CEO pay gets most of the attention when it comes to executive compensation, and with good reason. Chief Executives are by far the highest-paid individuals at almost every company, with median CEO pay totaling $9.2 million* for S&P 500 companies in 2014.
With the CEO-to-median employee pay ratio becoming a required disclosure in public filings by 2018, more and more companies are likely to communicate this information starting next year ahead of the official deadline to report. Where we stand now, however, very few have come out with a figure defining median employee pay, and thus the CEO pay ratio will remain a topic of heated discussion and speculation over the coming months and years.
In the meantime, there’s plenty more to analyze when it comes to CEO pay in relation to other employees. Equilar recently crunched the numbers on several other key executive positions at S&P 500 companies and assigned a pay ratio. Though CEO pay continues to rise, we’re seeing compensation for other executive roles increase even more quickly, and the gap is closing between the top CEOs and their right-hand executives.
Percentage increase in median pay between 2010 and 2014 for Named Executive Officers
Median pay between 2010 and 2014 for Named Executive Officers
Percent change in pay ratio between 2010 and 2014, compared to CEO
CEO-to-Named Executive Officer pay ratios between 2010 and 2014
*To account for a like comparison between executive roles, Equilar excluded “special awards” from pay packages when calculating these figures.