The research, from careers board site Lensa, analysed the average CEO and employee salary at the USA’s 100 biggest companies to find the extent of the wage gap.
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- It found, on average, there is a 2,202% wage gap between a CEO and an employee. This equates to a CEO earning $1,276,520.77 more annually.
Companies With The Largest Wage Gap
| Rank | Company Name | CEO Name | CEO Salary | Median Employee Pay | Salary Difference | CEO Salary % Difference |
| 1 | Coca-Cola | James Quincey | $1.60m | $11,342 | $1.59m | 14007% |
| 2 | Starbucks Corp | Kevin Johnson | $1.54m | $12,113 | $1.53m | 12617% |
| 3 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | Brian Niccol | $1.20m | $14,155 | $1.19m | 8378% |
| 4 | Viacom | Robert M. Bakish | $3.00m | $39,110 | $2.96m | 7571% |
| 5 | Walmart | Doug McMillon | $1.27m | $20,942 | $1.25m | 5974% |
| 6 | Lowe's Companies | Marvin Ellison | $1.45m | $24,554 | $1.43m | 5805% |
| 7 | Target Corp | Brian Cornell | $1.40m | $24,535 | $1.38m | 5606% |
| 8 | Kroger | W. Rodney McMullen | $1.34m | $24,617 | $1.32m | 5348% |
| 9 | Apple | Tim Cook | $3.00m | $57,783 | $2.94m | 5092% |
| 10 | Home Depot | Craig Menear | $1.30m | $27,389 | $1.27m | 4646% |
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Coca-Cola CEO Salary Difference: 14,007%
Coca-Cola Co (NYSE:KO) recorded the highest disparity between CEO and employee pay, with James Quincey being paid 14,007% more than the average employee. Of all companies analysed, Coca Cola’s employees had the lowest median salary.
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Starbucks CEO Salary Difference: 12,617%
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) has the second biggest CEO pay gap of 12,617%, with CEO Kevin Johnson earning a base salary of $1.54 million, whereas the average employee earns just $12,113. Starbucks is the biggest coffee chain in the world, yet its workers receive the second lowest average wage in our study.
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Chipotle Mexican Grill CEO Salary Difference: 8,378%
In third place, with a CEO pay gap of 3,378%, is Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG). Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol earns a base salary of $1.2 million and his average employee takes home $14,155, which is equivalent to about 1.18% of Mr. Niccol’s salary.
Companies With The Smallest Wage Gap
| Rank | Company Name | CEO Name | CEO Salary | Median Employee Pay | Salary Difference | CEO Salary % Difference |
| 1 | Tesla | Elon Musk | $23,760 | $58,455 | -$34,695 | -59% |
| 2 | Berkshire Hathaway | Warren Buffett | $100,000 | $68,543 | $31,457 | 46% |
| 3 | Boeing | David L. Calhoun | $269,231 | $133,800 | $135,431 | 101% |
| 4 | Amazon | Jeff Bezos | $81,840 | $29,007 | $52,833 | 182% |
| 5 | Fannie Mae | Hugh Frater | $600,000 | $150,098 | $449,902 | 300% |
Tesla CEO Salary Difference: -59%
- Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is a peculiar case in that CEO Elon Musk’s base salary is actually lower than the average employee’s, with a difference of -59%. This represents a novel approach to CEO pay, with Musk receiving stock options and rewards should company performance hit certain benchmarks.
- In fact, in 2020 Elon Musk was the highest-paid CEO, receiving an astounding $6.66 billion worth of compensation, despite having a minimal base salary.
