What Is the HCA Healthcare CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio?
HCA Healthcare's CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 178:1 — CEO Sam Hazen earned $8.0M in 2025, or 178 times the median HCA Healthcare employee's pay of $45,000. That is below the S&P 500 median of roughly 300:1.
This page answers a common executive-compensation question: What Is the HCA Healthcare CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio?. The answer draws on SEC DEF 14A proxy statements, the public disclosure mechanism for U.S. public-company executive pay. Every public company must file an annual proxy statement disclosing CEO and named-executive-officer compensation in detail. Why this matters for shareholders: executive compensation is the single most-disclosed governance metric at U.S. public companies, and the Dodd-Frank-mandated say-on-pay vote gives shareholders an explicit channel to express approval or dissent. Reading pay data well — including pay-versus-performance, peer-group selection, and time-vesting structures — is a basic part of stock-by-stock fundamental analysis.
The detailed answer below uses the actual proxy-statement filings, explains how to read them, and translates the executive-compensation accounting into the shareholder-relevant interpretation.
HCA Healthcare Pay Ratio Breakdown
- CEO-to-worker ratio
- 178:1
- CEO total comp
- $8.0M
- Median worker pay
- $45,000
- S&P 500 median ratio
- ~300:1
- Employees
- 309,000
- Pay-Performance grade
- B
Source: HCA Healthcare SEC DEF 14A proxy statement (Dodd-Frank §953(b) pay-ratio disclosure). S&P 500 median is an industry benchmark.
Public companies have been required to disclose the ratio of CEO pay to median-employee pay in their proxy statements since 2018, under Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Act. At HCA Healthcare, Sam Hazen's $8,020,000 total compensation works out to 178 times the $45,000 earned by the company's median employee — a Healthcare Facilities workforce of roughly 309,000 people.
For context, the typical S&P 500 CEO-to-worker pay ratio runs near 300:1, so HCA Healthcare's 178:1 figure is lower than the large-cap norm. The ratio is driven mostly by equity: Sam Hazen received $4,010,000 in stock awards and $962,400 in option awards in 2025, versus $802,000 in base salary. Median worker pay reflects total cash and benefits for the employee at the 50th percentile of the company's global workforce.
Whether a high ratio is "fair" is contested. Critics argue wide gaps signal misaligned incentives and weak labor bargaining power; defenders argue CEO pay is mostly performance-linked equity that only pays out if shareholders gain. HCA Healthcare's three-year total shareholder return of 13.5% and Pay-for-Performance grade of B (71/100) are the data points to weigh that against.
In the most recent say-on-pay vote, 96.3% of shareholders approved the executive compensation plan. Strong shareholder support signals broad approval of the pay package.
Pay Ratio Inputs
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Compensation | $8,020,000 |
| Base Salary | $802,000 |
| Stock Awards | $4,010,000 |
| Option Awards | $962,400 |
| Median Worker Pay | $45,000 |
| CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio | 178:1 |
| Pay-Performance Grade | B |
Frequently Asked Questions
HCA Healthcare's CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 178:1. CEO Sam Hazen earns approximately 178 times the median worker's pay of $45,000, as disclosed in the company's SEC DEF 14A proxy statement.
The typical S&P 500 CEO-to-worker pay ratio is around 300:1. HCA Healthcare's 178:1 figure is below that benchmark.
The ratio is driven mainly by equity. Sam Hazen received $4,010,000 in stock awards and $962,400 in option awards in 2025, against base salary of $802,000. The median HCA Healthcare employee earns $45,000.
Sam Hazen, CEO of HCA Healthcare, earned $8.0M in total compensation in 2025, including $4.0M in stock awards and $802,000 in base salary.
Sam Hazen is the chief executive officer of HCA Healthcare (HCA).
Our Pay-for-Performance Score rates HCA Healthcare as B (71/100), based on three-year total shareholder return of 13.5%, revenue growth of 7.9%, and shareholder say-on-pay vote approval.
More about HCA Healthcare
HCA Healthcare's CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 178:1 — CEO Sam Hazen earned $8.0M in 2025, or 178 times the median HCA Healthcare employee's pay of $45,000. That is below the S&P 500 median of roughly 300:1.
Source: SEC EDGAR DEF 14A proxy statements, 2026.