CEO Base Salaries Fell Last Year, But Total Compensation Remained Flat

When the pandemic hit last year, 17% of the Russell 3000 announced that they would not pay their CEOs any base salary, while 14% cut their CEO’s salary by 50%. But according to our latest edition of CEO and Executive Compensation Practices in the Russell 3000 and S&P 500, produced in collaboration with Semler Brossy and ESGAUGE, those cuts were offset by increased stock compensation – particularly in the form of stock options (see chart below). The end result: median total compensation for S&P 500 CEOs saw a 2.3% increase, while median total compensation for Russell 3000 CE