How Many Minutes Does It Take a CEO To Earn Your Annual Salary?

It’s not exactly surprising to anyone that CEO salaries are utterly outrageous. When you try to comprehend just how hard you work only to earn such a tiny fraction of their compensation, it’s more than a little galling. However, the simple reality is that America’s biggest companies place a lot of stock in who is in charge — literally.

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But how do you really wrap your head around just how much the highest-paid people in America are getting for their work? To illustrate this, GOBankingRates has broken down the pay of the 49 highest-compensated CEOs from S&P 500 companies in terms of just how long it takes them to earn what you do in an entire year. Using figures on total CEO compensation in 2019 from the AFL-CIO, the study looks at the average salary for Americans — rich and poor — to see just how little time a CEO logs to match your salary.

So which CEOs earn in minutes what you do in a year? Here’s a look at the country’s biggest paydays — from lowest to highest — compared to how much the rest of us are making.

If you just clicked through to get to the end to see how quickly the world’s richest man makes your salary, you will notice that he’s not on this list. Neither is Warren Buffett. Or Mark Zuckerberg. Or even Tim Cook, even though you might have recently seen in the news that he just passed a net worth of $1 billion.

So what gives? The reason the world’s richest men aren’t among the highest paid is actually an important part of understanding why CEOs get paid so much. It’s not so much what they’re getting paid as how. Top CEOs earn most of their money in the form of stock, and the tippy-top CEOs are basically working for free because they own a big chunk of the place where they work. Jeff Bezos has never even brought in six figures from Amazon for a year of work. But, since he’s the founder and still owns a little over one-tenth of the company, his total net worth skyrockets precisely as fast as the company’s stock. His “pay” winds up being a rounding error, essentially.

So, a CEO’s salary never really reflects the unique form of turbo-charged 401(k) benefits they receive. Did Sundar Pichai earn a little over $280 million in 2019? Or about $2 million plus benefits? It matters because — while you’re dealing with profoundly smaller numbers than they are — stock ownership and equity stakes are as essential to building your wealth in the long run as they are to the highest-paid people in America. And if you get enough of the right stocks? Your annual salary might also wind up being largely irrelevant to your financial standing.

Of course, just how outrageous the pay of America’s top CEOs is depends on how much you’re making. Here’s a look at how incomes in America vary depending on what end of the spectrum you land on:

• The U.S. bottom 20% income: $13,593
  
• The U.S. median income: $62,416
  
• The U.S. top 20% income: $227,663
  
• The U.S. top 5% income: $413,188

• 2019 pay: $24,265,771
• 2019 pay per minute: $46.17
• How long it takes Alfred Kelly Jr. to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 54 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 22 hours and 31 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 10 hours and 11 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 6 days, 5 hours and 9 minutes

• 2019 pay: $24,308,254
• 2019 pay per minute: $46.25
• How long it takes Laurence Fink to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 53 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 22 hours and 29 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 10 hours and 2 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 6 days, 4 hours and 54 minutes

• 2019 pay: $24,473,240
• 2019 pay per minute: $46.56
• How long it takes Alan Miller to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 51 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 22 hours and 20 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 9 hours and 29 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 6 days, 3 hours and 53 minutes

• 2019 pay: $24,516,930
• 2019 pay per minute: $46.65
• How long it takes James Cracchiolo to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 51 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 22 hours and 18 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 9 hours and 20 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 6 days, 3 hours and 38 minutes

• 2019 pay: $24,553,788
• 2019 pay per minute: $46.72
• How long it takes H. Culp Jr. to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 50 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 22 hours and 16 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 9 hours and 13 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 6 days, 3 hours and 24 minutes

• 2019 pay: $24,657,737
• 2019 pay per minute: $46.91
• How long it takes David Solomon to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 49 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 22 hours and 10 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 8 hours and 52 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 6 days, 2 hours and 47 minutes

• 2019 pay: $24,680,118
• 2019 pay per minute: $46.96
• How long it takes Sheldon Adelson to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 49 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 22 hours and 9 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 8 hours and 48 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 6 days, 2 hours and 39 minutes

• 2019 pay: $25,116,751
• 2019 pay per minute: $47.79
• How long it takes Norman ‘Tom’ Linebarger to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 44 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 21 hours and 46 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 7 hours and 24 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 6 days and 6 minutes

• 2019 pay: $25,365,777
• 2019 pay per minute: $48.26
• How long it takes Alex Gorsky to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 41 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 21 hours and 33 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 6 hours and 37 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 22 hours and 41 minutes

• 2019 pay: $25,508,761
• 2019 pay per minute: $48.53
• How long it takes Michael Corbat to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 40 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 21 hours and 26 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 6 hours and 10 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 21 hours and 53 minutes

• 2019 pay: $25,825,473
• 2019 pay per minute: $49.14
• How long it takes Daniel Schulman to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 36 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 21 hours and 10 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 5 hours and 13 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 20 hours and 9 minutes

• 2019 pay: $25,829,833
• 2019 pay per minute: $49.14
• How long it takes Charles Robbins to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 36 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 21 hours and 10 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 5 hours and 12 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 20 hours and 7 minutes

• 2019 pay: $25,969,494
• 2019 pay per minute: $49.41
• How long it takes Marc Benioff to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 35 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 21 hours and 3 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 4 hours and 47 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 19 hours and 22 minutes

• 2019 pay: $26,039,213
• 2019 pay per minute: $49.54
• How long it takes Brian Moynihan to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 34 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 20 hours and 59 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 4 hours and 35 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days and 19 hours

• 2019 pay: $26,438,425
• 2019 pay per minute: $50.30
• How long it takes Michael Neidorff to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 30 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 20 hours and 40 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 3 hours and 25 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 16 hours and 54 minutes

• 2019 pay: $26,788,251
• 2019 pay per minute: $50.97
• How long it takes Samuel Hazen to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 26 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 20 hours and 24 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days, 2 hours and 26 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 15 hours and 6 minutes

• 2019 pay: $27,601,026
• 2019 pay per minute: $52.51
• How long it takes Jeffery Yabuki to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 18 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 19 hours and 48 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days and 15 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 11 hours and 8 minutes

• 2019 pay: $27,648,475
• 2019 pay per minute: $52.60
• How long it takes Kenneth Frazier to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 18 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 19 hours and 46 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days and 7 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 10 hours and 54 minutes

• 2019 pay: $27,658,117
• 2019 pay per minute: $52.62
• How long it takes Gary Norcross to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 18 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 19 hours and 46 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 3 days and 6 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 10 hours and 52 minutes

• 2019 pay: $27,756,690
• 2019 pay per minute: $52.81
• How long it takes John Legere to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 17 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 19 hours and 41 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 23 hours and 51 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 10 hours and 24 minutes

• 2019 pay: $27,802,817
• 2019 pay per minute: $52.90
• How long it takes Miles White to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 16 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 19 hours and 39 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 23 hours and 43 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 10 hours and 11 minutes

• 2019 pay: $27,865,185
• 2019 pay per minute: $53.02
• How long it takes Thomas Fanning to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 16 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 19 hours and 37 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 23 hours and 34 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 9 hours and 53 minutes

• 2019 pay: $28,200,511
• 2019 pay per minute: $53.65
• How long it takes Joseph Gorder to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 13 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 19 hours and 23 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 22 hours and 43 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 8 hours and 20 minutes

• 2019 pay: $29,037,879
• 2019 pay per minute: $55.25
• How long it takes William Brown to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 6 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 18 hours and 49 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 20 hours and 40 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 4 hours and 38 minutes

• 2019 pay: $29,107,854
• 2019 pay per minute: $55.38
• How long it takes Daniel O’Day to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 4 hours and 5 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 18 hours and 47 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 20 hours and 30 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days, 4 hours and 20 minutes

• 2019 pay: $30,122,896
• 2019 pay per minute: $57.31
• How long it takes Robert Kotick to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 57 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 18 hours and 9 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 18 hours and 12 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 5 days and 9 minutes

• 2019 pay: $30,363,744
• 2019 pay per minute: $57.77
• How long it takes Ryan Lance to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 55 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 18 hours
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 17 hours and 40 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 23 hours and 12 minutes

• 2019 pay: $30,383,438
• 2019 pay per minute: $57.81
• How long it takes Hamid Moghadam to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 55 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 17 hours and 59 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 17 hours and 38 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 23 hours and 7 minutes

• 2019 pay: $30,913,982
• 2019 pay per minute: $58.82
• How long it takes Marillyn Hewson to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 51 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 17 hours and 41 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 16 hours and 30 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 21 hours and 5 minutes

• 2019 pay: $31,612,616
• 2019 pay per minute: $60.15
• How long it takes James Dimon to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 46 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 17 hours and 17 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 15 hours and 5 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 18 hours and 29 minutes

• 2019 pay: $31,642,395
• 2019 pay per minute: $60.20
• How long it takes James Gorman to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 45 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 17 hours and 16 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 15 hours and 1 minute
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 18 hours and 23 minutes

• 2019 pay: $31,900,878
• 2019 pay per minute: $60.69
• How long it takes Greg Garland to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 43 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 17 hours and 8 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 14 hours and 30 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 17 hours and 27 minutes

• 2019 pay: $32,032,925
• 2019 pay per minute: $60.95
• How long it takes Randall Stephenson to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 43 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 17 hours and 4 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 14 hours and 15 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 16 hours and 59 minutes

• 2019 pay: $33,070,662
• 2019 pay per minute: $62.92
• How long it takes Michael Wirth to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 36 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 16 hours and 31 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 12 hours and 18 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 13 hours and 26 minutes

• 2019 pay: $34,286,574
• 2019 pay per minute: $65.23
• How long it takes Charles Scharf to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 28 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 15 hours and 56 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 10 hours and 9 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 9 hours and 34 minutes

• 2019 pay: $34,519,129
• 2019 pay per minute: $65.68
• How long it takes D. James Umpleby III to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 26 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 15 hours and 50 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 9 hours and 46 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 8 hours and 51 minutes

• 2019 pay: $36,370,183
• 2019 pay per minute: $69.20
• How long it takes Brian Roberts to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 16 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 15 hours and 1 minute
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 6 hours and 50 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 3 hours and 31 minutes

• 2019 pay: $36,451,749
• 2019 pay per minute: $69.35
• How long it takes Larry Merlo to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 15 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 14 hours and 59 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 6 hours and 42 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 4 days, 3 hours and 17 minutes

• 2019 pay: $38,577,129
• 2019 pay per minute: $73.40
• How long it takes Reed Hastings to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 5 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 14 hours and 10 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 3 hours and 41 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 3 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes

• 2019 pay: $39,145,631
• 2019 pay per minute: $74.48
• How long it takes Shantanu Narayen to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 3 hours and 2 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 13 hours and 58 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 2 days, 2 hours and 56 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 3 days, 20 hours and 27 minutes

• 2019 pay: $41,682,335
• 2019 pay per minute: $79.30
• How long it takes William McDermott to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 2 hours and 51 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 13 hours and 7 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 1 day, 23 hours and 50 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 3 days, 14 hours and 50 minutes

• 2019 pay: $42,111,103
• 2019 pay per minute: $80.12
• How long it takes Lachlan Murdoch to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 2 hours and 49 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 12 hours and 59 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 1 day, 23 hours and 21 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 3 days, 13 hours and 57 minutes

• 2019 pay: $42,910,215
• 2019 pay per minute: $81.64
• How long it takes Satya Nadella to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 2 hours and 46 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 12 hours and 44 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 1 day, 22 hours and 28 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 3 days, 12 hours and 21 minutes

• 2019 pay: $43,297,480
• 2019 pay per minute: $82.38
• How long it takes Miguel Patricio to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 2 hours and 45 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 12 hours and 37 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 1 day, 22 hours and 3 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 3 days, 11 hours and 35 minutes

• 2019 pay: $45,843,912
• 2019 pay per minute: $87.22
• How long it takes David Zaslav to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 2 hours and 35 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 11 hours and 55 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 1 day, 19 hours and 30 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 3 days, 6 hours and 57 minutes

• 2019 pay: $58,534,288
• 2019 pay per minute: $111.37
• How long it takes Lisa Su to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 2 hours and 2 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 9 hours and 20 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 1 day, 10 hours and 4 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 2 days, 13 hours and 50 minutes

• 2019 pay: $66,935,100
• 2019 pay per minute: $127.35
• How long it takes Robert Swan to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 1 hour and 46 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 8 hours and 10 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 1 day, 5 hours and 47 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 2 days, 6 hours and 4 minutes

• 2019 pay: $280,621,552
• 2019 pay per minute: $533.91
• How long it takes Sundar Pichai to make:
  • The U.S. bottom 20% income: 25 minutes
  • The U.S. median income: 1 hour and 56 minutes
  • The U.S. top 20% income: 7 hours and 6 minutes
  • The U.S. top 5% income: 12 hours and 53 minutes

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Methodology: GOBankingRates used AFL-CIO’s Highest-Paid CEOs 2019 data to determine how many minutes it takes a CEO to earn your annual salary, sourcing the 49 top-earning S&P 500 CEOS. With these 49 CEOs sourced, GOBankingRates then found how many minutes it would take each CEO to make the five mean household income quintiles and top 5% mean household income as sourced from the 2018 American Community Survey as conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. All data was collected on and up to date as of Aug. 17, 2020.