For years, American households have been watching their electrical bills gradually tick higher. As it turns out, the chief executives of the country’s largest investor-owned utilities were doing the same thing while looking at their paychecks.
Last year, 51 electrical and gas utility companies in the U.S. paid their CEOs a collective $626 million, according to an analysis published last week by the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog organization. It’s a nearly $100 million increase from 2024, when 54 utility companies were reviewed. Between 2017 and 2025, CEOs of electric and gas companies received a total of $5.2 billion in compensation, including major providers such as Pacific Gas & Electric, Entergy, and Con Edison.
