Is the Chevron CEO Overpaid?
On pay-for-performance, Chevron scores D (48/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Mike Wirth earned $26.8M in 2025 while the company posted a -9.1% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
This page answers a common executive-compensation question: Is the Chevron CEO Overpaid?. 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.
Chevron Pay-for-Performance Scorecard
- Pay-for-Performance grade
- D (48/100)
- 3-yr shareholder return
- -9.1%
- 3-yr revenue growth
- -3.0%
- Say-on-pay approval
- 89.5%
- CEO total comp
- $26.8M
- CEO-to-worker ratio
- 224:1
Source: Chevron SEC DEF 14A proxy statement. Pay-for-Performance grade is CEOPay's proprietary score (TSR alignment 40%, revenue-vs-pay growth 30%, say-on-pay 20%, pay ratio vs peers 10%).
The CEOPay Pay-for-Performance Score grades Chevron a D (48/100). It weighs four factors pulled from the company's SEC filings: three-year total shareholder return alignment (41/100), revenue growth versus compensation growth (22/100), say-on-pay vote support (88/100), and CEO-to-worker pay ratio versus peers (75/100). Mike Wirth's $26,828,240 package is the number those factors judge.
Over the trailing three years, Chevron delivered -9.1% total shareholder return on -3.0% revenue growth, and 89.5% of shareholders approved the pay plan in the most recent say-on-pay vote. When pay holds up or rises faster than the returns it is meant to reward, that is the pattern critics point to when they call a package "overpaid."
There is no single threshold for "overpaid." The package only pays out in full if performance and vesting conditions are met, and equity dominates it: $NaN of Mike Wirth's 2025 pay came from stock awards versus $NaN in base salary. Reasonable shareholders weigh the grade, the say-on-pay vote, and the peer-group context together rather than the headline number alone.
Pay & Performance Data
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Compensation | $26,828,240 |
| Base Salary | $NaN |
| Stock Awards | $NaN |
| Option Awards | $NaN |
| Non-Equity Incentive | $NaN |
| CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio | 224:1 |
| Pay-Performance Grade | D |
Other Oil & Gas CEOs
Frequently Asked Questions
On pay-for-performance, Chevron scores D (48/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Mike Wirth earned $26.8M in 2025 while the company posted a -9.1% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
Our Pay-for-Performance Score rates Chevron as D (48/100), based on three-year total shareholder return of -9.1%, revenue growth of -3.0%, and shareholder say-on-pay vote approval.
Mike Wirth, CEO of Chevron, earned $26.8M in total compensation in 2025, including $NaNM in stock awards and $NaN in base salary.
Chevron's CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 224:1. CEO Mike Wirth earns approximately 224 times the median worker's pay of $120,000, as disclosed in the company's SEC DEF 14A proxy statement.
Mike Wirth is the chief executive officer of Chevron (CVX).
More about Chevron
On pay-for-performance, Chevron scores D (48/100) on the CEOPay rubric: Mike Wirth earned $26.8M in 2025 while the company posted a -9.1% three-year total shareholder return — meaning pay has outpaced shareholder returns. "Overpaid" is ultimately a judgment, but the grade puts the pay package next to the results it was meant to reward.
Source: SEC EDGAR DEF 14A proxy statements, 2026.