Charted: It pays to be the boss

S&P 500 company CEOs got a median raise of 12.6% in 2023, far better than their workers and the rate of inflation, AP found based on study by Equilar, an executive data firm.

Why it matters: "At half the companies in this year's pay survey, it would take the worker at the middle of the company's pay scale almost 200 years to make what their CEO did," AP writes.

Zoom in: CEOs flourished as earnings often exceeded expectations amid a better-than-expected economy.

• But critics say CEOs are raking in exorbitant compensation while workers struggle to keep pace with price increases.