CEO median pay rose nearly 6% to $17.7 million in 2025
The Story
The median compensation package for CEOs at S&P 500 companies rose nearly 6% in 2025 to $17.7 million, according to an Associated Press survey analyzed by Equilar. The median employee at those companies earned $89,744, a 4.7% increase year over year. The survey included pay data for 337 executives who served at least two full fiscal years at their companies.
Key Facts
- The median CEO compensation package rose nearly 6% in 2025 to $17.7 million.
- The median employee at S&P 500 companies earned $89,744 in 2025, up 4.7% from the prior year.
- At half the companies surveyed, the median worker would need 200 years to earn what the CEO made in one year, up from 192 years in the previous survey.
- Elon Musk received compensation valued at $132.3 billion, all in stock awards tied to ambitious 10‑year targets.
- Other large packages: Shankh Mitra of Welltower ($821.1 million), Hock Tan of Broadcom ($205.3 million), David Zaslav of Warner Bros. ($165 million), David Solomon of Goldman Sachs (~$119 million), Jane Fraser of Citigroup ($95.8 million), and Charles Scharf of Wells Fargo ($94.5 million).
- Jane Fraser’s pay package was the highest ever for a woman CEO in the survey’s history.
- Median compensation for women CEOs fell 2.6% to $18.1 million, while male CEOs saw a 6.4% increase to $17.7 million (noting the text says $17.7 billion, which appears to be a typo for million).
- Warren Buffett received $389,488 in his last year as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, down 4% from the prior year.
- Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta compensation was $25.1 million, mostly for security and corporate aircraft.
- The average “say on pay” shareholder vote approval was around 90%.
- Overall wages and benefits for private-sector workers in the U.S. rose 3.4% through 2025, per the Labor Department.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
No open questions identified in the source article.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Sarah Anderson (Director of Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies)
- Elon Musk (CEO, Tesla)
- Shankh Mitra (CEO, Welltower)
- Hock Tan (CEO, Broadcom)
- David Zaslav (CEO, Warner Bros.)
- David Solomon (CEO, Goldman Sachs)
- Jane Fraser (CEO, Citigroup)
- Charles Scharf (CEO, Wells Fargo)
- Warren Buffett (former CEO, Berkshire Hathaway)
- Mark Zuckerberg (CEO, Meta Platforms)
- Jensen Huang (CEO, Nvidia)
- Kelly Malafis (founding partner, Compensation Advisory Partners)
- Equilar (data analysis firm)
Sources: abcnews.com
