2011 COO Pay Strategies Report for S&P 1500 Companies

COOs have had to steer their firms' operations through rough economic waters in the past few years. Now that they've emerged on the other side, how has their pay been affected? The 287 companies studied have had their COOs in place for at least two full years. A few of our findings:

• Pay rises: Median total compensation for COOs grew by 30.1 percent from 2009 to 2010, a sizable increase. In 2010, median total compensation was $2,244,338, up from $1,724,568 in 2009.
• Bonuses are up: Median total bonus payouts for COOs increased dramatically in 2010, rising 27.6 percent. 93.4 percent of COOs received a bonus in 2010, compared to 84.1 percent in 2009.
• Utilities COOs make the most: The Utilities industry boasted the most generous COO pay, with a median of more than $3.46 million in total pay. Services and Financial Services firms saw the largest COO pay growth, with median total pay increasing 39.3 and 26.6 percent, respectively, from 2009 to 2010.

Learn more by requesting the full report.