Figure C
CEOs make 276 times more than typical workers: CEO-to-worker compensation ratio, 1965–2015
| Year | CEO-to-worker compensation ratio |
|---|---|
| 1965/01/01 | 20.0 |
| 1966/01/01 | 21.2 |
| 1967/01/01 | 22.4 |
| 1968/01/01 | 23.7 |
| 1969/01/01 | 23.4 |
| 1970/01/01 | 23.2 |
| 1971/01/01 | 22.9 |
| 1972/01/01 | 22.6 |
| 1973/01/01 | 22.3 |
| 1974/01/01 | 23.7 |
| 1975/01/01 | 25.1 |
| 1976/01/01 | 26.6 |
| 1977/01/01 | 28.2 |
| 1978/01/01 | 29.9 |
| 1979/01/01 | 31.8 |
| 1980/01/01 | 33.8 |
| 1981/01/01 | 35.9 |
| 1982/01/01 | 38.2 |
| 1983/01/01 | 40.6 |
| 1984/01/01 | 43.2 |
| 1985/01/01 | 45.9 |
| 1986/01/01 | 48.9 |
| 1987/01/01 | 51.9 |
| 1988/01/01 | 55.2 |
| 1989/01/01 | 58.7 |
| 1990/01/01 | 71.2 |
| 1991/01/01 | 86.2 |
| 1992/01/01 | 104.4 |
| 1993/01/01 | 111.8 |
| 1994/01/01 | 87.3 |
| 1995/01/01 | 122.6 |
| 1996/01/01 | 153.8 |
| 1997/01/01 | 233.0 |
| 1998/01/01 | 321.8 |
| 1999/01/01 | 286.7 |
| 2000/01/01 | 376.1 |
| 2001/01/01 | 214.2 |
| 2002/01/01 | 188.5 |
| 2003/01/01 | 227.5 |
| 2004/01/01 | 256.6 |
| 2005/01/01 | 308.0 |
| 2006/01/01 | 341.4 |
| 2007/01/01 | 345.3 |
| 2008/01/01 | 239.3 |
| 2009/01/01 | 195.8 |
| 2010/01/01 | 229.7 |
| 2011/01/01 | 235.5 |
| 2012/01/01 | 285.3 |
| 2013/01/01 | 303.1 |
| 2014/01/01 | 301.9 |
| 2015/01/01 | 275.6 |
Note: CEO annual compensation is computed using the "options realized" compensation series, which includes salary, bonus, restricted stock grants, options exercised, and long-term incentive payouts for CEOs at the top 350 U.S. firms ranked by sales.
Source: Authors' analysis of data from Compustat's Execucomp database, the current Employment Statistics program, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis NIPA tables.
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