How Much Does the CEO Make — and Is It Justified?
Search 209 companies. Every CEO gets a Pay-for-Performance Score from A to F based on shareholder returns, revenue growth, and worker pay ratios.
Highest Paid CEOs
View all rankingsAppleAAPL
CEO: Tim Cook
Technology Hardware
MicrosoftMSFT
CEO: Satya Nadella
Software
Meta PlatformsMETA
CEO: Mark Zuckerberg
Social Media
AmazonAMZN
CEO: Andy Jassy
Internet Retail
NVIDIANVDA
CEO: Jensen Huang
Semiconductors
AlphabetGOOGL
CEO: Sundar Pichai
Internet Services
Berkshire HathawayBRK.B
CEO: Greg Abel
Diversified Financials
Eli LillyLLY
CEO: David Ricks
Pharmaceuticals
WalmartWMT
CEO: Doug McMillon
Retail
TeslaTSLA
CEO: Elon Musk
Automobiles
BroadcomAVGO
CEO: Hock Tan
Semiconductors
VisaV
CEO: Ryan McInerney
Payment Processing
NetflixNFLX
CEO: Ted Sarandos
Streaming
JPMorgan ChaseJPM
CEO: Jamie Dimon
Banks
AbbVieABBV
CEO: Robert Michael
Pharmaceuticals
OracleORCL
CEO: Safra Catz
Software
MastercardMA
CEO: Michael Miebach
Payment Processing
Bank of AmericaBAC
CEO: Brian Moynihan
Banks
CostcoCOST
CEO: Ron Vachris
Retail
T-Mobile USTMUS
CEO: Mike Sievert
Telecommunications
CEO Pay by Industry
Semiconductors
10 companies · Avg CEO comp: $54.4M
Software
9 companies · Avg CEO comp: $86.8M
Electric Utilities
7 companies · Avg CEO comp: $12.2M
Pharmaceuticals
6 companies · Avg CEO comp: $66.2M
Aerospace & Defense
6 companies · Avg CEO comp: $16.4M
Medical Devices
6 companies · Avg CEO comp: $18.4M
Retail
5 companies · Avg CEO comp: $45.5M
Oil & Gas
5 companies · Avg CEO comp: $29.4M
Restaurants
5 companies · Avg CEO comp: $16.5M
Biotechnology
5 companies · Avg CEO comp: $20.2M
Banks
4 companies · Avg CEO comp: $52.1M
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Pay-for-Performance Score?
The Pay-for-Performance Score is CEOPay's proprietary grading system that rates CEO compensation alignment from A (well-justified) to F (poorly justified). It weighs four factors: 3-year total shareholder return (40%), revenue growth vs compensation growth (30%), say-on-pay shareholder vote approval (20%), and CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio compared to industry peers (10%).
Where does this data come from?
All compensation data comes from SEC proxy statements (DEF 14A filings), which public companies are required to file annually. These documents contain executive compensation tables, say-on-pay vote results, and CEO-to-median-worker pay ratios.
What is a say-on-pay vote?
Since 2011, shareholders of public companies vote annually on whether they approve of executive compensation packages. While non-binding, low approval rates (below 70%) often signal shareholder dissatisfaction and can pressure boards to reform pay practices.
How is the CEO-to-worker pay ratio calculated?
The SEC requires companies to disclose the ratio of CEO compensation to the median employee's pay. This figure appears in proxy statements. A ratio of 300:1 means the CEO earns 300 times what the median worker earns.