20 top-paid CEOs

Total compensation is calculated as the sum of base salary, discretionary and performance-based cash bonuses, the grant-date fair value for stock and option awards during the fiscal year, and other compensation like benefits and perks. Total stock return represents the total shareholder return for their company's stock over the fiscal year. It includes dividends and accounts for stock splits. Equilar, an executive compensation research firm, looked at CEOs at public U.S. companies with at least $5 billion in revenues whose most recent fiscal year ended May 31, 2012 or later. Pay data based on companies' fiscal year end of Dec. 2012 unless otherwise noted.