The 2026 answer is a median from one ranking
Among 401 fiscal-2025 CEO packages as of September 2, 2026, median reported total pay is $8,730,545. That is the same ranking as highest-paid CEOs 2026. The highest package in this ranking is Kaz Nejatian of Opendoor Technologies Inc. (OPEN) at $741,137,105.
| Stat | This ranking |
|---|---|
| Companies | 401 |
| As of | September 2, 2026 |
| Median reported CEO total | $8,730,545 |
| Highest package (OPEN) | $741,137,105 |
What the number measures
The figure is the board’s grant-date package from each company’s SEC proxy filing — salary, bonus, stock awards, option awards, cash incentive plans, pension changes, and other compensation. It is not cash the CEO necessarily took home. This page reports the median of that one ranking, not a second sample.
Pay by company size lives on CEO salary by company size. The dated table of the largest packages stays on highest-paid CEOs 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average CEO pay in America in 2026?
In this ranking of 401 fiscal-2025 CEO packages as of September 2, 2026, the median reported total is $8,730,545. That is the board's grant-date package, not cash taken home.
Is this a mean or a median?
This page reports the median of the 401-company ranking: $8,730,545. A mean would be pulled up by a few mega-grants in the same cut.
Where do the numbers come from?
Median, count, date, and the highest package come from the same ranking as /rankings/highest-paid-ceos-2026: one principal-executive total per company for fiscal 2025.