CEOs Earning Equivalent to a Worker’s Annual Salary in Less Than a Day

For certain CEOs at major corporations, the time it takes to earn as much as a typical employee does in an entire year can be as short as a day or even less.

A review of the S&P 500's largest companies was conducted to understand how quickly their CEOs make the equivalent of the median employee's annual income. This analysis drew on financial disclosures filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the fiscal year 2024.

The CEOs were ranked by the duration it took them to earn this amount, listed from those who take the longest to those who require the least time. Notably, leaders from companies such as Starbucks and McDonald's were found high on this list.

20. Thermo Fisher Scientific's Leader Marc Casper: 21 hours and 46 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $30,449,599

Average Employee Salary: $75,643

19. Microsoft's Satya Nadella: 21 hours and 27 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $79,106,183

Average Employee Salary: $193,744

The company's financial report highlighted that their typical employee was identified as of the fiscal year's end, excluding any new employees from the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

18. Uber's Dara Khosrowshahi: 20 hours and 40 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $39,408,629

Average Employee Salary: $92,958

According to the financial document, the typical employee was an entry-level Operations Manager stationed in Hong Kong.

17. Philip Morris's Chief Jacek Olczak: 20 hours and 23 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $20,237,916

Average Employee Salary: $47,109

The report notes that around 58% of their workforce is in countries not part of the OECD, which generally offer lower wages.

16. Edward Decker of Home Depot: 19 hours and 48 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $15,574,678

Average Employee Salary: $35,196

The median worker for fiscal 2024 was an hourly role in the USA.

15. Jane Fraser at Citigroup: 19 hours and 44 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $31,142,602

Average Employee Salary: $70,138

The 'annual total compensation' for their average employee encompasses base salary, overtime, incentives, and company-offered perks as of the end of 2024.

14. Chubb's Evan Greenberg: 18 hours and 22 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $30,138,094

Average Employee Salary: $63,197

The typical employee is an accounts specialist in the US, as per the financial disclosures.

13. Arvind Krishna at IBM: 16 hours and 56 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $25,143,682

Average Employee Salary: $48,582

12. Ramon Laguarta of PepsiCo: 16 hours and 17 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $28,814,759

Average Employee Salary: $53,551

11. Eaton's Craig Arnold: 15 hours and 34 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $22,597,466

Average Employee Salary: $40,157

10. Stephen Squeri at American Express: 14 hours and 15 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $37,164,405

Average Employee Salary: $60,421

9. Apple's Tim Cook: 13 hours and 28 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $74,609,802

Average Employee Salary: $114,738

Apple ensures competitive and fair pay based on roles with a comprehensive benefits package for employees worldwide.

8. Bob Iger at Disney: 11 hours and 44 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $41,122,670

Average Employee Salary: $55,111

Disney's average employee, working hourly in their parks, typically has over seven years of service with the company.

7. Doug McMillon from Walmart: 8 hours and 59 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $26,968,924

Average Employee Salary: $27,642

6. McDonald's Chris Kempczinski: 8 hours and 25 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $18,195,263

Average Employee Salary: $17,492

The designated median employee in 2024 is a crew member stationed in Poland.

5. Accenture's Julie Sweet: 7 hours and 46 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $24,915,146

Average Employee Salary: $22,106

Due to the workforce's diverse global distribution, compensation structures are variable and reflective of regional factors.

4. GE Aerospace's Larry Culp: 6 hours and 51 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $88,954,586

Average Employee Salary: $69,553

Changes in GE's employee demographics post-April 2024’s GE Vernova spin-off necessitated a new median employee selection.

3. Ernie Herrman from TJX Companies: 5 hours and 51 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $22,222,769

Average Employee Salary: $14,857

The median employee, part of a pay ratio estimation, was a part-time hourly retail store associate.

2. Coca-Cola's James Quincey: 4 hours and 25 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $28,002,284

Average Employee Salary: $14,144

Coca-Cola's pay estimate indicates flexible, part-time roles, like those in Costa Limited, depress average annual pay.

1. Brian Niccol at Starbucks: 1 hour and 19 minutes

Total CEO Earnings: $97,813,843

Average Employee Salary: $14,674

Flexible part-time roles at Starbucks contribute to a lower median annual wage for its workers.