CEO compensation relative to top 0.1% earners is much higher than it was in the 1947–1979 period: Ratio of CEO compensation to top 0.1% wages, 1947–2019

Year Ratio of CEO pay to top 0.1% wages 1947–1979 average ratio: 3.18
1947 3.54 3.18
1948 3.14 3.18
1949 3.55 3.18
1950 3.02 3.18
1951 3.02 3.18
1952 2.95 3.18
1953 3.29 3.18
1954 3.42 3.18
1955 3.44 3.18
1956 3.40 3.18
1957 3.79 3.18
1958 3.79 3.18
1959 4.23  3.18
1960 3.26 3.18
1961 3.54 3.18
1962 3.55 3.18
1963 3.65 3.18
1964 3.41 3.18
1965 3.32 3.18
1966 3.14 3.18
1967 3.09 3.18
1968 3.02 3.18
1969 3.10 3.18
1970 3.00 3.18
1971 2.85 3.18
1972 2.93 3.18
1973 2.72 3.18
1974 2.70 3.18
1975 2.29 3.18
1976 2.33 3.18
1977 2.43 3.18
1978 2.82 3.18
1979 3.26  3.18
1980 2.76 3.18
1981 2.98 3.18
1982 2.79 3.18
1983 2.79 3.18
1984 2.57 3.18
1985 3.12 3.18
1986 2.92 3.18
1987 2.62 3.18
1988 2.38 3.18
1989 2.63 3.18
1990 2.75 3.18
1991 3.12 3.18
1992 2.84 3.18
1993 3.05 3.18
1994 3.99 3.18
1995 4.11 3.18
1996 5.50 3.18
1997 5.28 3.18
1998 5.91 3.18
1999 6.03 3.18
2000 7.77 3.18
2001 6.88 3.18
2002 6.10 3.18
2003 5.40 3.18
2004 5.28 3.18
2005 5.00 3.18
2006 5.18 3.18
2007 4.36 3.18
2008 4.56 3.18
2009 4.61 3.18
2010 4.85 3.18
2011 5.31 3.18
2012 7.13 3.18
2013 6.62 3.18
2014 6.50 3.18
2015 6.28 3.18
2016 5.91 3.18
2017 6.10 3.18
2018 6.04 3.18
2019 6.44 3.18

Note: Wages of top 0.1% of wage earners reflect W-2 annual earnings, which includes the value of exercised stock options and vested stock awards.

Source: Authors’ analysis of EPI State of Working America Data Library data on top 0.1% wages in Mishel and Kandra 2020 and data on CEO compensation from an extrapolation of Kaplan’s (2012b) CEO compensation series.

View the underlying data on epi.org.