Top US CEO pay rose 7.7% last year, study finds

STORY: Median pay for top U.S. CEOs rose 7.7% last year

to a record $22.3 million, a new study found

Big stock awards helped them stay ahead

of inflation, as U.S. workers' pay fell behind

The study reviewed the 100 highest-paid CEOs at U.S.

public companies with revenue of $1 billion or more

One of the biggest pay increases

went to Jefferies CEO Richard Handler

whose $56.9 million received last year was

nearly double his total compensation in 2021

The CEO's higher gains pushed the median "pay ratio"

of CEOs to 288 times the pay of their median employee

A similar review last year showed

a 31% pay increase for CEOs for 2021