CEO Pay Charts 1990-2005

Data Sources:
Total executive compensation: 2005 data based on Wall Street Journal survey, April 10, 2006; all other years based on similar sample in Business Week annual compensation surveys (now discontinued). Includes: salary, bonus, restricted stock, payouts on other long-term incentives, and the value of options exercised.
S&P 500 Index: Economic Report of the President, 2006 Table B-96; 1997, 2000 Table B-93; average of daily closing prices.
Corporate Profits: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts, Table 6.16, with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments.
Average worker pay: Based on U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics Survey (average hourly earnings of production workers x average weekly hours of production workers x 52).
Minimum wage: Lowest mandated federal minimum wage, nominal; U.S. Dept. of Labor, Employment Standards Administration, Wage and Hour Division.
Adjustment for inflation: BLS, Average Annual CPI-U, all urban consumers, all items.