CEO compensation is up 1,070% since 1978: Percent change in CEO compensation and typical worker compensation, 1978—2017
| Year | CEO compensation, realized options | Worker compensation annual historical series |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 0.0% | 0.0 |
| 1979 | 5.8 | -1.2 |
| 1980 | 12.0 | -3.8 |
| 1981 | 18.5 | -4.2 |
| 1982 | 25.4 | -4.0 |
| 1983 | 32.7 | -3.5 |
| 1984 | 40.4 | -4.0 |
| 1985 | 48.6 | -4.3 |
| 1986 | 57.2 | -3.3 |
| 1987 | 66.4 | -4.5 |
| 1988 | 76.1 | -4.7 |
| 1989 | 86.3 | -4.8 |
| 1990 | 125.5 | -5.4 |
| 1991 | 172.8 | -5.5 |
| 1992 | 230.2 | -4.9 |
| 1993 | 247.7 | -4.5 |
| 1994 | 181.8 | -4.2 |
| 1995 | 261.6 | -4.7 |
| 1996 | 371.2 | -4.6 |
| 1997 | 616.4 | -3.5 |
| 1998 | 946.6 | -1.1 |
| 1999 | 843.8 | 0.1 |
| 2000 | 1205.5 | 0.7 |
| 2001 | 618.9 | 1.9 |
| 2002 | 525.8 | 4.0 |
| 2003 | 706.4 | 5.0 |
| 2004 | 811.5 | 4.3 |
| 2005 | 1004.1 | 3.9 |
| 2006 | 1089.7 | 3.9 |
| 2007 | 1109.7 | 4.8 |
| 2008 | 750.0 | 4.7 |
| 2009 | 581.3 | 8.9 |
| 2010 | 703.2 | 9.4 |
| 2011 | 722.7 | 8.0 |
| 2012 | 855.3 | 7.2 |
| 2013 | 886.4 | 7.7 |
| 2014 | 944.7 | 8.1 |
| 2015 | 927.4 | 9.9 |
| 2016 | 894.3 | 11.0 |
| 2017 | 1069.5 | 11.2 |
Notes: CEO annual compensation is computed using the “options realized” compensation series for CEOs at the top 350 U.S. firms ranked by sales. The series includes salary, bonus, restricted stock grants, options realized, and long-term incentive payouts. Projected value for 2017 is based on the change in CEO pay as measured from June 2016 to June 2017 applied to the full-year 2016 value.
Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of data from Compustat's ExecuComp database, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics data series, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis NIPA tables, as seen in Mishel and Schieder (2018).
Next chart: Average weekly wages of public school teachers and other college graduates, 1979–2017 (2017 dollars) »