Overview
- The AP analysis of Equilar data published May 27, 2026 found median 2025 pay for 337 S&P 500 CEOs at $17.7 million, up about 5.9% from the prior year.
- Stock awards were the largest component with a median grant valued at $10.9 million and awards recorded at their grant-date value even when payout depends on future performance.
- A handful of extraordinary, long-term packages inflated totals, most notably Elon Musk’s Tesla grant valued at $132.3 billion and multi-year awards for Welltower’s Shankh Mitra and Broadcom’s Hock Tan tied to ambitious targets.
- Median S&P 500 worker pay was $89,744, which creates stark disparities: at half the companies a median employee would need roughly 200 years to earn a CEO’s single-year pay.
- Shareholders continue to approve most nonbinding “say on pay” votes at about 90% support even as disclosure rules, public criticism, and local tax and ballot efforts keep pressure on boards to rethink pay design.