NEW YORK – After two uncharacteristic years of decline in 2022 and 2023, CEO pay surged in 2024 and remained enormous compared with the pay of other workers, according to a new data tool on CEO pay provided by the Economic Policy Institute . Average realized CEO compensation—including stock awards and options—at the top 350 U.S. firms was $22.98 million in 2024, a 5.9% increase from 2023.

From 1978–2024, top CEO compensation skyrocketed 1,094%, compared with a 26% increase in a typical worker’s compensation. In 2024, CEOs were paid 281 times as much as a typical worker—in contrast to 1965, when they were paid 21 times as much as a typical worker.

CEO pay is excessive even relative to other extraordinarily privileged actors in the economy, with CEOs making 7.5 times as much as the top 0

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