Multiple outlets report that the typical (median) CEO compensation package increases by nearly 6% in 2025, reaching about $17.7 million. The reports attribute the rise to boards tying executive pay to company performance, including greater profits and higher stock prices, and to retention incentives intended to encourage CEOs to stay in their roles and continue delivering returns for shareholders.
One outlet notes that the gap between CEO pay and typical worker earnings is widening. At about half of the companies surveyed, the pay levels imply that a mid-range worker would need roughly 200 years to earn what the CEO earns in a single year, up from about 192 years in the prior year.
While the figures focus on medians and broad comparisons across a set of companies, the articles also reference that some individual compensation packages reach very high levels. Overall, the coverage characterizes 2025 results as a continued increase in CEO pay alongside a growing disparity between executive and typical worker earnings.
