CEO pay is up 937% since 1978: Percent change in CEO compensation, stock prices, and typical worker compensation, 1978—2016
| Year | CEO pay | Worker compensation historical series | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1979 | 5.8% | -1.3% | -2.2% |
| 1980 | 12.0% | -3.8% | 1.5% |
| 1981 | 18.5% | -4.3% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 25.4% | -4.1% | -11.9% |
| 1983 | 32.7% | -3.6% | 13.3% |
| 1984 | 40.4% | -4.0% | 8.8% |
| 1985 | 48.5% | -4.3% | 22.5% |
| 1986 | 57.2% | -3.4% | 52.2% |
| 1987 | 66.3% | -4.5% | 78.7% |
| 1988 | 76.0% | -4.8% | 59.7% |
| 1989 | 86.2% | -4.8% | 86.0% |
| 1990 | 125.3% | -5.5% | 83.6% |
| 1991 | 172.7% | -5.5% | 99.2% |
| 1992 | 229.9% | -4.9% | 114.8% |
| 1993 | 269.9% | -4.5% | 127.6% |
| 1994 | 192.9% | -4.2% | 127.3% |
| 1995 | 294.3% | -4.7% | 161.1% |
| 1996 | 401.5% | -4.6% | 214.8% |
| 1997 | 663.0% | -3.6% | 301.3% |
| 1998 | 1037.0% | -1.2% | 392.0% |
| 1999 | 904.2% | 0.1% | 489.2% |
| 2000 | 1270.1% | 0.6% | 512.7% |
| 2001 | 668.2% | 1.9% | 398.6% |
| 2002 | 578.8% | 3.9% | 308.5% |
| 2003 | 765.9% | 4.9% | 287.9% |
| 2004 | 853.7% | 4.3% | 342.5% |
| 2005 | 1018.9% | 3.9% | 357.1% |
| 2006 | 1143.9% | 3.9% | 380.6% |
| 2007 | 1167.2% | 4.8% | 426.7% |
| 2008 | 788.6% | 4.7% | 318.9% |
| 2009 | 612.5% | 8.8% | 226.7% |
| 2010 | 750.5% | 9.4% | 286.5% |
| 2011 | 759.1% | 8.0% | 316.6% |
| 2012 | 911.9% | 7.2% | 344.2% |
| 2013 | 934.5% | 7.8% | 421.6% |
| 2014 | 998.6% | 8.2% | 503.2% |
| 2015 | 983.5% | 9.9% | 542.9% |
| 2016 | 936.7% | 11.2% | 545.2% |
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 2016 is based on the change in CEO pay as measured from June 2015 to June 2016 applied to the full-year 2015 value.
Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of data from Compustat's ExecuComp database, the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) database from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Employment Statistics data series, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis NIPA tables, as seen in CEO pay remains high relative to the pay of typical workers and high-wage earners
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