Special Report

Highest Paid CEOs at America's 100 Largest Companies

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Chief executive officers are the highest-ranking — and often highest-profile — employees of any company or organization. They are also often the highest paid. According to a study by the AFL-CIO, a typical CEO of a S&P 500 company earned 347 times as much as the typical employee in a non-supervisory role in 2016.

Whether or not such a pay gap is justified is a matter for debate. However, the pressures that come with the top-job at any major American company are undeniable. CEOs of publicly traded companies are accountable to customers, regulators, shareholders, board members, and their own employees — in both good times and bad.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed CEO compensation packages for the 100 largest, publicly traded American companies by revenue. With only a couple of exceptions, CEOs of the largest companies report compensation packages of at least seven figures, the vast majority of whom earn eight-figures annually.

Click here to see the highest paid CEOs in America
Click here to see our findings and methodology

Stansfield PL / Wikimedia Commons

101. Larry Page
> Company: Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL)
> Total compensation: $1
> Revenue: $90.3 billion
> Number of employees: 72,053
> Profit: $19.5 billion

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortunelivemedia/

100. Warren E. Buffett
> Company: Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)
> Total compensation: $100,000
> Revenue: $223.6 billion
> Number of employees: 367,700
> Profit: $24.1 billion

David McNew / Getty Images

99. Jeffrey P. Bezos
> Company: Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN)
> Total compensation: $1.7 million
> Revenue: $136.0 billion
> Number of employees: 341,400
> Profit: $2.4 billion

chsinc.com

98. Jay D. Debertin
> Company: CHS (NASDAQ: CHSCM)
> Total compensation: $2.0 million
> Revenue: $30.3 billion
> Number of employees: 12,157
> Profit: $424.2 million

Anthem, Inc.

97. Gail K. Boudreaux
> Company: Anthem (NYSE: ANTM)
> Total compensation: $2.2 million
> Revenue: $84.9 billion
> Number of employees: 53,000
> Profit: $2.5 billion

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

96. Michael S. Dell
> Company: Dell Technologies (NYSE: DVMT)
> Total compensation: $3.3 million
> Revenue: $64.8 billion
> Number of employees: 138,000
> Profit: -$1.7 billion

kellogg.northwestern.edu

95. Bernardo Hees
> Company: Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC)
> Total compensation: $4.2 million
> Revenue: $26.5 billion
> Number of employees: 41,000
> Profit: $3.6 billion

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World Fuel Services Corporation

94. Michael J. Kasbar
> Company: World Fuel Services (NYSE: INT)
> Total compensation: $4.6 million
> Revenue: $27.0 billion
> Number of employees: 5,000
> Profit: $126.5 million

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

93. Mark Zuckerberg
> Company: Facebook (NASDAQ: FB)
> Total compensation: $5.8 million
> Revenue: $27.6 billion
> Number of employees: 17,048
> Profit: $10.2 billion

Stagophile / Wikimedia Commons

92. John Flannery
> Company: General Electric (NYSE: GE)
> Total compensation: $5.8 million
> Revenue: $126.7 billion
> Number of employees: 295,000
> Profit: $8.8 billion

Twitter / Tech_Data

91. Robert M. Dutkowsky
> Company: Tech Data (NASDAQ: TECD)
> Total compensation: $5.9 million
> Revenue: $26.2 billion
> Number of employees: 9,500
> Profit: $195.1 million

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tumblr.com

90. Walter Craig Jelinek
> Company: Costco (NASDAQ: COST)
> Total compensation: $6.6 million
> Revenue: $118.7 billion
> Number of employees: 172,000
> Profit: $2.4 billion

news.prudential.com

89. John R. Strangfeld
> Company: Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU)
> Total compensation: $7.7 million
> Revenue: $58.8 billion
> Number of employees: 49,739
> Profit: $4.4 billion OR $4368.0 million

newsroom.charter.com

88. Thomas M. Rutledge
> Company: Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR)
> Total compensation: $7.8 million
> Revenue: $29.0 billion
> Number of employees: 91,500
> Profit: $3.5 billion

Rite Aid Corp.

87. John T. Standley
> Company: Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD)
> Total compensation: $8.1 million
> Revenue: $30.7 billion
> Number of employees: 70,580
> Profit: $165.5 million

https://www.flickr.com/photos/iphonedigital/

86. Tim Cook
> Company: Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)
> Total compensation: $8.7 million
> Revenue: $215.6 billion
> Number of employees: 116,000
> Profit: $45.7 billion

Tyson Foods, Inc.

85. Tom Hayes
> Company: Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN)
> Total compensation: $8.9 million
> Revenue: $36.9 billion
> Number of employees: 114,000
> Profit: $1.8 billion

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Avnet, Inc.

84. William Amelio
> Company: Avnet (NYSE: AVT)
> Total compensation: $9.3 million
> Revenue: $26.2 billion
> Number of employees: 17,700
> Profit: $506.5 million

Courtesy of AmerisourceBergen

83. Steven H. Collis
> Company: AmerisourceBergen (NYSE: ABC)
> Total compensation: $9.9 million
> Revenue: $146.8 billion
> Number of employees: 18,500
> Profit: $1.4 billion

The Coca-Cola Company

82. James Quincey
> Company: Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO)
> Total compensation: $10.2 million
> Revenue: $41.9 billion
> Number of employees: 100,300
> Profit: $6.5 billion

cardinalhealth.com

81. George S. Barrett
> Company: Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH)
> Total compensation: $11.0 million
> Revenue: $121.5 billion
> Number of employees: 37,300
> Profit: $1.4 billion

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Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

80. William Douglas Parker
> Company: American Airlines Group (NASDAQ: AAL)
> Total compensation: $11.1 million
> Revenue: $40.2 billion
> Number of employees: 122,300
> Profit: $2.7 billion

Monica Schipper / Getty Images

79. Brian C. Cornell
> Company: Target (NYSE: TGT)
> Total compensation: $11.3 million
> Revenue: $69.5 billion
> Number of employees: 323,000
> Profit: $2.7 billion

http://investor.travelers.com/

78. Alan D. Schnitzer
> Company: Travelers Cos. (NYSE: TRV)
> Total compensation: $11.6 million
> Revenue: $27.6 billion
> Number of employees: 30,900
> Profit: $3.0 billion

Home Depot Product Authority, LLC

77. Craig A. Menear
> Company: Home Depot (NYSE: HD)
> Total compensation: $11.6 million
> Revenue: $94.6 billion
> Number of employees: 406,000
> Profit: $8.0 billion

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

76. Edward H. Bastian
> Company: Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL)
> Total compensation: $12.6 million
> Revenue: $39.6 billion
> Number of employees: 83,756
> Profit: $4.4 billion

Rusty Jarrett / Getty Images for NASCAR

75. Robert A. Niblock
> Company: Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW)
> Total compensation: $12.7 million
> Revenue: $65.0 billion
> Number of employees: 240,000
> Profit: $3.1 billion

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Neilson Barnard / Getty Images for New York Times

74. William Rodney McMullen
> Company: Kroger (NYSE: KR)
> Total compensation: $13.2 million
> Revenue: $115.3 billion
> Number of employees: 443,000
> Profit: $2.0 billion

Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images

73. Terry J. Lundgren
> Company: Macy’s (NYSE: M)
> Total compensation: $13.5 million
> Revenue: $25.8 billion
> Number of employees: 148,300
> Profit: $619.0 million

Getty Images

72. Edward D. Breen
> Company: DowDuPont Inc. (NYSE: DWDP)
> Total compensation: $13.8 million
> Revenue: $62.5 billion
> Number of employees: 98,000
> Profit: $1.5 billion

about.nike.com

71. Mark G. Parker
> Company: Nike (NYSE: NKE)
> Total compensation: $13.9 million
> Revenue: $32.4 billion
> Number of employees: 70,700
> Profit: $3.8 billion

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Best Buy Co., Inc. / Wikimedia Commons

70. Hubert Joly
> Company: Best Buy (NYSE: BBY)
> Total compensation: $14.0 million
> Revenue: $39.4 billion
> Number of employees: 125,000
> Profit: $1.2 billion

pressroom.ups.com

69. David P. Abney
> Company: UPS (NYSE: UPS)
> Total compensation: $14.6 million
> Revenue: $60.9 billion
> Number of employees: 335,520
> Profit: $3.4 billion

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

68. Stefano Pessina
> Company: Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ: WBA)
> Total compensation: $14.7 million
> Revenue: $117.4 billion
> Number of employees: 300,000
> Profit: $4.2 billion

Ethan Miller / Getty Images

67. Dion J. Weisler
> Company: HP (NYSE: HPQ)
> Total compensation: $14.7 million
> Revenue: $48.2 billion
> Number of employees: 49,000
> Profit: $2.5 billion

Courtesy of Exelon

66. Christopher M. Crane
> Company: Exelon (NYSE: EXC)
> Total compensation: $14.9 million
> Revenue: $31.4 billion
> Number of employees: 34,396
> Profit: $1.1 billion

Sysco Corporation / YouTube

65. William J. DeLaney
> Company: Sysco (NYSE: SYY)
> Total compensation: $15.1 million
> Revenue: $50.4 billion
> Number of employees: 51,900
> Profit: $949.6 million

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Alex Wong / Getty Images

64. Steven A. Kandarian
> Company: MetLife (NYSE: MET)
> Total compensation: $15.3 million
> Revenue: $63.5 billion
> Number of employees: 58,000
> Profit: $800.0 million

Drew Angerer / Getty Images

63. Stephen Easterbrook
> Company: McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD)
> Total compensation: $15.4 million
> Revenue: $24.6 billion
> Number of employees: 375,000
> Profit: $4.7 billion

owu.edu

62. John F. Milligan
> Company: Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD)
> Total compensation: $15.4 million
> Revenue: $30.4 billion
> Number of employees: 9,000
> Profit: $13.5 billion

Andrew Burton / Getty Images

61. Douglas R. Oberhelman
> Company: Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT)
> Total compensation: $15.5 million
> Revenue: $38.5 billion
> Number of employees: 95,400
> Profit: -$67.0 million

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fedex.com

60. Frederick W. Smith
> Company: FedEx (NYSE: FDX)
> Total compensation: $15.6 million
> Revenue: $50.4 billion
> Number of employees: 335,767
> Profit: $1.8 billion

adm.com

59. Juan R. Luciano
> Company: Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE: ADM)
> Total compensation: $15.9 million
> Revenue: $62.3 billion
> Number of employees: 31,800
> Profit: $1.3 billion

Courtesy of Express Scripts Holding

58. Timothy Wentworth
> Company: Express Scripts Holding (NASDAQ: ESRX)
> Total compensation: $15.9 million
> Revenue: $100.3 billion
> Number of employees: 25,600
> Profit: $3.4 billion

whirlpoolcorp.com

57. Samuel R. Allen
> Company: Deere (NYSE: DE)
> Total compensation: $16.1 million
> Revenue: $26.6 billion
> Number of employees: 56,767
> Profit: $1.5 billion

press.capitalone.com

56. Richard D. Fairbank
> Company: Capital One Financial (NYSE: COF)
> Total compensation: $16.2 million
> Revenue: $27.5 billion
> Number of employees: 47,300
> Profit: $3.8 billion

Photo by Jeff Zelevansky http://www.jazphoto.com / Wikimedia Commons

55. Darius Adamczyk
> Company: Honeywell International (NYSE: HON)
> Total compensation: $16.5 million
> Revenue: $39.3 billion
> Number of employees: 131,000
> Profit: $4.8 billion

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Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

54. James P. Hackett
> Company: Ford Motor (NYSE: F)
> Total compensation: $16.7 million
> Revenue: $151.8 billion
> Number of employees: 201,000
> Profit: $4.6 billion

Courtesy of Cisco Systems

53. Charles H. Robbins
> Company: Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO)
> Total compensation: $16.7 million
> Revenue: $49.2 billion
> Number of employees: 73,700
> Profit: $10.7 billion

utc.com

52. Gregory J. Hayes
> Company: United Technologies (NYSE: UTX)
> Total compensation: $17.0 million
> Revenue: $57.2 billion
> Number of employees: 201,600
> Profit: $5.1 billion

Andrew Burton / Getty Images

51. Margaret C. Whitman
> Company: Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE)
> Total compensation: $17.1 million
> Revenue: $50.1 billion
> Number of employees: 195,000
> Profit: $3.2 billion

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hcatodayblog.com

50. R. Milton Johnson
> Company: HCA Holdings (NYSE: HCA)
> Total compensation: $17.3 million
> Revenue: $44.7 billion
> Number of employees: 210,500
> Profit: $2.9 billion

wellsfargo.com

49. Timothy J. Sloan
> Company: Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC)
> Total compensation: $17.6 million
> Revenue: $94.2 billion
> Number of employees: 269,100
> Profit: $21.9 billion

cigna.com

48. David M. Cordani
> Company: Cigna (NYSE: CI)
> Total compensation: $17.6 million
> Revenue: $39.7 billion
> Number of employees: 41,000
> Profit: $1.9 billion

Detroit Economic Club / YouTube

47. Stephen J. Hemsley
> Company: UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH)
> Total compensation: $17.8 million
> Revenue: $184.8 billion
> Number of employees: 230,000
> Profit: $7.0 billion

Jason Kempin / Getty Images

46. Michael Corbat
> Company: Citigroup (NYSE: C)
> Total compensation: $17.8 million
> Revenue: $82.4 billion
> Number of employees: 219,000
> Profit: $14.9 billion

Fortune Live Media / Wikimedia Commons

45. Lowell McAdam
> Company: Verizon (NYSE: VZ)
> Total compensation: $17.9 million
> Revenue: $126.0 billion
> Number of employees: 160,900
> Profit: $13.1 billion

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Courtesy of Procter & Gamble

44. David Taylor
> Company: Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG)
> Total compensation: $18.1 million
> Revenue: $71.7 billion
> Number of employees: 105,000
> Profit: $10.5 billion

cvshealth.com

43. Larry J. Merlo
> Company: CVS Health (NYSE: CVS)
> Total compensation: $18.4 million
> Revenue: $177.5 billion
> Number of employees: 204,000
> Profit: $5.3 billion

boeing.com

42. Dennis A. Muilenburg
> Company: Boeing (NYSE: BA)
> Total compensation: $18.5 million
> Revenue: $94.6 billion
> Number of employees: 150,540
> Profit: $4.9 billion

Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images for Save the Children

41. Ernie Herrman
> Company: TJX (NYSE: TJX)
> Total compensation: $18.5 million
> Revenue: $33.2 billion
> Number of employees: 235,000
> Profit: $2.3 billion

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Paul Morigi / Getty Images for Fortune/Time Inc

40. Virginia Marie Rometty
> Company: IBM (NYSE: IBM)
> Total compensation: $18.6 million
> Revenue: $79.9 billion
> Number of employees: 414,400
> Profit: $11.9 billion

Mario Tama / Getty Images

39. Kenneth I. Chenault
> Company: American Express (NYSE: AXP)
> Total compensation: $18.6 million
> Revenue: $33.8 billion
> Number of employees: 56,400
> Profit: $5.4 billion

Cindy Ord / Getty Images for Yahoo

38. Mark T. Bertolini
> Company: Aetna (NYSE: AET)
> Total compensation: $18.7 million
> Revenue: $63.2 billion
> Number of employees: 49,500
> Profit: $2.3 billion

United Airlines

37. Oscar Munoz
> Company: United Continental Holdings (NYSE: UAL)
> Total compensation: $18.7 million
> Revenue: $36.6 billion
> Number of employees: 88,000
> Profit: $2.3 billion

Paul Morigi / Getty Images for Vital Voices

36. Thomas J. Wilson
> Company: Allstate (NYSE: ALL)
> Total compensation: $18.8 million
> Revenue: $36.5 billion
> Number of employees: 43,275
> Profit: $1.9 billion

northropgrumman.com

35. Wesley G. Bush
> Company: Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC)
> Total compensation: $18.9 million
> Revenue: $24.5 billion
> Number of employees: 67,000
> Profit: $2.2 billion

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Philip Morris International Management SA

34. André Calantzopoulos
> Company: Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM)
> Total compensation: $19.0 million
> Revenue: $26.7 billion
> Number of employees: 79,500
> Profit: $7.0 billion

AP Photo/Intel Corporation,Bob Riha, Jr. / Wikimedia Commons

33. Brian M. Krzanich
> Company: Intel (NASDAQ: INTC)
> Total compensation: $19.1 million
> Revenue: $59.4 billion
> Number of employees: 106,000
> Profit: $10.3 billion

marathonpetroleum.com

32. Gary R. Heminger
> Company: Marathon Petroleum (NYSE: MPC)
> Total compensation: $19.7 million
> Revenue: $55.9 billion
> Number of employees: 44,460
> Profit: $1.2 billion

Courtesy of Humana

31. Bruce D. Broussard
> Company: Humana (NYSE: HUM)
> Total compensation: $19.8 million
> Revenue: $54.4 billion
> Number of employees: 51,600
> Profit: $614.0 million

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OFFICIAL LEWEB PHOTOS / Wikimedia Commons

30. Satya Nadella
> Company: Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT)
> Total compensation: $20.0 million
> Revenue: $85.3 billion
> Number of employees: 114,000
> Profit: $16.8 billion

Courtesy of McKesson Corporation

29. John H. Hammergren
> Company: McKesson (NYSE: MCK)
> Total compensation: $20.1 million
> Revenue: $192.5 billion
> Number of employees: 68,000
> Profit: $2.3 billion

BskyB / Tim Anderson / Getty Images

28. James R. Murdoch
> Company: Twenty-First Century Fox (NASDAQ: FOX)
> Total compensation: $20.3 million
> Revenue: $27.3 billion
> Number of employees: 21,500
> Profit: $2.8 billion

3m.com

27. Inge G. Thulin
> Company: 3M (NYSE: MMM)
> Total compensation: $20.5 million
> Revenue: $30.1 billion
> Number of employees: 91,584
> Profit: $5.0 billion

Neilson Barnard / Getty Images for New York Times

26. James P. Gorman
> Company: Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS)
> Total compensation: $21.2 million
> Revenue: $37.9 billion
> Number of employees: 55,311
> Profit: $6.0 billion

pinterest.com

25. Phebe N. Novakovic
> Company: General Dynamics (NYSE: GD)
> Total compensation: $21.5 million
> Revenue: $31.4 billion
> Number of employees: 98,800
> Profit: $3.0 billion

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24. Brian T. Moynihan
> Company: Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC)
> Total compensation: $21.8 million
> Revenue: $93.7 billion
> Number of employees: 208,024
> Profit: $17.9 billion

Mario Tama / Getty Images

23. Kenneth C. Frazier
> Company: Merck (NYSE: MRK)
> Total compensation: $21.8 million
> Revenue: $39.8 billion
> Number of employees: 68,000
> Profit: $3.9 billion

Mark Wilson / Getty Images

22. Lloyd C. Blankfein
> Company: Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS)
> Total compensation: $22.0 million
> Revenue: $37.7 billion
> Number of employees: 34,400
> Profit: $7.4 billion

Paras Griffin / Getty Images for 2017 ESSENCE Festival

21. Carl Douglas McMillon
> Company: Walmart (NYSE: WMT)
> Total compensation: $22.4 million
> Revenue: $485.9 billion
> Number of employees: 2,300,000
> Profit: $13.6 billion

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Courtesy of Valero

20. Joseph W. Gorder
> Company: Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO)
> Total compensation: $22.5 million
> Revenue: $70.2 billion
> Number of employees: 9,996
> Profit: $2.3 billion

Bill Pugliano / Getty Images

19. Mary T. Barra
> Company: General Motors (NYSE: GM)
> Total compensation: $22.6 million
> Revenue: $166.4 billion
> Number of employees: 225,000
> Profit: $9.4 billion

vbprofiles.com

18. Richard A. Gonzalez
> Company: AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV)
> Total compensation: $22.6 million
> Revenue: $25.6 billion
> Number of employees: 30,000
> Profit: $6.0 billion

lockheedmartin.com

17. Marillyn A. Hewson
> Company: Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)
> Total compensation: $22.9 million
> Revenue: $50.7 billion
> Number of employees: 97,000
> Profit: $5.3 billion

Jamie Squire / Getty Images

16. Greg Garland
> Company: Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX)
> Total compensation: $23.7 million
> Revenue: $72.4 billion
> Number of employees: 14,800
> Profit: $1.6 billion

Government.ru / Wikimedia Commons

15. John S. Watson
> Company: Chevron (NYSE: CVX)
> Total compensation: $24.7 million
> Revenue: $107.6 billion
> Number of employees: 55,200
> Profit: – $497.0 million

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Centene

14. Michael F. Neidorff
> Company: Centene (NYSE: CNC)
> Total compensation: $25.3 million
> Revenue: $40.7 billion
> Number of employees: 30,500
> Profit: $562.0 million

Brian Harkin / Getty Images

13. Rex W. Tillerson
> Company: Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM)
> Total compensation: $27.4 million
> Revenue: $205.0 billion
> Number of employees: 72,700
> Profit: $7.8 billion

 

Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

12. Ian Read
> Company: Pfizer (NYSE: PFE)
> Total compensation: $27.9 million
> Revenue: $52.8 billion
> Number of employees: 96,500
> Profit: $7.2 billion

Scott Olson / Getty Images

11. James Dimon
> Company: J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM)
> Total compensation: $28.3 million
> Revenue: $105.5 billion
> Number of employees: 243,355
> Profit: $24.7 billion

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

10. Randall Stephenson
> Company: AT&T (NYSE: T)
> Total compensation: $28.7 million
> Revenue: $163.8 billion
> Number of employees: 268,540
> Profit: $13.0 billion

jnj.com

9. Alex Gorsky
> Company: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ)
> Total compensation: $29.8 million
> Revenue: $71.9 billion
> Number of employees: 126,400
> Profit: $16.5 billion

World Economic Forum / Wikimedia Commons

8. Indra K. Nooyi
> Company: PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP)
> Total compensation: $31.1 million
> Revenue: $62.8 billion
> Number of employees: 264,000
> Profit: $6.3 billion

Drew Angerer / Getty Images

7. Jeffrey L. Bewkes
> Company: Time Warner (NYSE: TWX)
> Total compensation: $32.6 million
> Revenue: $29.3 billion
> Number of employees: 25,000
> Profit: $3.9 billion

Flickr via The Cable Show

6. Brian L. Roberts
> Company: Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA)
> Total compensation: $33.0 million
> Revenue: $80.4 billion
> Number of employees: 159,000
> Profit: $8.7 billion

Kimberly White / Getty Images for Vanity Fair

5. Robert A. Iger
> Company: Disney (NYSE: DIS)
> Total compensation: $36.3 million
> Revenue: $55.6 billion
> Number of employees: 195,000
> Profit: $9.4 billion

https://www.flickr.com/photos/oracle_images/

4. Safra A. Catz
> Company: Oracle (NYSE: ORCL)
> Total compensation: $40.7 million
> Revenue: $37.0 billion
> Number of employees: 136,000
> Profit: $8.9 billion

Oracle PR from Redwood Shores, Calif., USA / Wikimedia Commons

3. Mark V. Hurd
> Company: Oracle (NYSE: ORCL)
> Total compensation: $40.8 million
> Revenue: $37.0 billion
> Number of employees: 136,000
> Profit: $8.9 billion

Courtesy of Mondelēz International

2. Dirk Van de Put
> Company: Mondelez International (NASDAQ: MDLZ)
> Total compensation: $42.4 million
> Revenue: $25.9 billion
> Number of employees: 90,000
> Profit: $1.7 billion

Starkjames / Wikimedia Commons

1. Brian Duperreault
> Company: AIG (NYSE: AIG)
> Total compensation: $43.1 million
> Revenue: $52.4 billion
> Number of employees: 56,400
> Profit: -$849.0 million

Detailed findings and methodology:

For most working Americans, salary accounts for the bulk of their compensation. But for CEOs of multibillion dollar corporations, the paycheck is often just a small fraction of their overall compensation. To better align the CEOs’ interest with that of shareholders and the company overall, compensation packages are typically heavily performance driven.

For example, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s salary in 2017 was $1.5 million.After accounting for various bonuses, incentives, and stock options, Nadella earned over $20 million. Similarly, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ salary is less than $82,000 a year, and his total compensation package is nearly $1.7 million.

Like Bezos, many CEOs of the largest U.S. companies are also often the founders of their respective company. Google co-founder Larry Page pays himself just $1 per year. Despite the low salary, he ranks among the 10 wealthiest men in the world, with an estimated net-worth of $50.7 billion. Even Bezos’ compensation of $1.7 million pales in comparison to the majority of CEOs on this list. Still, because he is the largest Amazon shareholder, he is currently the wealthiest man in the world, with a net worth of $116 billion.

In addition to Page, the only other chief executive on this list with an annual compensation below $1 million is Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett. Despite his $100,000 annual compensation package, Buffett is the third wealthiest man in the world with an estimated net worth of $85 billion. Rather than company issued incentives and salary, the bulk of Buffett’s wealth comes from his large share of Berkshire Hathaway stock.

To identify the highest paid CEOs at America’s 100 largest companies, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed total CEO compensation at each of the 100 public companies with the highest reported revenue in fiscal 2016. All compensation figures are as of the last published proxy statement. In some companies, the CEO listed in the most recent proxy no longer holds the top job and is listed as retired in this story. Though they were listed separately in the most recent Fortune 500 list, Dow Chemical and DuPont have since merged and are noted on this list as DowDuPont Inc. Because software company Oracle has two CEOs, 101 CEOs are included on this list.

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