Median Pay for CEOs Rose Nearly 6% in 2025, but some Compensation Packages Were Eye-Popping
Boards rewarded CEOs for higher profits and stock gains, and the median package rose to $17.7 million, AP and Equilar said.
- Median CEO compensation rose nearly 6% in 2025 to $17.7 million, as company boards rewarded top executives for bigger profits and higher stock prices. Median S&P 500 employees earned $89,744, a 4.7% increase year-over-year.
- Stock awards now comprise a large portion of executive pay packages, often locked for years unless companies meet targets like higher stock prices or improved profits. Shareholders approved around 90% of compensation plans through non-binding say-on-pay votes at annual meetings.
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk received $132.3 billion in stock awards, while Welltower CEO Shankh Mitra got $821.1 million after the company's stock tripled since October 2020. Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser received $95.8 million, the highest-ever for a woman CEO, including a $25 million reorganization award.
- The pay gap between CEOs and workers widened further, with median employees at half the surveyed companies needing 200 years to earn one year's CEO pay, up from 192 years previously. At Coca-Cola, the CEO earned nearly 1,739 times the median worker's $17,947 annual salary.
- Broadcom CEO Hock Tan's $205.3 million package ties to artificial intelligence revenue growth, making it one of the few companies using AI as a compensation benchmark. Progressive advocates pursued ballot initiatives in San Francisco and Los Angeles to tax companies with large CEO-worker pay gaps.
42 Articles
42 Articles
CEO compensation grows 6% as worker pay gap widens
The typical CEO compensation package rose nearly 6% in 2025 to $17.7 million, as company boards rewarded their top executives for bigger profits and higher stock prices, and gave them incentives to stick around and make even more money for shareholders. The median employee at companies in the S&P 500 earned $89,744, reflecting a 4.7% increase year over year. While that gain outpaced the rate of inflation in 2025, many workers were still feeling …
Associated Press News
Median pay for CEOs rose nearly 6% in 2025, but some compensation packages were eye-popping
The typical CEO compensation package rose nearly 6% in 2025 to $17.7 million, as company boards rewarded their top executives for bigger profits and higher stock prices, and gave them incentives to stick around and make even more money for shareholders in the years ahead.
Median pay for CEOs rose nearly 6% in 2025
The typical CEO compensation package rose nearly 6% in 2025 to $17.7 million, as company boards rewarded their top executives for bigger profits and higher stock prices, and gave them incentives to stick around and make even more money for…
Typical CEO pay climbs nearly 6% in 2025 as median reaches $17.7 million
The typical CEO compensation package rose nearly 6% in 2025 to $17.7 million, as company boards rewarded their top executives for bigger profits and higher stock prices, and gave them incentives to stick around and make even more money for shareholders.The median employee at companies in the S&P 500 earned $89,744, reflecting a 4.7% increase year over year. While that gain outpaced the rate of inflation in 2025, many workers were still feeling p…
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