CEOs make 312 times more than typical workers: CEO-to-worker compensation ratio, 1965–2017
| Year | CEO-to-worker compensation ratio based on options realized | CEO-to-worker compensation ratio based on options granted |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 20.0 | 14.5 |
| 1966 | 21.1 | 15.3 |
| 1967 | 22.3 | 16.2 |
| 1968 | 23.6 | 17.2 |
| 1969 | 23.3 | 23.3 |
| 1970 | 23.0 | 23.0 |
| 1971 | 22.8 | 22.8 |
| 1972 | 22.5 | 22.5 |
| 1973 | 22.2 | 16.1 |
| 1974 | 23.5 | 23.5 |
| 1975 | 25.0 | 25.0 |
| 1976 | 26.5 | 26.5 |
| 1977 | 28.1 | 28.1 |
| 1978 | 29.7 | 21.6 |
| 1979 | 31.6 | 23.0 |
| 1980 | 33.6 | 24.4 |
| 1981 | 35.7 | 26.0 |
| 1982 | 38.0 | 27.6 |
| 1983 | 40.4 | 29.4 |
| 1984 | 42.9 | 31.2 |
| 1985 | 45.6 | 33.2 |
| 1986 | 48.5 | 35.3 |
| 1987 | 51.5 | 37.5 |
| 1988 | 54.8 | 39.8 |
| 1989 | 58.2 | 42.3 |
| 1990 | 70.5 | 51.2 |
| 1991 | 85.3 | 62.0 |
| 1992 | 103.2 | 75.1 |
| 1993 | 106.1 | 94.7 |
| 1994 | 81.9 | 108.6 |
| 1995 | 112.3 | 123.2 |
| 1996 | 141.4 | 166.5 |
| 1997 | 207.5 | 217.0 |
| 1998 | 277.0 | 274.9 |
| 1999 | 248.1 | 265.1 |
| 2000 | 343.5 | 360.5 |
| 2001 | 194.1 | 303.1 |
| 2002 | 176.5 | 222.1 |
| 2003 | 219.2 | 217.0 |
| 2004 | 251.6 | 221.8 |
| 2005 | 299.0 | 229.6 |
| 2006 | 318.6 | 235.3 |
| 2007 | 327.4 | 226.9 |
| 2008 | 227.3 | 214.7 |
| 2009 | 187.8 | 175.7 |
| 2010 | 219.3 | 197.1 |
| 2011 | 225.6 | 206.5 |
| 2012 | 266.2 | 199.2 |
| 2013 | 278.6 | 204.7 |
| 2014 | 284.0 | 213.4 |
| 2015 | 271.6 | 208.5 |
| 2016 | 270.1 | 219.9 |
| 2017 | 311.7 | 220.7 |
Notes: CEO annual compensation is computed using the “options realized” and “options granted” compensation series for CEOs at the top 350 U.S. firms ranked by sales. The “options realized” series includes salary, bonus, restricted stock grants, options realized, and long-term incentive payouts. The “options granted” series includes salary, bonus, restricted stock grants, options granted, 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. Projections for compensation based on options granted and options realized are calculated separately. “Typical worker” compensation is the average annual compensation of the workers in the key industry of the firms in the sample.
Source: Authors’ 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