Updated April 2026 · SEC DEF 14A data
Oil & Gas, CEO Pay Comparison
CEOs in the Oil & Gas sector earn an average of $12.8M per year across 5 tracked public companies. The average CEO-to-worker pay ratio is 107:1, and the average say-on-pay shareholder vote approval is 92.0%.
5 companies tracked · sector rank #24 of 99 for average compensation
Oil & Gas covers 5 U.S. public companies in our SEC proxy-statement dataset. Average CEO compensation in the industry runs $12.8M, with a median of $12.0M — the spread between mean and median is wide because a handful of mega-cap firms pull the average well above the median. Average CEO-to-worker pay ratio in Oil & Gas is 107x, with average say-on-pay approval of 92%. The highest-paid CEO in the industry is at Chevron, with total compensation of $18.0M.
Industry-level CEO pay analysis is most useful for peer-group comparisons. Compensation committees explicitly select peer groups when setting CEO pay, so cross-industry comparisons need to control for the peer-group structure that drives the underlying decisions.
What Oil & Gas Pay Looks Like
$12.8M is roughly mid-pack across U.S. industries — rank 24 of 99. Pay structures here lean more toward cash and time-vested equity rather than the mega performance-share grants that define the highest-paid sectors.
A 107:1 average ratio is on the lower side for U.S. industry. Sectors with ratios below 200:1 are typically those with highly compensated median workers — financial services, technology, biotech, and specialized professional services.
An average say-on-pay approval of 92.0% is healthy. ISS and Glass Lewis routinely recommend "for" at companies in this band, and outright pushback is uncommon. Pay-for-Performance grades are mixed in Oil & Gas: roughly 0% A, 0% F, with the remainder split between B, C, and D. Outcomes vary by individual company governance rather than a sector-wide pattern.
Highest Paid CEOs in Oil & Gas
Chevron
CEO: Mike Wirth
ExxonMobil
CEO: Darren Woods
ConocoPhillips
CEO: Ryan Lance
EOG Resources
CEO: Ezra Yacob
Pioneer Natural Resources
CEO: Scott Sheffield
How Oil & Gas Stacks Up Against Other Sectors
Across the 99 sectors tracked by CEOPayWatch, Oil & Gas ranks #24 in average CEO compensation and #69 in average CEO-to-worker pay ratio. Sector-level rankings are computed from the same SEC-disclosed Summary Compensation Table figures used on individual company profiles, so the rank reflects where this industry's median pay package sits in the live distribution rather than a stale annual snapshot. The cross-sector average compensation is $12.2M, which puts Oil & Gas $593K above the typical industry baseline.
The dispersion within an industry frequently matters more than the cross-sector ranking. A sector can have a high average compensation driven by two or three mega-pay outliers while the median company is paid modestly. The companies listed above show the top of the pay distribution for Oil & Gas; the full company list further down shows the broader distribution. Both lists link to individual company profiles where the source DEF 14A on SEC EDGAR is one click away.
All Oil & Gas Companies
Chevron
ExxonMobil
ConocoPhillips
EOG Resources
Pioneer Natural Resources
How These Sector Numbers Are Calculated
The Oil & Gas averages and medians on this page are simple unweighted statistics across the 5 companies CEOPayWatch tracks in the sector. Average and median compensation come from each company's most recent reported total comp in its DEF 14A Summary Compensation Table. Average pay ratio comes from each company's Item 402(u) disclosure. Average say-on-pay approval is the most recent vote share reported in each company's 8-K following its annual meeting. The Pay-for-Performance Grade distribution is computed at the company level from the four-factor composite documented on the methodology page. Authoritative governance context for shareholder votes comes from Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis frameworks.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Oil & Gas CEOs earn?
Average CEO total compensation in Oil & Gas is $12.8M, with a median of $12.0M across 5 tracked public companies. $12.8M is roughly mid-pack across U.S. industries — rank 24 of 99. Pay structures here lean more toward cash and time-vested equity rather than the mega performance-share grants that define the highest-paid sectors.
What is the average CEO-to-worker pay ratio in Oil & Gas?
Oil & Gas reports an average CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio of 107:1. A 107:1 average ratio is on the lower side for U.S. industry. Sectors with ratios below 200:1 are typically those with highly compensated median workers — financial services, technology, biotech, and specialized professional services. The pay-ratio number is required disclosure under SEC Regulation S-K Item 402(u).
Do shareholders approve of Oil & Gas CEO pay packages?
Average say-on-pay shareholder approval in Oil & Gas is 92.0%. An average say-on-pay approval of 92.0% is healthy. ISS and Glass Lewis routinely recommend "for" at companies in this band, and outright pushback is uncommon.
Where does the Oil & Gas pay data come from?
Every figure on this page is sourced from public SEC DEF 14A proxy statements filed annually with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Summary Compensation Table inside each filing is the authoritative document, available on the SEC EDGAR system at https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. Pay-ratio disclosure follows Regulation S-K Item 402(u). Say-on-pay vote totals come from each company's 8-K filed within four business days of the annual meeting.
How does Oil & Gas compare to other sectors?
Among the 99 sectors CEOPayWatch tracks, Oil & Gas ranks #24 in average CEO compensation and #69 in average pay ratio. Compensation in the sector runs $593K above the cross-sector average of $12.2M.
Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, DEF 14A proxy filings via EDGAR. Public domain.
Last updated 2026-04-06 · 5 companies in the Oil & Gas sector.