The CEO in America

Here is a series of factoids and tables about the American CEO's financial compensation and how it compares to the average American worker. 

Overall Average CEO Compensation: $ 4,219,331

Median income of all occupations in 2009 was: $ 33,190 

According to the AFL-CIO’s analysis of 299 companies, a CEO of a Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index company received, on average, $11.4 million in total compensation in 2010. 

That would be enough money to support 8 Nobel Prize winners. or 28 United States presidents, or 178 nurses, 213 police officers, or 225 teachers, or 252 firefighters.

In other words, the combined pay of 299 CEOs could support 102,325 workers earning the median wage. But we don't have the jobs to hire these workers because those who could share some of wealth are eating the whole pie. 

"Despite the collapse of the financial market at the hands of executives less than 3 years ago, the disparity between CEO and workers' pay has continued to grow to levels that are simply stunning," said Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO president.

In 2010 American CEOs made 263 times the average compensation for American workers. That is an enormous increase from the 30 to 1 ratio in the 1970s

Average CEO compensation - Forbes

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Category                                                           Stats

 Age                                                                       57

 Years as CEO                                                     8

 Years with Company                                         19

 Salary                                                                    $1.1 million

 Annual Bonus                                                       $2.1 million

 Value Realized on Exercised Options                $2.7 million

 Value Realized on Vest Stock Awards                $2.5 million

 1-Year Total Compensation                               $9.0 million

 Median Value of Stock Owned                           $14 million

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Top Five Industries

 Industry                                                      Average Pay

 Telecom Services                                      $17.2 million

 Pharma- Biotechnology                              $17.0 million

 Conglomerate                                              $14.1 million

 Household/ Personal Products                  $13.5 million

Hotels/ Restaurants/ Leisure                   $13.4 million  

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Bottom Five Industries 

Industry                                                      Average Pay

 Construction                                              $6.3 million

 Insurance                                                   $6.3 million

 Business Services/ Supplies                    $5.4 million

 Banking                                                       $4.4 million

 Food Markets                                             $2.5 million