As companies around the world struggle to mitigate the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, executive leadership is being put to the test. CEOs are facing intense scrutiny for how and when they are reopening their companies. While 2020 might see a freeze in CEO salary, 2019 was a good year for executive pay, as many chief executives were rewarded with huge compensation packages, often worth more than $20 million per year.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed information provided by public business information company MyLogIQ to determine the 50 highest paid CEOs of 2019. CEOs were ranked based on their total compensation, which typically includes salary, bonuses, stock options, and more. Median employee pay by company was also provided by MyLogIQ.Â
Many corporate leaders have to make difficult choices to help their companies through the pandemic — particularly those in vulnerable industries like oil and gas or entertainment. Many executives in these sectors have furloughed workers, scaled back operations, and reduced their own pay — like GE CEO Lawrence Culp who said he will forgo his salary for the rest of the year. These are the U.S. industries being devastated by the coronavirus.
The CEOs on this list tend to be concentrated in certain industries such as technology, energy, and health care. Even though employees in these fields tend to be relatively well compensated, all CEOs on this list make at least 100 times as much as the median pay of their employees. In some cases, they make more than 1,000 times as much. These are the CEOs that make 1,000 times more than their employees.
Click here to see the 50 highest paid CEOs in 2019
Source: Mark Wilson / Getty Images News via Getty Images
50. Gary R. Heminger (stepped down in March 2020)
> Company: Marathon Petroleum Corp
> Industry: Energy
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $24.1 million
> Annual company revenue: $123.9 billion
> Median employee salary: $27,507
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 877 times higher
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Source: Courtesy of Michigan State University
49. Michael W. Lamach
> Company: Trane Technologies Plc
> Industry: Manufacturing
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $24.2 million
> Annual company revenue: $16.6 billion
> Median employee salary: $54,757
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 442 times higher
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Source: Courtesy of Visa
48. Alfred F. Kelly Jr
> Company: Visa Inc.
> Industry: Financial services
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $24.3 million
> Annual company revenue: $23.0 billion
> Median employee salary: $142,494
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 170 times higher
Source: Thos Robinson / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
47. Laurence D. Fink
> Company: Blackrock Inc.
> Industry: Investment management
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $24.3 million
> Annual company revenue: $14.5 billion
> Median employee salary: $133,644
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 182 times higher
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Source: Universal Health Services, Inc.
46. Alan B. Miller
> Company: Universal Health Services Inc
> Industry: Health care
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $24.5 million
> Annual company revenue: $11.4 billion
> Median employee salary: $38,931
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 629 times higher
Source: Courtesy of Ameriprise Financial
45. James M. Cracchiolo
> Company: Ameriprise Financial Inc
> Industry: Financial services
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $24.5 million
> Annual company revenue: $13.0 billion
> Median employee salary: $106,428
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 230 times higher
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Source: Courtesy of General Electric
44. H. Lawrence Culp, Jr.
> Company: General Electric Co
> Industry: Industrial machinery manufacturing
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $24.6 million
> Annual company revenue: $95.2 billion
> Median employee salary: $50,471
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 486 times higher
Source: Paul Morigi / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
43. David M. Solomon
> Company: Goldman Sachs Group Inc
> Industry: Financial services
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $24.7 million
> Annual company revenue: $36.5 billion
> Median employee salary: $138,854
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 178 times higher
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images News via Getty Images
42. Sheldon G. Adelson
> Company: Las Vegas Sands Corp
> Industry: Resorts and casinos
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $24.7 million
> Annual company revenue: $13.7 billion
> Median employee salary: $42,228
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 584 times higher
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Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
41. Norman Thomas Linebarger
> Company: Cummins Inc
> Industry: Industrial machinery manufacturing
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $25.1 million
> Annual company revenue: $23.6 billion
> Median employee salary: $73,480
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 342 times higher
Source: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
40. Alex Gorsky
> Company: Johnson & Johnson
> Industry: Health care products
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $25.4 million
> Annual company revenue: $82.1 billion
> Median employee salary: $76,000
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 334 times higher
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Source: Alex Wroblewski / Getty Images
39. Michael Corbat
> Company: Citigroup Inc
> Industry: Financial services
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $25.5 million
> Annual company revenue: $74.3 billion
> Median employee salary: $52,988
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 481 times higher
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Source: PopTech, Kris Klug / Wikimedia Commons
38. Daniel H. Schulman
> Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc.
> Industry: Financial services
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $25.8 million
> Annual company revenue: $17.8 billion
> Median employee salary: $70,405
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 367 times higher
Source: Courtesy of Cisco Systems
37. Charles H. Robbins
> Company: Cisco Systems, Inc.
> Industry: Technology
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $25.8 million
> Annual company revenue: $51.9 billion
> Median employee salary: $142,593
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 181 times higher
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Source: Kimberly White / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
36. Marc Benioff
> Company: Salesforce.com Inc
> Industry: Technology
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $26.0 million
> Annual company revenue: $17.1 billion
> Median employee salary: $167,750
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 155 times higher
Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images
35. Brian T. Moynihan
> Company: Bank of America Corp
> Industry: Financial services
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $26.0 million
> Annual company revenue: $91.2 billion
> Median employee salary: $94,256
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 276 times higher
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34. Michael F. Neidorff
> Company: Centene Corp
> Industry: Health care
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $26.4 million
> Annual company revenue: $74.6 billion
> Median employee salary: $68,987
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 383 times higher
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Source: Courtesy of American Heart Association
33. Samuel N. Hazen
> Company: HCA Healthcare, Inc.
> Industry: Health care
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $26.8 million
> Annual company revenue: $51.3 billion
> Median employee salary: $56,012
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 478 times higher
Source: Courtesy of Fiserv
32. Jeffery W. Yabuki
> Company: Fiserv Inc
> Industry: Technology
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $27.6 million
> Annual company revenue: $10.2 billion
> Median employee salary: $65,254
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 423 times higher
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Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
31. Kenneth C. Frazier
> Company: Merck & Co. Inc.
> Industry: Pharmaceuticals
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $27.6 million
> Annual company revenue: $46.8 billion
> Median employee salary: $95,621
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 289 times higher
Source: Courtesy of FIS
30. Gary A. Norcross
> Company: Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.
> Industry: Technology
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $27.7 million
> Annual company revenue: $10.3 billion
> Median employee salary: $59,235
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 467 times higher
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Source: Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images
29. Miles D. White (stepped down in March 2020)
> Company: Abbott Laboratories
> Industry: Health care
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $27.8 million
> Annual company revenue: $31.9 billion
> Median employee salary: $84,434
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 329 times higher
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Source: Courtesy of Southern Company
28. Thomas A. Fanning
> Company: Southern Co
> Industry: Utilities
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $27.9 million
> Annual company revenue: $21.4 billion
> Median employee salary: $167,872
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 166 times higher
Source: departmentofenergy / Flickr
27. Joseph W. Gorder
> Company: Valero Energy Corp
> Industry: Energy
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $28.2 million
> Annual company revenue: $108.3 billion
> Median employee salary: $272,417
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 104 times higher
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Source: Pool / Getty Images News via Getty Images
26. Daniel O’Day
> Company: Gilead Sciences Inc
> Industry: Pharmaceuticals
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $29.1 million
> Annual company revenue: $22.4 billion
> Median employee salary: $173,264
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 168 times higher
Source: Jason Merritt/TERM / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
25. Robert A. Kotick
> Company: Activision Blizzard, Inc.
> Industry: Electronic gaming
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $30.1 million
> Annual company revenue: $6.5 billion
> Median employee salary: $94,308
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 319 times higher
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Source: Courtesy of ConocoPhillips
24. Ryan Lance
> Company: ConocoPhillips
> Industry: Energy
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $30.4 million
> Annual company revenue: $36.7 billion
> Median employee salary: $186,334
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 163 times higher
Source: Kimberly White / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
23. Hamid R. Moghadam
> Company: Prologis, Inc.
> Industry: Real estate investment
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $30.4 million
> Annual company revenue: $3.3 billion
> Median employee salary: $117,751
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 258 times higher
Source: Paul Morigi / Getty Images
22. Marillyn A. Hewson
> Company: Lockheed Martin Corp
> Industry: Defense
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $30.9 million
> Annual company revenue: $59.8 billion
> Median employee salary: $154,883
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 200 times higher
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Source: Mark Wilson / Getty Images News via Getty Images
21. Jamie Dimon
> Company: JPMorgan Chase & Co
> Industry: Financial services
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $31.6 million
> Annual company revenue: $115.6 billion
> Median employee salary: $80,431
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 393 times higher
Source: Neilson Barnard / Getty Images for New York Times
20. James P. Gorman
> Company: Morgan Stanley
> Industry: Financial services
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $31.6 million
> Annual company revenue: $38.9 billion
> Median employee salary: $127,414
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 248 times higher
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Source: Jamie Squire / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
19. Greg C. Garland
> Company: Phillips 66
> Industry: Energy
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $31.9 million
> Annual company revenue: $104.6 billion
> Median employee salary: $188,738
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 169 times higher
Source: Win McNamee / Getty Images News via Getty Images
18. Randall L. Stephenson
> Company: AT&T Inc.
> Industry: Telecommunications
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $32.0 million
> Annual company revenue: $181.2 billion
> Median employee salary: $98,630
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 325 times higher
Source: Courtesy of Chevron
17. Michael K. Wirth
> Company: Chevron Corp
> Industry: Energy
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $33.1 million
> Annual company revenue: $146.5 billion
> Median employee salary: $140,063
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 236 times higher
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Source: Alex Wroblewski / Getty Images News via Getty Images
16. Charles W. Scharf
> Company: Wells Fargo & Company
> Industry: Financial services
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $34.3 million
> Annual company revenue: $85.1 billion
> Median employee salary: $65,931
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 520 times higher
Source: Courtesy of Caterpillar
15. James Umpleby
> Company: Caterpillar Inc
> Industry: Industrial machinery manufacturing
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $34.5 million
> Annual company revenue: $53.8 billion
> Median employee salary: $65,132
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 530 times higher
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Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images
14. Brian L. Roberts
> Company: Comcast Corp
> Industry: Entertainment
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $36.4 million
> Annual company revenue: $108.9 billion
> Median employee salary: $78,869
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 461 times higher
Source: whitehouse / Flickr
13. Larry J. Merlo
> Company: CVS Health Corp
> Industry: Health care
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $36.5 million
> Annual company revenue: $256.8 billion
> Median employee salary: $46,140
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 790 times higher
12. Reed Hastings
> Company: Netflix Inc
> Industry: Entertainment
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $38.6 million
> Annual company revenue: $20.2 billion
> Median employee salary: $202,931
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 190 times higher
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11. Shantanu Narayen
> Company: Adobe Inc.
> Industry: Technology
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $39.1 million
> Annual company revenue: $11.2 billion
> Median employee salary: $147,115
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 266 times higher
Source: Courtesy of SAP
10. William R. Mcdermott
> Company: ServiceNow, Inc.
> Industry: Technology
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $41.7 million
> Annual company revenue: $3.5 billion
> Median employee salary: $223,554
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 186 times higher
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Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Images News via Getty Images
9. Lachlan K. Murdoch
> Company: Fox Corp
> Industry: Broadcasting
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $42.1 million
> Annual company revenue: $11.4 billion
> Median employee salary: N/A
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: N/A
Source: Stephen Brashear / Getty Images
8. Satya Nadella
> Company: Microsoft Corp
> Industry: Technology
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $42.9 million
> Annual company revenue: $125.8 billion
> Median employee salary: $172,512
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 249 times higher
Source: Craig Barritt / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
7. Miguel Patricio
> Company: Kraft Heinz Co
> Industry: Food
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $43.3 million
> Annual company revenue: $25.0 billion
> Median employee salary: $42,689
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 1,014 times higher
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Source: Amanda Edwards / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
6. David M. Zaslav
> Company: Discovery, Inc.
> Industry: Entertainment
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $45.8 million
> Annual company revenue: $11.1 billion
> Median employee salary: $79,343
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 578 times higher
Source: Kimberly White / Getty Images
5. Robert A. Iger (stepped down in Feb. 2020)
> Company: Walt Disney Co
> Industry: Media
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $47.5 million
> Annual company revenue: $69.6 billion
> Median employee salary: $52,184
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 911 times higher
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Source: Courtesy of Masco
4. John C. Plant
> Company: Howmet Aerospace Inc.
> Industry: Industrial machinery
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $51.7 million
> Annual company revenue: $14.2 billion
> Median employee salary: $55,497
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 932 times higher
3. Lisa T. Su
> Company: Advanced Micro Devices Inc
> Industry: Technology
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $58.5 million
> Annual company revenue: $6.7 billion
> Median employee salary: $96,874
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 604 times higher
Source: Courtesy of Intel
2. Robert H. Swan
> Company: Intel Corp
> Industry: Technology
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $66.9 million
> Annual company revenue: $72.0 billion
> Median employee salary: $96,300
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 695 times higher
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Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News via Getty Images
1. Sundar Pichai
> Company: Alphabet Inc.
> Industry: Technology
> Total 2019 CEO compensation: $280.6 million
> Annual company revenue: $161.9 billion
> Median employee salary: $258,708
> CEO pay vs. median employee salary: 1,085 times higher
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