CEO Compensation Price History
1978–2025 · Economic Policy Institute
Average realized compensation for CEOs at the top 350 U.S. firms by revenue, measured in millions of dollars per year from 1978 to 2025. This figure includes salary, bonuses, stock options exercised, and other perks. CEO pay has become one of the most heated topics in the inequality debate, and for good reason — the gap between what executives take home and what typical workers earn has ballooned from about 30-to-1 in the late 1970s to well over 300-to-1 today. Stock-based pay is the biggest driver of that explosion.
Price in 1978
$1.50
Price in 2025
$25.00
Total Change
+1566.7%
Years Tracked
47
CEO Compensation Over Time
Compare to inflation: The chart above shows nominal (not inflation-adjusted) prices. Use the toggle to switch to inflation-adjusted values when available, or try the inflation calculator to convert any amount between years.
Key Insights
- CEO pay rocketed from $1.5 million in 1978 to a peak of $21.5 million in 2000 — a more than fourteen-fold increase in just over two decades, driven largely by the dot-com stock boom.
- The 2008 financial crisis temporarily dragged average CEO compensation down to $10.6 million, but it bounced back above pre-crisis levels within just a few years as stock markets recovered.
- Between 2019 and 2021, CEO pay jumped from $18.8 million to $27.8 million — a 48% surge during a period when many frontline workers were furloughed or facing stagnant wages.
- When you adjust for inflation, CEO compensation has grown roughly 1,400% since 1978, while typical worker pay over the same stretch has risen by only about 18% in real terms.
Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Price (USD per year (millions)) | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | $1.50 | — |
| 1979 | $1.60 | +6.7% |
| 1980 | $1.60 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | $1.70 | +6.2% |
| 1982 | $1.80 | +5.9% |
| 1983 | $1.90 | +5.6% |
| 1984 | $2.10 | +10.5% |
| 1985 | $2.30 | +9.5% |
| 1986 | $2.60 | +13.0% |
| 1987 | $2.80 | +7.7% |
| 1988 | $3.00 | +7.1% |
| 1989 | $3.20 | +6.7% |
| 1990 | $3.40 | +6.2% |
| 1991 | $3.60 | +5.9% |
| 1992 | $4.00 | +11.1% |
| 1993 | $4.20 | +5.0% |
| 1994 | $4.50 | +7.1% |
| 1995 | $5.80 | +28.9% |
| 1996 | $7.20 | +24.1% |
| 1997 | $8.90 | +23.6% |
| 1998 | $11.20 | +25.8% |
| 1999 | $13.10 | +17.0% |
| 2000 | $21.50 | +64.1% |
| 2001 | $11.40 | -47.0% |
| 2002 | $9.20 | -19.3% |
| 2003 | $9.80 | +6.5% |
| 2004 | $11.40 | +16.3% |
| 2005 | $12.60 | +10.5% |
| 2006 | $14.80 | +17.5% |
| 2007 | $18.50 | +25.0% |
| 2008 | $10.60 | -42.7% |
| 2009 | $10.20 | -3.8% |
| 2010 | $12.70 | +24.5% |
| 2011 | $14.30 | +12.6% |
| 2012 | $15.10 | +5.6% |
| 2013 | $16.30 | +7.9% |
| 2014 | $16.50 | +1.2% |
| 2015 | $15.50 | -6.1% |
| 2016 | $15.60 | +0.6% |
| 2017 | $17.10 | +9.6% |
| 2018 | $17.20 | +0.6% |
| 2019 | $18.80 | +9.3% |
| 2020 | $24.20 | +28.7% |
| 2021 | $27.80 | +14.9% |
| 2022 | $22.40 | -19.4% |
| 2023 | $23.10 | +3.1% |
| 2024 | $24.50 | +6.1% |
| 2025 | $25.00 | +2.0% |
Sources & Methodology
Realized compensation for CEOs at the top 350 U.S. firms ranked by revenue, as calculated by the Economic Policy Institute using data from Compustat ExecuComp. Realized compensation includes salary, bonus, restricted stock grants, stock options exercised, and long-term incentive payouts. Figures are in nominal millions of dollars. Because stock option gains are included when exercised rather than when granted, totals can swing significantly with market conditions in a given year.
Primary source: Economic Policy Institute
For a full explanation of how we collect and adjust data, see our methodology page.