CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio: 500:1 to 1,000:1
1 public companies in this pay ratio range.
The 500:1 to 1,000:1 CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio bucket holds 1 U.S. public companies. The Dodd-Frank-mandated pay-ratio disclosure has been required of U.S. public companies since 2018 and remains one of the most-cited compensation-governance metrics. The pay ratio is computed as CEO total compensation divided by median annual total compensation across all employees worldwide (with limited exclusion options). Companies with large low-wage workforces — retail, hospitality, consumer goods, agriculture — tend to show much higher ratios than professional-services or financial firms with smaller, higher-paid workforces.
For shareholders and policy researchers, the pay ratio is most useful as a peer-group comparison metric. Cross-industry ratio comparisons are misleading because the median-worker denominator varies by 10x or more between sectors; within-industry comparisons strip out that variation.
Grade Distribution
All Companies, Pay Ratio 500:1 to 1,000:1
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Frequently Asked Questions
A pay ratio of 500:1 to 1,000:1 means the CEO earns that many times more than the company's median employee. For example, a 500:1 ratio means the CEO earns 500 times what the median worker earns. The SEC requires public companies to disclose this ratio in annual proxy statements since 2018.
1 public companies in our database have a CEO-to-worker pay ratio in the 500:1 to 1,000:1 range. Their average CEO compensation is $25.0M.
A high pay ratio isn't inherently good or bad, context matters. Some industries (retail, food service) naturally have higher ratios because of large low-wage workforces. Our Pay-for-Performance Score evaluates whether CEO pay is justified by company results, regardless of the absolute ratio. Among companies with 500:1 to 1,000:1 ratios, the grade distribution is: Grade D: 1.
Source: SEC EDGAR DEF 14A proxy statements, 2026.