What Is the PayPal Holdings CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio?
PayPal Holdings's CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 251:1 — CEO Alex Chriss earned $20.0M in 2025, or 251 times the median PayPal Holdings employee's pay of $80,000. That is broadly in line with large-cap norms.
This page answers a common executive-compensation question: What Is the PayPal Holdings 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.
PayPal Holdings Pay Ratio Breakdown
- CEO-to-worker ratio
- 251:1
- CEO total comp
- $20.0M
- Median worker pay
- $80,000
- S&P 500 median ratio
- ~300:1
- Employees
- 25,400
- Pay-Performance grade
- B
Source: PayPal Holdings 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 PayPal Holdings, Alex Chriss's $20,040,000 total compensation works out to 251 times the $80,000 earned by the company's median employee — a Fintech workforce of roughly 25,400 people.
For context, the typical S&P 500 CEO-to-worker pay ratio runs near 300:1, so PayPal Holdings's 251:1 figure is roughly in line with the large-cap norm. The ratio is driven mostly by equity: Alex Chriss received $10,020,000 in stock awards and $2,404,800 in option awards in 2025, versus $2,004,000 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. PayPal Holdings's three-year total shareholder return of 10.1% and Pay-for-Performance grade of B (73/100) are the data points to weigh that against.
In the most recent say-on-pay vote, 86.0% of shareholders approved the executive compensation plan. Moderate shareholder support suggests some investor concern with pay practices.
Pay Ratio Inputs
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Compensation | $20,040,000 |
| Base Salary | $2,004,000 |
| Stock Awards | $10,020,000 |
| Option Awards | $2,404,800 |
| Median Worker Pay | $80,000 |
| CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio | 251:1 |
| Pay-Performance Grade | B |
Other Fintech CEOs
Frequently Asked Questions
PayPal Holdings's CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 251:1. CEO Alex Chriss earns approximately 251 times the median worker's pay of $80,000, 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. PayPal Holdings's 251:1 figure is roughly in line with that benchmark.
The ratio is driven mainly by equity. Alex Chriss received $10,020,000 in stock awards and $2,404,800 in option awards in 2025, against base salary of $2,004,000. The median PayPal Holdings employee earns $80,000.
Alex Chriss, CEO of PayPal Holdings, earned $20.0M in total compensation in 2025, including $10.0M in stock awards and $2,004,000 in base salary.
Alex Chriss is the chief executive officer of PayPal Holdings (PYPL).
Our Pay-for-Performance Score rates PayPal Holdings as B (73/100), based on three-year total shareholder return of 10.1%, revenue growth of 5.6%, and shareholder say-on-pay vote approval.
More about PayPal Holdings
PayPal Holdings's CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 251:1 — CEO Alex Chriss earned $20.0M in 2025, or 251 times the median PayPal Holdings employee's pay of $80,000. That is broadly in line with large-cap norms.
Source: SEC EDGAR DEF 14A proxy statements, 2026.