4 |
| 2003 | 228.5 | 209.6 | 330.6 | 111.5 |
| 2004 | 261.8 | 225.5 | 393.9 | 134.8 |
| 2005 | 319.5 | 269.9 | 471.9 | 156.4 |
| 2006 | 322.4 | 301.3 | 448.6 | 162.7 |
| 2007 | 328.5 | 323.5 | 438.3 | 150.3 |
| 2008 | 200.0 | 283.6 | 272.2 | 101.7 |
| 2009 | 166.4 | 231.6 | 243.2 | 101.3 |
| 2010 | 209.9 | 192.1 | 314.3 | 127.2 |
| 2011 | 238.9 | 205.1 | 342.0 | 144.1 |
| 2012 | 363.4 | 270.8 | 423.3 | 163.6 |
| 2013 | 318.5 | 307.0 | 445.2 | 173.5 |
| 2014 | 320.3 | 334.1 | 451.8 | 185.7 |
| 2015 | 320.3 | 319.7 | 446.0 | 182.5 |
| 2016 | 269.3 | 303.3 | 379.7 | 175.5 |
| 2017 | 294.4 | 294.7 | 416.4 | 191.9 |
| 2018 | 284.4 | 282.7 | 371.8 | 179.1 |
| 2019 | 311.5 | 296.7 | 416.1 | 176.5 |
| 2020 | 356.2 | 317.4 | 488.4 | 157.7 |
| 2021 | 408.5 | 358.7 | 550.9 | 193.4 |
| 2022 | 361.3 | 375.3 | 473.7 | 204.8 |
| 2023 | 276.5 | 348.7 | 338.6 | 184.8 |
| 2024 | 280.7 | 306.2 | 380.4 | 169.0 |
Notes: The rolling average measure using a three-year rolling average to smooth the data series. The middle 340 compensation measure removes the highest and lowest paid among the top 350 CEOs to make sure the results aren't based on outliers. The median measure takes the mid-point of the 350 CEOs instead of the average.
Source: Authors’ analysis of data from Compustat’s ExecuComp database.
This chart appears in:
- CEO pay has skyrocketed 1,460% since 1978: CEOs were paid 399 times as much as a typical worker in 2021
- CEO Pay 2022
- CEO pay slightly declined in 2022: But it has soared 1,209.2% since 1978 compared with a 15.3% rise in typical workers’ pay
- CEO pay declined in 2023: But it has soared 1,085% since 1978 compared with a 24% rise in typical workers’ pay
- CEO Pay landing page figures
- CEO Pay
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