The 2023 ESOP Executive and Board Compensation Survey report is now available. Thank you to all of the survey respondents.

The NCEO is one of the only sources of compensation data focused exclusively on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). This yearly survey contains benchmark data on both executive and board director positions. The survey data was collected online from August to September 2023 and received a total of 383 valid responses. All respondents are privately held companies with an ESOP. Most are S corporations (92%) and 86% are 100% ESOP-owned.

Executive compensation

The report contains base pay, cash incentives, stock-based compensation, and retirement contributions for eight common executive positions at ESOP companies. The report includes dollar compensation amounts for each position and compensation category at the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles. 

Board compensation

The survey also collected data on board size, composition, and director compensation. It includes tables for total pay amounts for inside, affiliated, and independent directors, as well as, any amounts paid for retainers, meeting fees, and equity compensation.

The 57-page report includes an extensive appendix with separate tables for each survey item. Each table in the appendix includes breakdowns by the largest industry groups, along with percent owned by the ESOP, number of employees, and revenue. 

See the ESOP Executive Compensation Survey report page for more information or to purchase the report. For any questions about the report, please contact the NCEO research team at [email protected].