An analysis by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) found that last year the average chief executive of the 100 S&P 500 companies with the lowest median worker pay was paid 614 times more than the typical employee at those firms.
The IPS report, part of its ongoing Executive Excess series, examined compensation at the 100 S&P 500 corporations with the lowest median worker pay. It reports that between 2019 and 2025 CEO compensation at those firms rose 41.4%, unadjusted for inflation, while median worker pay at the same companies increased by 20.7% over the same period.
The disparity highlighted by the IPS adds to ongoing scrutiny of pay gaps within large US corporations. The group’s findings underscore that pay for top executives at these low‑paying firms has grown at roughly double the rate of median worker pay over the six‑year span measured by the analysis.
The report’s authors say the figures are unadjusted for inflation and focus specifically on the 100 S&P 500 companies with the lowest median pay, rather than the broader market. The IPS data is likely to be cited in debates over corporate governance, compensation practices and measures aimed at addressing income inequality.
Policy makers, investor groups and labour advocates often point to such analyses when discussing proposals on executive pay disclosure, shareholder voting on compensation packages, and broader labour standards. The IPS findings provide a current snapshot of how compensation trends at a specific group of large, low‑paying firms compare between corporate leaders and their employees.