The average total compensation for CEOs at S&P 500 companies was $18.9 million in 2024, according to American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). That’s a 7% increase from the year before. That same year, the median pay for employees was just $49,500 — about a 3% increase.
That’s a substantial difference between the two sides. But the employees play a pivotal role in keeping a company running. And with rising costs, it wouldn’t be remiss to boost their pay a little (or a lot).
