Median pay for CEOs rose nearly 6% in 2025, but some compensation packages were eye-popping

Key Points:

• In 2025, the median CEO compensation package at S&P 500 companies rose nearly 6% to $17.7 million, while median employee pay increased 4.7% to $89,744, outpacing inflation but still leaving many workers financially strained.
• The CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio widened, with half of surveyed companies showing it would take a median employee 200 years to earn what their CEO makes in one year, highlighting significant income disparity.
• CEO pay is increasingly tied to performance-based stock awards and long-term incentives, with top executives like Elon Musk receiving massive stock packages contingent on ambitious company goals.
• Major bank CEOs received substantial compensation reflecting efforts to improve company performance, including Jane Fraser of Citigroup, who earned the highest-ever pay for a woman CEO in the survey at $95.8 million.
• Notable CEO compensations include Warren Buffett’s modest $389,488 in his final year at Berkshire Hathaway and Mark Zuckerberg’s $25.1 million, primarily covering security and travel costs.