Do you know how long the median employee in America would have to work in order to earn what a CEO makes in a single year?
You may be surprised.
On average, the median employee of an S&P 500 company would have had to start working in 1755 (prior to the start of the American Revolution) to earn what the average CEO received in 2023. At the worst offending company this year, the median employee would have had to start working in 8,354 B.C. to earn what the CEO made in a single year. The tower of Jericho was built circa 8,000 B.C.
In 2023, CEO pay at S&P 500 companies increased 6% over the previous year—to an average of $17.7 million in total compensation.
Our economy works best when corporations act responsibly toward their employees, their customers, the environment and local communities. Yet too many corporate CEOs choose management strategies for short-term gains that undermine their companies, their workers and our communities in the long term.
Find out what CEOs at different companies earn compared to their employees in our annual publication, the Executive Paywatch.
